SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men’s ice hockey program will have nine freshmen joining the team for the 2015-16 season. The Dutchmen’s recruiting class was announced today by Head Coach Rick Bennett. The Class of 2019 features six forwards, two goaltenders and a defenseman.
The newest Dutchmen are: defenseman Greg Campbell (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Blades), forward Mark Dufour (Winthrop, Maine/Islanders Hockey Club), goaltender Jake Kupsky (Waukeshaw, Wis./Lone Star Brahmas), forward Cole Maier (Pequannock, N.J./Nanaimo Clippers), forward Brett Supinski (Collegeville, Pa./Coquitlam Express), forward Brendan Taylor (Nanaimo, B.C./Nanaimo Clippers), forward Sebastian Vidmar (Malmo, Sweden/Lone Star Brahmas), forward Ryan Walker (Spotswood, N.J./Sioux City Musketeers), and goaltender Joe Young (Hanson, Mass./Philadelphia Junior Flyers).
Campbell (age 20, 6’0″, 194 lbs., shoots: L) is known for his competitiveness and offensive flair. He scored 25 goals in three seasons with his hometown Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). He is also a durable performer, appearing in 145 games during that period. Campbell finished as his team’s top defenseman scorer last season, compiling nine goals and a team-best 30 assists for 39 points in 49 games. Campbell’s stellar play earned him a spot the Team Canada East team at the World Junior A Hockey Challenge and an invite to the 2014 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge.
Dufour (age 19, 6’3″, 197 lbs., shoots: R) is a hard-working forward who brings good size to his position. He spent the past two seasons with Islanders Hockey Club of the U.S. Premier Hockey League (USPHL). Last year Dufour accumulated 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 38 games. Dufour previously spent three seasons at the Kents Hill prep in Maine, recording back-to-back 20-goals campaigns. He finished with 96 points in 83 career games at Kents.
Kupsky (age 19, 6’5″, 210 lbs., shoots: L) is a big, athletic goaltender who handles the puck well. He spent the 2014-15 season with the Lone Star Brahmas of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), compiling a 19-4-4 record along with a 2.16 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. He was named to the USHL South Division All-Rookie Team, finishing sixth in the USHL in goals against average and 12th in save percentage. Prior to joining the Brahmas, Kupsky played four seasons at Waukesha (WI) High School. He is joined by Brahmas teammate Sebastian Vidmar in this recruiting class.
Maier (age 20, 6’1″, 195 lbs., shoots: R) is a solid two-way player who will help the Dutchmen in the faceoff circle. This past season with the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Maier turned in a 25-goal campaign and added 29 assists for 54 points in 58 games. He finished second in team scoring and received the team award for best two-way player. As a two-year starter at the Taft School, Maier scored 22 goals and served as team captain his final season at the Connecticut prep school. Maier is joined by his Clipper teammate Brendan Taylor in this freshman class.
Supinski (age 19, 6’0″, 165 lbs., shoots: R) is a highly-skilled offensive player with good hands. He finished second in the BCHL in scoring, amassing 98 points on 48 goals and 50 assists in 58 games for the Coquitlam Express in 2014-15. Supinski was named to the All-BCHL First Team and to the BCHL All-Rookie Team. He also played two seasons of prep hockey at Millbrook (N.Y.) School, averaging 1.51 points a game.
Taylor (age 20, 6’0″, 190 lbs., shoots: R) is a solid playmaker with good hockey sense. Taylor led his hometown Nanaimo Clippers in scoring the past two seasons, guiding the team to the Fred Page Cup BCHL Finals last year as team captain. In 58 games, he stockpiled 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points, finishing 20th in league scoring in his fourth and final season with the Clippers.
Swedish native Vidmar (age 21, 6’2″, 189 lbs., shoots: L) brings size and strength to Union’s front line. Vidmar spent this past season with the Lone Star Brahmas, collecting 35 goals and 45 assists for 80 points in 58 games. He was named the NAHL’s Most Valuable Player after leading the league in goals and points. Vidmar also notched a league-best 11 game-winning goals and paced all forwards with a +37 plus/minus rating. He finished with 105 career points in 100 games with the Brahmas.
Walker (age 18, 5’10”, 150 lbs., shoots: L) is a talented forward with excellent ice vision. In 2014-15, he competed for the Sioux City Musketeers of the United State Hockey League (USHL), registering 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points in 60 games. Walker previously skated for the New Jersey Junior Titans of the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL). He became the first player in league history to record 50 points in a season.
Young (age 21, 6’2″, 175 lbs., shoots: L) is an athletic goaltender who will vie for playing time. He spent this past season with the Philadelphia Junior Flyers of the USPHL. In 42 games, Young recorded a 20-14-0 record, 3.03 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. He appeared in 66 games over two seasons with the Junior Flyers after seeing action with the Boston Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) and the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
“Credit has to go to Joe Dumais and Jason Tapp for bringing in another quality class of recruits,” said Rick Bennett. “This nine-member class required a lot of road work on their part and I’m grateful for their time and efforts.”
Under Dumais and Tapp, Union has produced the nation’s eighth- and 12th-highest scoring freshmen classes the past two seasons. The Class of 2017 compiled 98 points while the Class of 2018 produced 80 points (the highest total in ECAC Hockey).
“We want more to be more competitive in all areas of our program, and I think this incoming class helps us with that,” Bennett added. “In order for us to get back to where we want to be, we need to create competition at every position.”
