By Britt Hart / USPHL.com
Islanders Hockey Club Premier leading scorer, Michael Schaaf, has committed to Worcester State University for the Fall of 2023.
The 2002-born native of Nashua, NH is in his third season with the Islanders Hockey Club, this season being his second at the junior level with the Premier squad.
“The Islanders have made the college process very easy as a player,” said Schaaf. “You can trust that the coaching staff will contact all the schools that you may be interested in and tell you reasonable goals to set for yourself that will help you get noticed and succeed at the college level.”
Schaaf first joined the Islanders back in 2020-2021 at the USPHL U18 level before advancing to the Premier squad last season. As a New Hampshire native, the Islanders organization is local to the ‘02 forward, making it an easy selection. Staying loyal to the organization is something in which Schaaf takes pride and he has thoroughly enjoyed his time spent in the program.
“Michael has been a part of our club for several years so we are very happy for him,” said Islanders head coach Jay Punsky. “He approaches the game like a true pro so, I have no doubt he will be very successful in college.”
With his commitment, Schaaf will be joining Punsky at WSU as Punsky also serves as an assistant coach for the Worcester State Lancers, whose head coach is Bob Deraney.
“Coach Punsky has definitely been one of the better coaches I’ve skated for. His honesty and dedication to the team and each player is amazing to have from a coach,” said Schaaf. “Knowing that he also is the assistant at WSU, his feedback and systems are going to better prepare me to make the process of joining the team at WSU with the knowledge of their systems and what they are looking for in a player.”
To date, Schaaf leads his Premier squad in points with a total of 1 goal and 9 assists in 6 games, surpassing his point total from last year. The Islanders Premier squad currently sits in second place in the New England Division, continuing their success after last year’s Nationals appearance.
