A day after securing the verbal commitment of heralded 2002-born forward Stanley Cooley, the Huskies picked up another verbal commitment from a similarly regarded defenseman. Brandon Chabrier, a 2002 birth year from New York, is a right-shot defenseman currently at the Portledge School on Long Island, New York. Chabrier played two seasons at Portledge with NU recruit Ross Mitton, a forward. Currently, Chabrier is playing for the Long Island Gulls organization. Last season, Chabrier was an All-American Defenseman in the Atlantic Youth Bantam Hockey League (AYBHL).
Congratulations to U16 LI Gulls '02 Defenseman Brandon Chabrier on his commitment to play college hockey at Northeastern University! pic.twitter.com/Qv9M84gchu
— LI GULLS U16 AAA (@LIGulls16U) September 5, 2017
Standing 5-foot-9, weighing in at 145 pounds, and with plenty of room (and time) to grow, Chabrier has been highly regarded across multiple scouting reports, having been called a “stud,” “legit NTDP candidate,” and being described as having “legitimate offensive upside.” Other tweets and reports on Chabrier that were published after his commitment was announced are posted below:
02 D Brandon Chabrier (NU) is a slick puck mover with catch & shoot ability. Showed well for the Gulls @ECCTournaments Labor Day this wkd https://t.co/KeErQehPR8
— Mark Bilotta (@mbilotta) September 5, 2017
Another nice dip into the '02 crop for Northeastern. Chabrier has some legitimate offensive upside. https://t.co/9ZEk7JuGev
— Priority Selection (@PrioritySelect) September 5, 2017
Another great commit for Northeastern as '02 RD Brandon Chabrier (LI Gulls) commits. Raw, great skater, puck-mover, very high ceiling.
— Jeff Cox (@jeffcox425) September 5, 2017
Chabrier has participated in multiple high-profile showcases and tournaments, including the USA Selects U15 camp this past July and the Boston Junior Eagles U14 Showcase in October 2016. In that 2016 showcase, Jeff Cox of SBNation saw him play as a forward, and ranked him as the second-best forward at the event. He said this of Chabrier: “He played up front this weekend, but he plays defense as well. He has very good speed and an explosive first step. He showed great footwork and agility one play wheeling around the offensive zone before sending a perfect pass out front for a goal. He plays with an edge and projects well.” Cox also rated Chabrier as the #6 defenseman who could be considered for the United States National Development Program.
I've updated my rankings for projected USA Hockey NTDP Evaluation Camp Roster (2002s) pic.twitter.com/FG7LEbLMsf
— Jeff Cox (@jeffcox425) September 5, 2017
Based on how scouts are raving about Chabrier, Northeastern has secured a very talented young player for their pipeline. Puck-moving defensemen are always a valued commodity, both at the college level and at the professional level, so Chabrier’s development will certainly be one to watch as he gets closer to his draft years. He is eligible for the United States Hockey League Draft in 2018, and the National Hockey League Draft in 2020. As stated before, he is also is a candidate for the United States National Team Development Program, which he would enter into in 2018 and play there for two seasons before matriculating in 2020. The Huskies have had a few players come out of the NTDP, most recently 2017-18 captain Nolan Stevens. Former players Cam Darcy and Adam Reid also were NTDP alums.
We have placed Chabrier in the 2020 recruiting class with Stanley Cooley, although we realize arrival dates can change. The class of 2020 seems to be filling up rapidly, and it is exciting to think about the talent down the road for the Huskies. Congratulations again to Brandon on joining the Huskies family!
As always, Go Huskies!