It’s not just in the transfer portal that Northeastern continues to see success on the recruiting trail; Wednesday night the Huskies received the verbal commitment of Griffin Erdman, a 2005-birth year forward from Delaware currently playing for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL.
Erdman is 18 years old, stands 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, and is a left shot wing. For Waterloo this year, his first year in the USHL, he has 37 points (15 goals) in 56 games, a very encouraging season ahead the 2023 NHL Draft, where Erdman is eligible to be drafted for the first time and could go somewhere in the middle rounds. Prior to Waterloo he was a part of the Long Island Gulls, North Jersey Avalanche, Cape Cod Whalers, Philadelphia HC, and Deerfield Academy hockey programs. He had over a point per game with Cape Cod and Deerfield, and his North Jersey team competed at the USA Hockey Nationals. While with Long Island, he was linemates with fellow Northeastern commit Ben Yurchuk. He also is a veteran of multiple USA Hockey Select camps at the U16 and U17 levels, and was a member of the Team USA U18 Team at the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where he scored 3 points (1 goal) in 4 games. He has also won the USHL Forward of the Week award this season.
Erdman, a former Dartmouth commit, is characterized as a high-energy, hard-nosed player whose motor keeps him competitive in all situations. Combining that drive with solid skating, great hands, and elusive but simple puck-handling, he is able to score and create offense from multiple places on the ice. One of the things that scouts laud about him is his willingness to make a difference on both sides of the puck, both in the offensive and defensive zone, using his stick and body to prevent pucks from getting through while also having the speed, hunger, and extra gear to chase after loose pucks in the offensive zone and be a catalyst for offense. After the USHL Draft, TSA Scouting mentioned that he is a dynamic player who is shifty on his feet and hard to contain.
Further scouting evaluations say similar about Erdman. After the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, two scouts noted that he was Team USA’s most consistent forward, in that you knew what you’d get from him every shift. They highlighted his work ethic, his competitiveness, his work as a key penalty killer for Team USA, and his abilities as a great forechecker with great skating ability. Wrapping up their report, they lauded Erdman’s vision, hockey sense, and willingness to go to the net both with and without the puck- all qualities that Jerry Keefe and his staff have put priority on in recent years with their commitments.
Erdman’s own coach in Waterloo, Brett Olson, calls him a “energizer bunny,” further stating “He plays with a little grit and definitely leads the way with is performances most nights, doing the right thing. Kind of a lead by action deal for him.” Olson also commented on how when Erdman isn’t scoring, he does not let that affect the other parts of his game, a crucial element in being a mature, well-rounded hockey player.
Erdman was projected to be a 2024 enrollee at Dartmouth and that is where we project him to enroll to Northeastern as well. He’ll play one more year with Waterloo and expect him to enroll as an important middle six forward right away with responsibilities on the penalty kill. A high compete level, high motiviation, high skill and high standard player is exactly the type of athlete that Northeastern has been honing in on while they recruit, and Griffin Erdman fits that bill like a glove. I expect Erdman to be a Northeastern fan favorite for many years to come when he finally arrives.
Congratulations Griffin on his commitment to Northeastern! As always, go Huskies!