The second of three commitments that Northeastern garnered on August 1st, Haeden Ellis committed to the Huskies via his Instagram not long after Ben Wilmott posted his own Instagram. Ellis is the first player born in 2007 to commit to Northeastern Men’s Hockey. He is the son of longtime NHL player and current Buffalo Sabres assistant coach Matt Ellis.
Ellis is from Buffalo, NY, stands 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, and is a right shot center. He has been a part of the Buffalo Jr Sabres program for the past three seasons. He is slated to play with the Buffalo Jr Sabres program as part of the Ontario Junior Hockey League next season, a league that has seen multiple Northeastern players come from it, including Dylan Sikura, Dustin Darou, Ty and Dylan Jackson, and current recruit Giacomo Martino. Last season with the Jr Sabres 15U team, Ellis had 17 points (9 goals) in 16 games. He also played at the USA Hockey Selects 16 camp this year, scoring 8 points in 5 games, after scoring 3 goals in 4 games at the Selects 15 camp last year. He was a first round pick of the 2023 USHL Futures Draft by Cedar Rapids, a program that has produced some elite talent for Northeastern, including Aidan McDonough, Adam Gaudette, Justin Hryckowian, and current Huskies Liam Walsh, Andy Moore, and Dylan Hryckowian. He also was an 8th round pick in the Ontario Hockey League Draft by Kitchener, however we do not expect that to be an issue with getting him to college.
Originally a 3.25-star rating on Neutral Zone, Ellis’ game has blossomed and he now sits as a commanding 4-star prospect on the respected scouting site’s ranks. Neutral Zone calls him an “elusive highly-skilled forward” who can be effective either off the rush with his speed or in a cycle game where he can pop in and out of high-traffic areas while controlling the puck and he’s not afraid to get into the high traffic areas of the ice even with his smaller stature. . He limits his turnovers and finds ways to get into open space. An excellent passer, he appears to be more of a play driver than a finisher, something that PuckPreps also mentions in their evaluation of him.
PuckPreps adds that he is a “dynamic puck carrier with great evasion and shiftiness” who is difficult to contain, plays at a high pace, and puts defenders where he wants them to be in order to make the play he wants. They state he is capable of “working in a phone booth” with his stick skills and dangles, and one skill they really highlight is his ability to take sub-par passes and corral them into a position that he can execute successfully into without losing his stride or momentum, and get his teammates involve in a relentless attacking gameplan. To add further praise to Ellis’ game, when Kitchener selected him in the OHL Draft, Director of Prospect Development Mike Bukator said of Ellis: “an extremely skilled and smart centerman, brings a lot of compete to his game, and will be a fan favorite for years to come.” A fan favorite, sure, but our money is on Huskies fans rather than Kitchener fans.
Given his age (Ellis won’t turn 17 until March 7th, 2007), it would not be a shock to see him struggle his first year in the OJHL, or potentially get more time at the U16 level as he continues to grow and get stronger. At this point we would predict Ellis enrolls to Northeastern in the Fall of 2026, which would allow him three more seasons of development before skating at Matthews Arena. He is eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft and given his pedigree in the USHL Draft and his scouting report, certainly seems like a candidate to be chosen when the time comes.
Congratulations to Haeden on his commitment to Northeastern!
As always, go Huskies!