UConn men’s hockey flips 2020 forward Artem Shlaine from BU

UConn men’s hockey made a big addition to its 2020 freshman class, landing forward Artem Shaline. He was previously committed to BU but chose the Huskies over Boston College, UMass and Ohio State.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 174 pounds with a left-handed shot, Shlaine is expected to be selected in one of the first few rounds of the upcoming NHL Draft. Currently, he’s ranked as the No. 83 draft prospect by The Hockey News. Fellow incoming freshman Nick Capone and rising sophomores Jake Flynn and Yan Kuznetsov are also projected to be drafted this year.

Shlaine played for Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep in Minnesota where he recorded 60 goals and 108 assists in 102 games over two seasons. One of the most well-known hockey schools in the country, Shattuck St. Mary’s has produced big names such as Sidney Crosby, Nate MacKinnon, Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise — to name just a few.

Even with the high-volume numbers, Shlaine is expected to improve as he grows into his body. From Neutral Zone: “As he continues to develop physically, he will be even more dangerous. He is really creative and poised with the puck, anything can happen when the puck is on his stick. He slows the game down and sees the ice so well. High IQ and makes great hockey plays.”

Shlaine was born in Moscow, Russia but has lived in the United States for much of his life, attending high school here. He’s a dual citizen with both a Russian and US passport.

While Shlaine should be the final addition to the Huskies’ incoming freshman class, the team — as always — will keep exploring the landscape.

Elsewhere in the class of 2020, forward Johnny Mulera de-committed and will now attend Maine. This was an expected move for the staff. With the addition of Shlaine, the Huskies are bringing in five forwards in the class of 2020 (Cassidy Bowes, Nick Capone, Gavin Puskar, Hudson Schandor and Shaline) while returning 11 others.

In other recruiting news, forward Mark D’Agostino is expected to join UConn’s 2021 class after previously being unclassified. Forward Malik Alishlalov and defenseman Arseni Smekhnov will no longer attend UConn after previously being unclassified commits.

2020 - Forwards Cassidy Bowes, Nick Capone, Johnny Mulera, Gavin Puskar and Hudson Schandor; Defenseman John Spetz

2021 - Forwards Mark D’Agostino, Tabor Heaslip and Brandon Santa Juana; Defenseman Jack Pascucci

2022 - Forward Oliver Flynn

Unclassified: Forwards Ignat Belov and Sean Donaldson