UConn men’s hockey adds two commitments for next season

UConn men’s hockey landed a pair of commitments from two forwards who will join the team next season: Jake Black, an ‘02 prospect out of Pomfret, Connecticut, and Huston Karpman, an ‘01 prospect from California.

Black currently plays for the NAHL’s Johnston Tomahawks, where he has 12 goals and eight assists in 15 games. Listed at 5-foot-11, 181 pounds with a right-handed shot, a source described him as a goal scorer who’s competitive and skates well.

“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to be a UConn Husky,” Black told NAHL.com. “Growing up in Connecticut, it is a great honor that few kids have. I can’t wait to get to campus and be a part of something special that they keep building.”

Meanwhile, Karpman is a big body at 5-foot-10, 194 pounds with a left-handed shot. He’s a hard-nosed, two-way forward who’s also good on face-offs. A native of Manhattan Beach, California, Karpman played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s — a prep school that has produced the likes of Sidney Crosby, Nate MacKinnon, Jonathan Toews, and Zach Parise — along with current UConn sophomore Artem Shlaine.

Karpman was named NAHL Forward of the Month for October and has nine goals and 11 assists in 15 games for the NAHL’s Minot Minotaurs.

“Huston is an extremely competitive person,” Tomahawks head coach Cody Campbell told the team’s website. “His competitiveness and willingness to do what is needed of him to help his team be successful will translate to the DI level and help UConn win hockey games over the next four years.”

Both Black and Karpman are tied for eighth in the NAHL with 20 points so far this season.

The two players will help UConn rebuild a forward group that’s set to lose grad student Kevin O’Neil, seniors Jonny Evans, Marc Gatcomb, Jachym Kondelik, Carter Turnbull, and John Wojciechowski, and potentially junior Vladislav Firstov.