UConn men’s hockey commits ‘05 forward Ethan Gardula

On Thursday, UConn men’s hockey picked up a commitment from Ethan Gardula, an ‘05 forward out of Princeton, Massachusetts. A 5-foot-11, 174 pound winger with a left-handed shot, Gardula is entering his senior year at Cushing Academy and will play for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers once he graduates. He is projected to arrive in Storrs as part of the Huskies’ 2024 recruiting class.

“He’s gonna play up and down the wall, scores goals, plays heavy, gets himself to the net,” Musketeers general manager Andy Johnson said after the team selected Gardula in the 2021 USHL Phase I Draft. “He’s a lethal goal scorer.”

In his junior season at Cushing, Gardula scored six goals and 20 assists in 24 games while playing with future teammate Mason Kesselring, who led the team with 13 goals.

Though his numbers aren’t eye-popping, Gardula is a promising collegiate prospect — highlighted by the fact he was taken by the QMJHL’s Charlottestown Islanders — a major juniors team. He participated in USA Hockey’s national player development camp over the summer as well.

Gardula is the fifth ‘05 prospect committed to UConn (excluding Matthew Wood) and the team’s 12th commit overall.