Hunter Engelman '22 Recruiting Profile

I have a dream of playing college hockey. My love for hockey is something I want to continue as I pursue an Environmental Science and Sustainability degree in college. As a player, I would describe my style as a “defensive-minded forward.” I enjoy a physically aggressive, competitive game. You can usually find me hustling to backcheck, digging deep in the corners, and using my size to run interference in front of the goalie. My coaches have consistently used me on the power play and penalty-kill specialty teams. I am a very coachable player.

I feel that currently playing AAA hockey has prepared me to balance the workload of academics with practice, games, and lots of travel. I maintained a high-grade point average and consecutively earned Honor Roll every semester of every year since 6th grade. I am continuing along that same successful academic path, earning a 3.67 GPA and recently completing several Honors courses in the science curriculum during my high school educational path. I was also a Dual Enrollment high school /college student during my senior year, taking 2 community college courses, where I earned A’s. It is because of my vigorous school and hockey schedule that I have time management and organization skills. My work ethic, team cooperativeness, good manners, and leadership skills are characteristics my teachers and coaches have often commented on.

What makes me different from others is my desire to see everyone play their best, get along with each other, and ultimately, love the game. It’s important to win games, but it's also important to learn something new every time you step onto the ice. A positive attitude and respect are two things you should always give your coaches. I feel that if you’re interested in college or higher-level hockey, you have skills that you will always be developing, but your attitude and your respect towards your coaches and teammates are also two things that should be consistent and present at all times.

I’ve been fortunate to participate in recent team accolades of USA Hockey Nationals, Atlantic District Playoff Champions, AYHL Playoff Champions, and NAPHL Tier I Dixon Cup Playoffs all with my Philadelphia Little Flyers 18U AAA Premier team in 2022, USPHL 15U AAA Playoff Champions in 2020 with Palmyra Blacks Knights, USPHL 14U AAA Playoffs Champions in 2019 with Palmyra Black Knights, Keystone State Games silver medalist in 2018 for the East Team, and Keystone State Game Champion in 2017 for the East Team.

Regarding individual accomplishments, I was nominated last year (2022) to represent my high school varsity team as the Captain, and I was especially proud of this honor. For the past 2 years, in 2021 & 2022, I was chosen to play on the All-Star Team in the Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey League (LVSHL). In my 1st year of high school hockey in 2019, I was chosen as MVP of my JV team by my peers and coaches. In 2020, I was again voted as MVP, of my Varsity team. In addition, I was nominated Assistant Captain of my Susquehanna Selects spring/summer tournament team for 2 years in 2017 and 2018. Lastly, I was voted as the Keystone State Games Tournament MVP in 2017. Those experiences have been the highlights of my time and effort on the ice so far. In the future, I hope to continue these great accomplishments to help lead me to the collegiate level.

In preparation for attaining my future hockey goals, I have participated in several NAHL Combines, the Princeton Ivy Shootout/First Contact Camp, the Liberty Bells Games, and many pre-draft/main camps (NAHL New Jersey Titans Main Camp, NAHL Northeast Generals Main Camp, NAHL North Iowa Bulls Pre-Draft Camp (w/Aberdeen Wings, Springfield Pics, and Kenai River Brown Bears), USPHL’s Ogden Mustangs & San Diego Sabers Tryout Camp, NAHL Amarillo Bulls Main Camp). Futures Development Camps include: NAHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and USHL Youngstown Phantoms/NAHL Maryland Black Bears.

All of these experiences have confirmed that I am on the path I want to be on. My main passion in life right now is playing hockey. As I continue to pursue my academic and athletic goals, I am committed to being a strong contributor and leader to my family, school, team, and coaches. My parents have been a big part of my life because they have helped and guided me to make the right decisions in life. I am definitely someone who my parents, teachers, teammates, and coaches are proud of!