By: Mike Davis
Mike Davis is the leader of the Northeastern hockey student section known as “The Doghouse.” He will be a contributor to WRBB Sports throughout the coming season. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @spellinwithmike.
Northeastern secured a verbal commitment from one of the top players in the New Jersey High School circuit last season. Bobby Hampton, a late ’97 from Middletown, NJ, pledged his allegiance to the Huskies on September 27th. A right-handed shot, Hampton clocks in at five-foot eleven inches and 174 pounds, already a good sized player up front. He played 28 games with the Jersey Hitmen U18 team in the USPHL last year, posting a 6-17-23 line, but the numbers that really standout are from his high school season.
After playing his first two seasons of high school hockey for Christian Brothers Academy, Hampton chose to transfer to Middletown North High School for his junior season. Transfer rules limited Hampton to only 16 regular season games, but he set the ice ablaze with his play during that time, racking up 35 goals and 19 assists for a grand total of 54 points, or 3.38 points per game. He continued his high level of play in the state tournament, tallying 16 points in five state tournament games, including two goals and two assists in the title game. After leading his team in goals and to the state title in the process, Hampton was crowned the 2014-15 All-Shore Hockey Player of the Year in New Jersey.
I had a chance to speak with Hampton regarding his commitment and process that led him to Northeastern. The transcript follows:
Mike Davis: Congratulations on your commitment! NU is a top notch school and a hockey program on the rise. What appealed to you about NU as a school and as a program? Who was your main recruiter at NU?
Bobby Hampton: NU is such an attraction to me because my family and I love the Boston area and NU plays in the best college conference in the country, so when deciding it was no question for me. Coach Jerry Keefe was my main recruiter during the process, and I toured the campus with both Coach Madigan and Coach Keefe.
MD: What are your plans for the upcoming season? Where will you be playing and what role do you expect to fill?
BH: For this upcoming season I will be playing for the U18 North Jersey Avalanche with some hopeful games in the USHL.
MD: What other schools were your considering other than NU? What was the whole process like for you?
BH: Other schools I was considering were St. Lawrence and Holy Cross. The process was a lot of fun, I went on a bunch of visits to different schools like Penn State, Providence, Quinnipiac. But NU is a dream come true.
MD: How would you describe yourself as a player?
BH: As a player I would list myself as a big power forward with the capability to make plays and see the ice well, and I can finish when opportunities are given.
MD: When will you be enrolling at NU?
BH: I am not positive when I will be a freshman at NU but I think it will be the year after next if I am physically ready for college hockey.
Hampton was a 2014 4th Round pick of the USHL’s Madison Capitals in the 2014 Futures Draft, so we can look forward to him playing in the competitive USHL, and can expect him to flourish there if his track record is any indication. He is projected for 2017 but it is possible he gets pushed to 2018 depending, as he said, on his development. Congratulations to Bobby and his family. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @NUDogHouse for up-to-date information for the upcoming season. Go Huskies!