BU adds skilled forward Rodrigues for next season

By Scott McLaughlin

Evan Rodrigues, a “high-skill” forward playing for the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, has committed to the Terriers for next fall, according to U.S. Hockey Report.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound right wing from Etobicoke, Ontario, is currently tied for fifth on the Raiders in scoring with 33 points (12g, 21a) despite playing in just 20 of their 32 games. Last month, Rodrigues was named to the World Junior A Challenge all-star team after tying for the tournament lead with seven points (3g, 4a) in five games for Canada East, which lost to the United States in the gold medal game.

The 17-year-old Rodrigues (he’ll turn 18 over the summer) “has really good hands, a high skill level, is excellent on the power play, and has a lot of offensive upside – just very good natural offensive instincts,” according to USHR. The article goes on to compare him to current Terrier Sahir Gill because he’s a good skater but “not a waterbug type” and because “he’s not necessarily the type that NHL guys get excited over, but projects to be a fine college player.”

The site reports that Rodrigues chose BU over Michigan and Notre Dame. He becomes the fourth member of the Terriers’ 2011 freshman class, joining forward Cason Hohmann, defenseman Alexx Privitera and goalie Matthew O’Connor.