South Deerfields Kaz Sobieski pledges to play hockey to defend national champion UMass

South Deerfields Kaz Sobieski stays close to home on his college hockey career.

A 17-year-old defender who has visited the prestigious Shattuck-St. Marys School in Faribault, Minn., For the past three years announced on Friday their commitment to play to the next level at the University of Massachusetts.

I’ve really pumped about it, Sobieski said. Growing up and going to games (at Mullins Center), I’ve always thought I wanted to play at UMass. It is exciting. They are coming out of the national championship and the coach is great.

The recruitment process accelerated for Sobiesk a few weeks ago during a visit to the U.S. Hockey National Camp in Amherst, NY

Ten schools contacted Sobieskito visits, and his decision eventually came to UMass and the other Hockey East enemy.

My recruitment went to the national camp, Sobieski said. When I visited UMass, I knew where I wanted to be. It came to them and to the northeast, I visited them in a row. The choice of UMass really made sense to me.

The Minutemens, who grew up in South Deerfield, were always an opportunity for Sobiesk. The hockey program has gone through dramatic changes Sobieski was younger and involved in the games, and when Minutemen came out of the national title last season, the decision became even easier.

That was a big factor for it, Sobieski said in the headline. It attracts a lot of guys.

UMass assistant coach Jared DeMichielled was charged with Sobieski’s recruitment process and visited Amherst.

He was such an awesome guy, Sobieski said of Carvel. He is so real to me. He spoke softly, but it was a very good meeting.

The 6-foot right-stick defender is coming from a season where he played nearly 50 games at Shattuck-St. Marys, a school that has produced NHL star players such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan McKinnon and Jonathan Toews.

Sobieski took advantage of playing a full board in a year where not everyone was able to do it during a pandemic. He ended the season with nine goals and 19 assists in 47 matches on the ice.

This season went well, Sobieski said. It was definitely different with COVID and locked for so long, but we got a lot of games. We were lucky to be able to play so many games in so many places that don’t play at all. I felt lucky to get on the field. The facilities at the school are amazing. They are always available and it helped me develop so much.

Sobieski was selected last summer for the U.S. Hockey League (USHL), which was selected by the Sioux Falls Stampede in the fifth round. He was the 67th choice from the Phase I Draft, which was held only for future age players who are U-17 players for next year’s season (2004 birth players only).

When Sobieski arrives on the UMass campus, it is not known because the schedules of the Division 1 programs will vary significantly in hockey. Hell keeps working to prepare for that time.

They expect me to come in when I’m done, said Sobieski, who attended Eaglebrook School before Shattuck-St. Marys, they want me to be a great contributor to the team.