August 1st marked the first day that 2007-born prospects could verbally commit to NCAA programs. Five Michigan natives were quick to make their intentions known, including a trio of teammates from last season’s 15O Little Caesars. The No. 1 ranked team in the nation in ‘22-23 already saw three of its members earn U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) roster spots for the Under-17 team. This month, Evan Jardine, Nick Kosiba and Gavin Lock all made verbal commitments, adding to the prestige of what was Caesars’ ‘07 squad.

Kosiba announced his commitment to in-state program Western Michigan University on the 14th. Just five days later, Lock decided to join his Caesars’ teammate in Kalamazoo, as both forwards are projected to join the Broncos in the fall of 2027. Western was the No. 12 ranked team in the country last season, and currently has commitments from 20 forwards over the course of the next three seasons.

Jardine announced his commitment to Harvard on August 16th. He was the second-leading scorer on the top-ranked Caesars team with 137 points — only outdone by current USNTDP forward Will Horcoff. Jardine is the fourth member of the Crimson’s incoming class of 2027. He’s coming off of a summer where he was the leading scorer from the USA Select-16 Camp.

OJG Defensemen Cole Tuminaro and Landon Nycz Land on Opposing East Coast Schools

The top two defensemen from the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies’ 15O team last season will continue their college hockey careers on the east coast. Cole Tuminaro, who scored 23 goals and 54 points, verbally committed to Cornell. Fresh off of a 38-point season, Landon Nycz announced his intentions to join UMass-Amherst. While Tuminaro isn’t slated to join the Big Red until 2026, and Nycz not expected to be on campus until 2027, the two programs are set to face off against each other later this year. 

Both Tuminaro and Nycz had strong showings at the 2023 USA Hockey-BioSteel Boys 16 Player Development Camp.

There was one 2006 among the crowd of ‘07s to make a verbal announcement this month as well. Long-time Caesars forward Brecken Smith committed to join Miami (OH) and the Class of 2026. He’s had a busy offseason, after a decent performance at the 2023 USA Hockey-BioSteel Boys 17 Player Development Camp in July. Smith made his college commitment in August, and he’s slated to compete for a USHL roster spot in Youngstown in September.