USHL: Walsh Signs Tender with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Lost in the hoopla surrounding the Frozen Four, Boston College 2018 recruit T.J. Walsh signed a tender with the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

The Shrewsbury, Mass. native played the 2015-16 season with Cushing Academy. He missed much of the Summer, including the Select 15s, and fall split-season midgets due to a shoulder injury suffered at the World Selects Invitational. He was the top bantam scorer in the U.S. in 2014-15 while playing for Shattuck St. Mary's.

Walsh was invited to the U.S. NTDP Evaluation Camp, but was not selected. He's small, but when he's healthy and on his game, he's a sneaky player who can create offense by himself. He's a good skater with good hands and can generate time and space in the offensive zone.

Walsh has long been compared to fellow 2000 and Bay Stater Jake Wise, a Boston University commit. It will be interesting to see how the pair progress over the next two years under different development paths. Wise, who played the past two seasons with Central Catholic, was chosen for the NTDP U-17s.

Playing for Mark Carlson in Cedar Rapids will do the 2018 NHL Draft prospect a world of good. Carlson is known for his no-nonsense approach and his organization is well-known for producing and developing NCAA Division I talent.