There was no masking Sam Kurker's happiness yesterday.
"This has been my dream since I was five years old," he said. "For some reason, I've always wanted to be a Boston University Terrier."
That dream has come true for the St. John's Prep star forward, who made a verbal commitment to accept a scholarship and play hockey for the Terriers.
"It's Division 1, a Hockey East and Beanpot school ... everything you dream of," said the 17-year-old Kurker, who helped St. John's Prep to the Super 8 state championship game as a junior last winter.
Kurker informed legendary Boston University coach Jack Parker of his decision yesterday. "I hope he was excited as I was," laughed Kurker.
A 6-foot-2, 205-pound physically imposing specimen who can play either right wing or center, Kurker had drawn interest from many Division 1 schools; Providence and Northeastern were among his final three choices, while Union, Brown and Harvard were also in the mix.
But the lure of tugging on the red-and-white BU sweater, playing close to his Reading home and making his childhood dreams a reality all added up to an offer Kurker couldn't refuse.
Having first met with members of the BU staff prior to last summer's Select 16s camp in Rochester, N.Y., Kurker talked to them again prior to this year's Youth Select 17 Player Development Camp in the same location. He then went out and had a terrific tournament, scoring seven goals (including a shorthanded strike) and adding an assist in five games to finish among the camp's top scorers.
"My size and my physical strength helped me," said Kurker, a Salem News hockey all-star who carries a 3.3 grade-point average. "Playing against older, bigger guys in the past definitely helped me when it came time to play against guys my own age."
"I had a chance to talk with Coach Parker and Coach (Mike) Bavis (the Terriers' associate head coach), and they thought I played well and saw me in their future. It was great to hear."
His performance at the development camp saw Kurker chosen for the U.S. Under-18 Select team that played in the annual Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament earlier this month in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, a showcase for the best prospects that age in the world. (Future BU teammate Danny O'Regan of Needham was also on the team).
"It was unreal," said Kurker. "The places and the rinks we played in were unbelievable; so were the guys on the team. It was a great time, a great hockey experience."
Kurker, who was given a 'B' grade when the National Hockey League's Draft futures list was released last month, is coming off of a high school season in which he set career highs for goals (20), assists (17) and points (37) while finishing third overall in scoring for St. John's Prep. His 20 goals were tied for seventh-best on the North Shore, and he was 10th overall in area scoring. He also had a pair of goals and five assists in the Super 8 playoffs.
He will serve as captain for the Eagles this coming winter, where he'll enter the season 34 points shy of 100 (35 goals, 31 assists) for his career. Whether or not he'll matriculate directly to Boston University next fall or play junior hockey for a year or two before hitting Commonwealth Ave. will be determined at a later date.
"I can't wait to get back on the ice with those guys," said Kurker of his Prep teammates. "We had a great experience last season; now the focus to get back there and win it all this time. I'm very excited to see what we can do."
Kurker is the son of Paul Kurker and Lynn O'Brien. He calls his two younger siblings, brother Harry (a Prep freshman-to-be this fall who also plays hockey) and sister Lilly "my biggest fans."
PREP STAR EISERMAN TRANSFERS TO CUSHING
Left wing Shane Eiserman, who re-wrote the North Shore record book for hockey scoring by a freshman, will not be back with St. John's Prep next winter. In one of the summer's worst kept secrets, the 15-year-old Eiserman is transferring to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham.
With the Eagles last season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder quickly made his way up to the team's first line and finished with 52 points, more than any ninth grader ever in area history. His 24 goals were tied for second on the North Shore, his 28 assists were good for third overall, and his 52 points placed him only behind Harvard-bound teammate Colin Blackwell (66 points).
The Newburyport native, believed by many to be a future NHLer, was impressive while playing for the US Under-17 Select Team at the 2011 U-17 Five Nations tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. earlier this month.
