NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 11: The puck stops just outside the goal behind Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers after a play at the net during the third period of Game Four of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden on June 11, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Many 13-year-olds are not old enough to have Twitter accounts, but Anthony Cipollone is no ordinary 13-year-old. You can follow him @anthony_cip91 and all of his nine tweets as of Friday morning.
Something else sets Cipollone apart from most kids his age, as well. This tweet:
That's right. Committing as in he plans to actually play for the University of Vermont one day, and the program's coaches are apparently on board with it even though he is barely a teenager. His brother Joseph, three years older than Anthony, reportedly committed to Vermont in January.
According to SB Nation, Cipollone is the youngest player to commit to a Division 1 hockey program. Maine native Oliver Wahlstrom previously held that title when he committed to the University of Maine last year at age 13 or 14 (reports on his age vary, though hockey scouting website EliteProspects.com indicates Cipollone edges Wahlstrom by about three months). Wahlstrom gained media fame when he scored an incredible lacrosse-style goal as a 9-year-old in the TD Bank Mini 1-on-1 challenge during an intermission at a 2009 Bruins game. Now 15 years old, he has since de-committed from Maine but is still impressing many on the ice, as he posted 114 points in 65 games with Shattuck St. Mary's -- one of the best high school hockey programs in the country -- last season.
There is not much information available about Anthony Cipollone since he is playing pee-wee with other 13-year-olds. According to hockey scouting website EliteProspects.com, Cipollone is 5-foot-1 and 119 pounds. He just turned 13 on May 14 according to the site, and he would not be draft-eligible until 2020.
Cipollone's commitment is a verbal one rather than a written commitment since the NCAA does not allow recruits to sign National Letters of Intent until they are in 12th grade; Cipollone is not even in high school yet. But verbal commitments are common in college hockey, and breaking them tends to be met with scorn from many in the hockey community unless the player committing is under the age of 15.
The University of Vermont previously recruited two players who were not yet 15 years old when the players made verbal commitments. One of those players, Thomas Forgione, is now a rising junior for the Catamounts while the other, Connor Anthoine, plays Division III hockey for SUNY Geneseo.
(h/t SB Nation)
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.