The New Jersey 87's are proud to announce that Kyle DePalma has committed to play Division III hockey at Albertus Magnus College.

DePalma, a Point Pleasant, NJ native, is the first player in 87's history to make a college commitment. Playing in the Premier Division last season, DePalma recorded 19 goals and 18 assists in 40 games. This year in the EHL, he has four goals and five assists in 11 games.

"It's nice to get the burden off the back and just focus on playing some hockey, develop to get ready for college in September," DePalma said of his commitment. "For being the first commit in 87's history is remarkable because I've been here for a couple of years and it's nice to see that hard work come out and be able to commit early this season."

Albertus Magnus is a Division III school located in New Haven, Conn and competes in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The 2019-20 season will be the program's inaugural campaign, and the Falcons will be lead by head coach Kyle Wallack.

87's head coach Adam Houli had nothing but praise for the 20-year-old forward. He spoke about DePalma's commitment and the path he took that led to his achievement.

"This one is special. He's a local kid who believed in our vision two years ago, and I'm sure he heard some flak about playing in the Premier Division first. He probably could have been playing higher, but he trusted us. He trusted the process, he knew the vision we had, and now two months into playing in the EHL he has a commitment," Houli said. 

DePalma also spoke about his growth as a player within the 87's organization and how it helped him land his commitment.

"On the ice I think I've become a lot more skilled because I've had so many opportunities to excel, I've had a lot of time to work on things i've been wanting to work on that I haven't been able to work on two years prior to this. They have developed me into a good hockey player on the ice and a good person off the ice, so they've really laid a good foundation for me to go to college."

The 87's organization would like to congratulate Kyle and his family as he prepares to advance his hockey career to the Division III collegiate level.