Gophers get commitment from Matthew Grimes, high-scoring 16-year-old defenseman from New York

Matthew Grimes played for Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island last season and will skate for Sioux Falls of the USHL in 2023-24.

August 13, 2023 at 6:02PM
Minnesota huddles up around goalie Justen Close (1) before the start of the game Saturday, April 8, 2023, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Quinnipiac Bobcats in the finals of the NCAA Frozen Four. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ • carlos.gonzalez@startribune.com.
The Gophers gathered before an NCAA tournament game. (Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Gophers men's hockey team on Sunday received a commitment from Matthew Grimes, a high-scoring defenseman who has played the past two seasons at Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket, R.I. Grimes posted on Instagram that he will be joining coach Bob Motzko's program.

Grimes, 6 feet and 176 pounds, had 14 goals and 47 assists in 67 games for the Mount St. Charles Under-15 AAA team during the 2022-23 season. The 16-year-old Locust Valley, N.Y., native is slated to play for Sioux Falls in the USHL in the 2023-24 season and is targeted to join the Gophers in 2026-27.

Grimes is the second defenseman to commit to the Gophers since the recruiting period for high school juniors-to-be opened Aug. 1. Mace'o Phillips, a 6-5, 194-pounder who played at Benilde-St. Margaret's in 2022-23 and will play this season at the U.S. national team development program in Michigan, committed Aug. 2.

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Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

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