Brendan Budy commits to RPI

Former North Dakota forward is part of the incoming class

Incoming RPI forward Brendan Budy stick-handles the puck against Western Michigan (photo: North Dakota Men’s Hockey)

Brendan Budy was listed as a member of the incoming class in today’s press release by RPI men’s hockey. He comes to RPI after 1 season with Denver and 2 seasons with North Dakota. Budy is a left-shot forward who was listed at 5’11” and 192 LBs by North Dakota. Last season, he had 1 goal in 22 games.

Budy is a natural center with great speed, skill and compete. He played mostly on the wing at North Dakota and was primarily in their bottom 6, but he is capable of a lot more than he showed. In junior hockey, Budy was a high-level scorer year after year. He had 3 separate years in the BCHL where he scored at about a point per game pace, and he also played one season in the USHL where he also had a point per game. Neutral Zone gave Budy 4.25 stars, which is a very high rating, and he was a potential NHL draft pick back in 2018 as he was ranked by NHL Central Scouting and a few other scouting sites.

The scouting reports show Budy can be dynamic with the puck on his stick as an offensive creator due to his skill and hockey sense. According to a Neutral Zone scouting report, “Budy is a centreman who possesses high offensive skill… He likes to have the puck on his stick, and he excels when he has it. When in the offensive zone, he uses his elite hockey sense and vision in order to find openings in the defence and then he uses his very good passing ability to find teammates in excellent scoring chances whenever they are open.” His compete is also a huge asset as he “battles hard in all areas of the ice… he does not shy away from any battle and will compete until he wins that battle.” His skating is also very strong with both good speed and good balance.

Budy is clearly a gifted player despite struggling at North Dakota. Sometimes, talented players simply don’t get opportunities to show their skills and produce. Usually, it’s because there are lots of other talented players on the roster, which was definitely the case at North Dakota. RPI has a history of taking in these players and letting them thrive. Chase Zieky, Mike Gornall, Jack Agnew, and T.J. Walsh are prime examples of this. With an RPI forward depth chart that has lots of youth, Budy will have the opportunity to step in and play a key role right away due to his talent and his experience. I think he’ll become the next transfer to thrive at RPI, and I project him to be a top 6 center who will add more dynamic offense to the lineup. Congratulations to Brendan and his family!