Jake Tavares still has two and a half years until the puck drops on his college hockey career, but the Belmont native and Belmont Hill School star already knows his destination — Dartmouth College.
The lifelong Belmont resident committed to the Big Green back in August on the first day he could, the culmination of a recruiting process that kicked off last January. With so much time before college, the soon-to-be 18-year-old feels relief having the big decision out of the way.
“It’s a lot less stressful to not have to be worried about [college] … to know your path and have that kind of stability,” Tavares said. “It also helps take away from focusing on your personal game and instead focusing more on the team development and winning. It’s been a big positive to not have that pressure in the back of my head.”
Colleges begin contacting prospective recruits directly on Jan. 1 of their sophomore years. Tavares, who attended Belmont Public Schools until seventh grade and played Belmont Youth Hockey in elementary school, visited about 10 schools, mostly programs at Ivy League schools, in the ECAC and schools in Hockey East before settling on the Big Green. He committed on Aug. 1, the first possible day.
“I just thought everything fit,” Tavares said. “It was a good distance for me, a little away from home but close enough that I could drive on the weekends. I love the campus, I love the coaches and the program has really turned around the past two years.”
Reid Cashman took over the Dartmouth program in 2020. After posting losing records his first two seasons, Dartmouth went 13-10-9 last year and this year is 7-5-2 and earning votes in the USCHO.com Top 20 poll as of Jan. 6.
Tavares played his club hockey for the prestigious Boston Junior Eagles program that’s produced eight NHL players, 12 NHL draft picks, and countless college standouts over the last 15 years. After posting four goals and three assists as a Belmont Hill freshman, Tavares broke out as a sophomore with 18 goals and 12 assists across 30 games. He’s at 8 goals and 7 assists through the first 15 games of the 2024-25 season. The Sextants, ranked No. 7 in Neutral Zone’s most recent New England poll, boast an 10-2-2 record.
Mark Bilotta, head scout for the New England region and Massachusetts director for Neutral Zone, called Tavares “one of the quickest skaters in prep hockey,” known for his full, 200-foot effort and acceleration.
“He has been a top contributor for Belmont Hill over the past two seasons, not only scoring at a point per game pace,” Bilotta said, “but also playing an honest game and winning battles with body and stick positioning.”
After the 2025-26 Belmont Hill season, Tavares will likely play a year of junior hockey at one of many destinations. Dartmouth’s coaching staff and his agent, Vin Fensore, would play a role in finding a juniors home. Fensore played a role in college recruiting.
The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) drafted Tavares in the second round of the 2023 QMJHL American Draft, but he doesn’t have to play there. One of three major junior leagues making up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the Huskies retain Tavares’ rights should he decide to join the league. Up until this year, CHL players weren’t allowed to play college hockey.
The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), United States Hockey League (USHL) and North American Hockey League (NAHL) are other options. The USHL has a draft, but the BCHL and NAHL do not, meaning Tavares could choose his team.
“A lot of options,” he noted.
“It’s kind of going with the flow in the process,” Tavares said. “After high school, I think Dartmouth will have a say and then I’ll talk to teams, see where they see me and find the best fit.”