Windsor's Easton Anello verbally commits to UMass to play Division I hockey
A couple of years ago Easton Anello matriculated out of Nessacus Regional Middle School and migrated east, with the goal of pursuing the highest level of hockey possible. Anello's journey led him to the other end of the state, then it took him much closer to home and it might be staying there. The junior recently verbally committed to playing Division I college hockey for the University of Massachusetts. "I could always see myself at UMass. So when I got the offer I knew that was the spot I wanted to go to," Anello said in a phone call to The Eagle. The Windsor native followed the ice, playing hockey for the Boston Advantage in 2023-24 while going to school at St. John Paul II and staying with a host family, whose son happened to be his teammate. But the west called him back and after a year, he returned to the 413 and is now entering his second year at the Williston Northampton School. "I decided I wanted to be closer to home and it's a really great spot," said Anello. Williston head coach Brandon Borges had coached Anello on a summer team, the East Coast Kings, and the two had kept in touch. When Borges got the head job, his first call was to Anello. Anello's sophomore year was good, but the improvement Borges has seen him make in the offseason has him excited for what Anello can achieve in his junior year and beyond. "For me, the biggest improvement I've seen from him is been in the weight room. He’s getting bigger and stronger. When he stepped on campus he was 6-foot 2-inches, 150 pounds and now he's 185 pounds," said Borges in a phone call to The Eagle. "He’s doing a really good job. Incredible, incredible teammate, works really hard. Played a big role for us last year as a young team. "Extremely excited for what he can do. Worked really, really hard this offseason." That improvement was something Anello focused on after moving from the Advantage to Williston Northampton and facing what he saw as a step up in competition. "Every night you’re playing 18-to 19-year-olds. A lot different than playing kids your own age," Anello explained. "I have more dominance against kids my own age, but playing older kids I had to become better defensively. The gym was probably the biggest difference for me. I had to get bigger, stronger, so I could compete with the older guys." A defenseman, perhaps it was natural that Anello gravitated towards Amherst. UMass has churned out top-notch defensemen in recent years, headlined of course by Cale Makar, a two-time winner of the NHL's Norris Trophy, awarded to the top defenseman each year. "I’d say the coach, [head coach Greg] Carvel, he’s done a really good job the last seven to 10 years developing defensemen," agreed Anello. "The facilities are also really nice. Can’t really beat it." "The thought of having him back only an hour away after a year or two of being far away was a selling point for me," said Megan Anello, his mother, in a phone call to The Eagle. A much easier commute than the Boston area. Not to mention that Anello is figuring out where he will be for his senior year. He was drafted by Cedar Rapids of the United States Hockey League and by Cape Breton of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He'll be going a long way from home, but barring any surprises, he'll be back in Western Mass. before long.