The '02 native of Russia chose the 87's for his third and final season of junior hockey, and over the course of 40 total Eastern Hockey League (EHL) games this past year, Gamzatov notched 32 points to his name on 14 goals and 18 assists.

“He’s a tremendous human being and a really fun personality off the ice," said 87's head coach and general manager Adam Houli. “It was really nice to get to know him and also expand my own understanding of foreign players. He had played quite a bit in the U.S., but was still able to show some different things in our game here. He brought a lot of what we were able to do, very skilled with the puck, he’s going to have a good college career and I’m excited that he’s an 87 to do it.”

As Houli mentioned, Gamzatov brought previous junior hockey experience with him to the EHL, having spent both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons in the North American Tier III Hockey League (NA3HL). However, it didn't take long for the veteran forward to make his presence felt, as he was selected to the EHL All-Star Team that took on both Nazareth College and SUNY Brockport this past October.

“He was very happy and respectful of what our league was," added Houli. "He knew it was going to be a challenging year, he was averaging 60 or 70 points where he was, and he knew that wasn’t going to be the case here. But he wanted to push himself and get himself in the best position to play college hockey and be prepared, and that’s why he was really happy to be in New Jersey and we were happy to have him, because he understood what he was getting himself into. That was very much a mature way to look at it, so when we added him to our lineup, we were very happy."

Following his commitment, Gamzatov spoke on what it means to him to commit to a school like NEC.

“I am looking forward to the next step in my life," said Gamzatov. "New England College offers me the opportunity to continue to play the game I love while pursuing my college degree."

The talented scorer and playmaker went on to talk about his decision to come to the 87's, and how it ultimately paid off with this commitment.

“I am very thankful to the New Jersey 87’s, who helped me grow as a two-way player, supported me through injuries and rehab, and gave me the opportunity to represent the team in the College All-Star Series,” added Gamzatov.

Learn more about the 87's on the team's official website, and check out the full 2022-23 NCAA commitment list.