Two players who shined at the prestigious Hockey Night in Boston Summer Tournament and a hardworking two-way winger have signed their National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Maine on hockey scholarships next fall.

Six-foot-four, 205-pound Paul Lynch Jr. from Peabody, Mass., who was chosen the best defenseman at the tournament for high school-aged players; 5-foot-9, 180-pound center Ben Murphy, two-time HNIB scoring champion from North Andover, Mass.; and winger Jon Jankus of Stoney Creek, Ontario, will join a class that includes redshirts Colin Shields, Prestin Ryan, and Justin Barauskas.

Winger-center Shields and defensemen Ryan and Barauskas are currently attending the University of Maine and practicing with the team.

Lynch had 21 goals and 25 assists for the Brooks School (Mass.) last season and is now playing for the Valley Junior Warriors (Mass.) in the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

“Paul has great mobility and he’s very tough. He has a real upside to him,” said Maine coach Shawn Walsh. Standbrook called Lynch “a great skater with NHL size and a natural mean streak.”

Paul Lynch Sr., Paul’s father, said his son chose Maine over Vermont, Merrimack, Boston College, and Massachusetts.

“He chose Maine because of Shawn Walsh, [assistant] Grant Standbrook, the program, and the people up there. The people were so nice,” said Paul Sr. “We went up to see them play Ohio State and the crowd was unbelievable.”

Murphy, who was selected the Most Valuable Player at HNIB this past summer, had 24 goals and 33 assists in 23 games for Cushing Academy (Mass.) last season after notching 25 goals and 26 assists at Cushing two years ago.

“He’s very creative and can produce instant offense,” said Walsh. “He’s both a playmaker and a scorer. He’s a lot like [two-time All-American] Jim Montgomery.”

Standbrook said Murphy “is built like [former Bear hard-working winger] Jim Leger and has a lot of skill. He’s as strong as a horse and is a great team man.”

Jankus, a 5-foot-10, 178-pounder, had 11 goals and 30 assists for Hamilton last year as a 16-year-old in the Ontario Hockey Association, which has players up to 20 years of age.

“He’s a good skater and more of a grinding forward. He’s a Scott Pellerin-type of player,” said Walsh, referring to his former Hobey Baker Award winner.

Standbrook said Jankus “can see the ice under duress and make a play. He’ll also go to the net. I love his heart. If you’re up by a goal or down by a goal in the final minute of a game, you want him on the ice. He’ll do something to change the complexion of the game.”

Jankus said he chose Maine “because I loved the atmosphere. And my coach last year, Jamie Page, said Maine develops players better than anybody else in the country.”

Walsh said all three project as impact players next year.