J.D. Dudek had a late introduction to hockey, skating for the first time as an 8-year-old and joining his first youth-league team three months into its season.

He made an early decision on college, however.

Six months after helping Pinkerton Academy of Derry win its second NHIAA Division I hockey title, the 16-year-old forward verbally committed to Boston College. The NCAA champion Eagles offered a full scholarship, which the son of New Hampshire football legend Joe Dudek accepted Aug. 23.

“It's a dream. I'm just living it,” said J.D., of Auburn, who this fall transferred to Meriden's Kimball Union Academy after his sophomore year at Pinkerton.

One of three forwards named to the 2011-12 Union Leader All-State team, J.D. said he plans to finish his junior and senior years at KUA. The Eagles, he said, will monitor his development, evaluate their roster and then discuss with him two courses of action: play junior hockey for a year or head directly to BC.

“I was never looked at by Division I schools, never offered by Division I schools,” said Joe, 48, who still owns nine records at Division III Plymouth State University, including career totals for touchdowns (79), rushing yards (5,570) and yards per carry (7.1). “So, at the age of 16, I think he's got one step up on me right now.”

Coming off a high school season in which he totaled 20 goals and 34 assists for the Astros, the younger Dudek separated himself from standouts his age — and the shadow cast by his father's famous college career, which ended in 1985 — during August's Five Nations Tournament in Chomutov, Czech Republic.

“He didn't get that attention from (playing for) Pinkerton. He got it when he made Team USA this summer,” said Pinkerton coach Casey Kesselring, who had a pretty fair Division I career of his own, totaling 133 points in four years at Merrimack College (Class of 1998). “Once you get picked for one of those teams, you're pretty much on everybody's radar.”

Competing for the United States Under-17 Select Team, Dudek scored three goals. He twice buried the game-winner. The U.S. finished 4-0 against the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland.

“BC was kind of out of it, initially,” said the 5-foot 11-inch, 175-pound forward, who had offers from Maine and New Hampshire before the tourney. “Once (BC) came in, it was common sense for me.”

Team USA's third test, against the undefeated Czech Republic, served as the gold-medal game. Dudek scored twice, his second strike the difference in a 5-2 win.

In the finale against Slovakia, he potted the tourney's most memorable shot. While backchecking, he blocked a pass with the shaft of his stick, flipped the puck over one defender, skated wide past another and fired top-shelf on the goaltender from the short side.

“People were talking about it as the best goal of the tournament,” he said of the tally, which snapped a 2-all deadlock and led to a 4-2 win.

Mike Connell, the bench boss at Trinity High of Manchester, watched the ex-Pinkerton star make similar plays for two seasons.

“He just has everything,” Connell said. “He can move the puck. He can skate. He can hit. There's just an upside for him. He's a very impressive player.”

According to Kesserling, Dudek has a ways to go before reaching that very high upside.

“I sent him a text message that said, 'Don't get complacent.' What happens with a lot of kids is they think, 'I made it,'” Kesselring said. “He's got a lot of talent. He might be able to be an NHL player.”

It's been a whirlwind six months since Dudek celebrated a state title at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester.

And to think, the first time he wore skates eight years ago was nearly his last.

“I didn't like it at all ... I'd cry coming off the ice,” he said. “I don't think I had a sense of going somewhere in sports at that age.”

He's well on his way now.

mthaler@unionleader.com