Odeen Tufto is the latest small forward — he’s listed at 5-foot-7, 175 pounds — to find success at Quinnipiac.
Coinciding with the program’s rise to national prominence under coach Rand Pecknold, an impressive number of undersized players have had great careers for the Bobcats over the last decade.
Sam Anas (5-8), Travis St. Denis (5-7), Matthew Peca (5-9) and the Jones twins — Kellen and Connor (both 5-9) — were top players on some very strong Quinnipiac teams.
Tufto, the senior captain from Chaska, Minn., is the latest to put up big numbers. He is off to a blazing start this season, leading the nation in scoring with 2-13-15 in eight games.
In four games from Dec. 22 to 27, Tufto scored a goal and assisted on nine others. The 12th-ranked Bobcats won all four.
“He drives our offense. He drives our puck possession. I don’t have the number in front of me, but his faceoffs have been off the charts,’’ said Pecknold.
Indeed, Tufto won 27 of 38 draws in the Bobcats’ wins over AIC last weekend and has won 67 percent of his faceoffs this season.
“Obviously, Odeen’s more than just faceoffs. I thought (Sunday) was his best game of the season, just in terms of competing and defending. He had a couple of great backchecks, a couple of really good forechecks. He's not just a skill guy,’’ said Pecknold.
Associate head coach Bill Riga spotted Tufto in the Minnesota Elite League in 2014 before a season in which Tufto was one of 10 finalists for Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey Award while playing for St. Thomas Academy.
The next season, when Tufto played for Vernon of the BCHL, Pecknold watched him in a league showcase and liked what he saw.
“He made plays. He could become a better defensive hockey player, but that’s OK, that’s what happens in junior hockey. I always use the phrase that I stole from (former Maine coach) Shawn Walsh: Recruit offense and teach defense,’’ said Pecknold.
“I loved what Odeen did with the puck. He has a very unique skill-set. His main strength is probably his ability to create time and space for himself. It’s not an easy skill. You certainly can’t teach it.
“He’s up on his edges, he gives a little deke, he pushes to certain areas. It’s really a feel. Johnny Gaudreau is really good at that. I had Johnny (as an assistant coach) in the World Championships in 2017. You just can’t teach stuff like that — how to create that time and space for yourself. (Tufto) is one of the best I’ve ever had at it.”
Speed and the ability to see plays developing also are among Tufto’s assets.
“Great vision. Can make plays at pace. I remember seeing it there in Vernon. I knew he needed to get stronger. Everything he needed to do, we could help him with. We certainly don’t shy away from small players that are elite,’’ said Pecknold.
“They’ve proven over and over that not only can they be successful in college hockey, but they can be successful within our Quinnipiac culture and our Quinnipiac identity.’’
Not long after Pecknold watched him in British Columbia, Tufto committed to the Bobcats.
“He had a lot of schools on him, as he should have, and I think it did help us that we had Sam Anas and we had St. Denis and the Jones twins. His dad was very involved, and his dad is very astute and knows there are certain coaches that don’t like small players. They just don’t.
“The other thing that helped us in landing him is we play our freshmen. Sam came in, bang, he’s on the first power play. We do that all the time. Some of the bigger programs don’t,’’ he said.
“We want to recruit talent, character and IQ. That’s what we need. If they have those three things, size doesn’t matter.’’
Hockey East update
It’s been a season of fits and starts so far in Hockey East, six weeks after the first game was played.
“Some weeks we’ve been really successful, and some weeks not as successful as we would like,’’ commissioner Steve Metcalf said on Monday afternoon.
The schedule has been a day-by-day proposition. That is likely to continue.
“Everyone’s got to be flexible. That’s the kind of year it is, in all sports,’’ Metcalf said.
With the new year in sight, Boston University and Maine are two of the bigger question marks, schedule-wise, in the league. BU hasn’t played a game yet, but Metcalf believes the Terriers will be playing soon, maybe as soon as the weekend of Jan. 8.
Maine has played two road games, but none at home, as the state is holding firm on its limit of 50 people in the building for indoor events.
Is it possible Maine will have to play all its games on the road? That still remains to be seen.
“I know the university is working closely with the state on the ability to play games at home, so I think that conversation is ongoing. I’d like to think those conversations are going to be productive for the Maine hockey teams,’’ Metcalf said.
Timely goal for Karashik
It was a long time between goals for UConn senior captain Adam Karashik. Eighty games, to be exact.
So when his long drive found the net against Providence College in the first period on Monday afternoon, it was understandable that Karashik, with a wide grin on his face, mimicked pushing a monkey off his back as he was congratulated by teammates.
“I was actually shocked it went in. I didn’t see it go in because it got around a guy through a screen. I saw the guys put their arms up,’’ he said after UConn’s 2-0 home win. “As a little kid you want to score goals, so it absolutely felt good.’’
Karashik’s last goal came nearly three years ago, on Jan. 27, 2018, when he was a freshman. He scored twice that day, including the game-winner, in a 3-2 victory over New Hampshire. His tally against PC on Monday also turned out to be the winner.
Karashik, who played at Avon Old Farms alongside such notables as Tyler Madden and Patrick Harper, is one of the most physical defensemen in Hockey East.
“He’s the heart and soul of our team. He’s a gritty player. He plays a lot of minutes,’’ said UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh.
“He’s been working on getting pucks down to the net because that’s another area where we can get better as a team. He put a lot on that. I thought it hit something, I’m not sure. But he found a way to get it past that first layer and good things happen when you get those pucks to the net.’’
Terriers to add two
Look for Boston University to beef up its depth on defense by adding Joseph Campolieto and Thomas Jarman in January.
Campolieto is a transfer from Union, where he was a senior. Jarman has played the past two-plus seasons for Maryland of the North American Hockey League. He committed to the Terriers last month.
