Curtis Hall's days are going to be full to the brim for the next few months. A lot of his nights, too.
He will be playing his first season of pro hockey with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. At the same time, he will be taking a full load of spring semester classes online toward his political science degree at Yale University.
That’s a super-sized challenge, obviously, but once the Ivy League pulled the plug on hockey last fall, it didn't take long for Hall to conclude that turning pro was the way to go.
“From a hockey aspect, it was a pretty clear decision. Last February was our last game at Yale. If I didn’t leave, it would be almost a year and half until my senior season,’’ Hall said.
“The truth is, who even knows what things will be like next fall? The way Yale values the safety of its students, who knows if everything will be better, and if it’s not, what if we didn’t even play that season? It’s hard to imagine that, but with the opportunity of signing, (the choice) was pretty clear to me.’’
Hall, who is a junior at Yale, would have been team captain next season.
“It was hard for me to leave the great friends that I made (at Yale). Obviously, I love the coaching staff and everything about Yale hockey. Without COVID I can’t image I would be here right now, and obviously it’s a blessing that I am here, but I never thought I would be done with school after two seasons. It was hard saying goodbye to my friends. They’ll still be some of my best friends forever,’’ he said.
“I loved the Ingalls Rink. Whenever we had a home game there against Harvard or Quinnipiac all the fans come out and it’s a pretty electric arena to be in. Those are probably some of my greatest memories, in that building.’’
Boston’s fourth-round draft pick in 2018, Hall signed an AHL deal with the P-Bruins last week. Look for him to sign an NHL entry-level contract down the road.
“A condition of my leaving school is that I’m still getting a degree. My spring semester just started (Monday), so I’m grinding out playing the season as well as taking classes. The next couple of semesters until I get my degree, I’m really going to have to balance my time, but I’m happy that I can do both,’’ said the 20-year-old Hall, who is a native of Princeton, N.J., but grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
It’s important to him to earn a Yale degree, for his parents and the rest of his family. “If I were just going (to college) for hockey, I would’ve gone to a different school,’’ he said.
Hall will take an eclectic selection of classes this semester.
“There’s some requirements that I need to fulfill, like with a science class and writing class. I’m in ‘The History of Life,’ which is more of a laid-back class, which is nice. It’s also really interesting. And then ‘The Evolution of Primate Intelligence’ is another one.
“For political science, I’m taking ‘The American Presidency,’ which is going to be an interesting class, obviously, with everything that’s been going on. There’ll be a lot to learn there. My other class is ‘Human Rights, Theories and Practice,’ I believe is the title. They’re all interesting. I’m really going to have to stay on top of things.’’
The hockey part of Hall’s routine most days will start early with meetings and stretching before practice at 10:15 and will be over by early afternoon, leaving the rest of the day for school.
“We’re not really supposed to be going anywhere. It gives me something to do, since there’s not much else we’re allowed to be doing,’’ he said.
Hall played a regular shift at right wing — he skated at center at Yale — in Providence’s preseason game on Sunday against the Hartford Wolf Pack.
There were a couple of familiar Ivy League faces in Hartford's lineup in Morgan Barron (Cornell) and Zach Giuttari (Brown).
"It was definitely a little strange, but it also made me a little bit more comfortable, knowing guys that I’ve played against before,'' Hall said.
“For my first game after not playing in almost a year, I definitely think that I performed pretty well. I had a few chances and made a few good plays,’’ he said. “I was happy with my performance and really excited to get the season going.’’
Stauber standing out
College hockey goalies with a family pedigree that can match Jaxson Stauber’s are few and far between.
In his own right, the Providence College sophomore has a USHL championship to hang his hat on after leading Sioux Falls to the 2019 title, posting an 11-1 record and a .940 percentage in the postseason.
Stauber’s father, Robb, has a gaudy résumé. He’s the only goalie ever to win the Hobey Baker Award, which he did at the University of Minnesota in 1987-88. He went on to play in the NHL, mostly for the Wayne Gretzky-era Los Angeles Kings. As a coach, he guided the U.S. women’s Olympic team to the gold medal in 2018.
Jaxson is establishing himself as an up-and-coming Hockey East netminder this season after transferring from Minnesota State. He has a .930 save percentage, three shutouts and has been in net for all seven PC wins, including a pair over New Hampshire last weekend.
The previous weekend he allowed only one goal in 130 minutes against UMass, as the Minutemen and Friars won a game each via shootout. Stauber has allowed just six goals in his past five games.
“Obviously it’s been a unique year, but I’ve enjoyed it a lot so far,’’ he said on Monday. “We’re starting to come together. We had a strong series against UNH, so that’s something positive, for sure. We had a good series against UMass as well. Obviously, they’re a really good team. It was a tight defensive battle and we were able to stick right with them. We’re heading in the right direction and trending the right way toward the end of the season.’’
The Friars were shorthanded seven times in Sunday’s come-from-behind 3-2 win against New Hampshire. Stauber turned aside all 13 shots he faced while UNH was on the power play.
“We can’t control the refs, so it’s just put together a good kill and then get back to work. Our killers did a good job. We battled through. UNH had a lot of zone time and opportunities, but we found a way to get it done, so that’s all that matters,’’ he said.
Stauber doesn’t try to model himself after any one NHL goalie.
“I try to take bits and pieces of things from different goalies. A lot of people like the calmness that Carey Price plays with, so that’s something I’ve worked extremely hard at developing. My dad was an aggressive goalie, so I think there’s bits and pieces of that in my game as well. Love to get out there and play the puck. That’s something he stressed to me a lot at any early age, that and fundamentals,’’ he said.
Stauber said his dad is always supportive but doesn’t micromanage his son’s play.
“If it’s a Friday-Saturday (series), he won’t really talk to me Friday night. He’ll just say, good game or whatever, all business, or do it again tomorrow. You know, something like that, something quick and short.
“After Saturday maybe we’ll talk a little bit more in depth about the weekend. Nothing too crazy. He kind of tries to give me advice when it’s applicable, but he doesn’t overcrowd me with information. Just let’s me do my thing.’’
Stauber gets a kick out of watching film of his father.
“It’s definitely fun to go back and watch some of his highlights and games. He was really entertaining to watch. He’s more entertaining than me. Maybe once in a while I’ll pull out a move like he does, but not quite as often,’’ he said.
Robb Stauber owns Stauber’s Goalcrease, a training facility in Edina, Minn. That’s where his Hobey Baker Award is on display, Jaxson said.
Having a father who played at the highest level is definitely an advantage for Jaxson.
“I can relate to him with pretty much anything I’m going through. In turn, he can share advice for me, where he would have done things differently, so that I don’t make the same mistakes and can learn from him. It’s been huge. I’m very lucky and fortunate to have him.’’
