The NCAA Transfer Portal has occupied the large majority of the time this offseason for college hockey coaches around the country.
It has provided around-the-clock news for beat writers such as Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald and New England Hockey Journal contributor Mark Divver. The transfer portal is a fascinating talking point and one I’d like to get into more in the coming weeks.
Whether it’s good for college hockey or not is up for debate. It can help players find fresh starts or greener pastures. The portal also bails out coaches for mistakes on the recruiting trail. It can provide a quick fix to replace an early departure to the pros.
So far this offseason, Hockey East programs have been winning and losing battles on the transfer portal.
Which programs have taken the most advantage of the portal and which are hurting from the first two months of the madness?
Boston University secures Drew Commesso’s replacement
The Terriers lost Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.), who departed with eligibility remaining to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that drafted him. Commesso was a good goaltender for BU and left Commonwealth Ave. with plenty of accolades that even included wearing the red, white and blue during the most recent Olympics.
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Head coach Jay Pandolfo and his staff have found his replacement and it’s arguable that the staff upgraded. After two seasons at Brown, Mathieu Caron is heading to BU. He had a .921 save percentage in 2022-23, good for 12th in the country (Commeso's was .912). But many of the goalies ahead of him had far better rosters in front of them than Caron did.
With Lane Hutson and a host of talented players returning and heralded recruits joining the scarlet and white, having an elite goaltender could pay dividends. It appears BU has just that entering the 2023-24 season.
Northeastern winning multiple ways on the portal
Northeastern saw three NHL draft picks from its team enter the portal, setting off alarm bells from some. The departures of Sam Colangelo (Stoneham, Mass.), Jack Hughes (Westwood, Mass.) and Riley Hughes (Westwood, Mass.) could be a blessing in disguise for coach Jerry Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) and his staff. It could also give the aforementioned trio a much-needed fresh start in a new environment.
With those three out the door, the Huskies are welcoming in a trio of potential impact players. Clarkson product and Nashville Predators prospect Alex Campbell gives Northeastern a top-six forward who can produce right away. He has scored 30 goals in the past two seasons for the Golden Knights.
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On the back end, the Huskies added Princeton grad transfer Pito Walton and Minnesota grad transfer Matt Staudacher. Both provide size and stability to the blue line while Walton can be expected to have offensive output.
Northeastern needed to get older on defense and these two adds did that. Hunter McDonald is a bona fide NHL prospect and will be the leader on defense. Fellow rising sophomores Jackson Dorrington (North Reading, Mass.) and Vinny Borgesi should round out a solid top six with incoming freshman Michael Fisher (Westboro, Mass.).
Merrimack adds skill to lineup
Merrimack has excelled on the transfer portal over the past couple of seasons. Last year, top defenseman Slava Demin and forwards Ottoville Leppanen, Will Calverly and Ryan Leibold played key roles.
Merrimack returns the top three scorers, including Alex Jefferies (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Matt Copponi (Mansfield, Mass.). The portal additions of Chase Stevenson, Michael Citara and Mark Gallant (Concord, Mass.) should boost the team’s overall skill and goal-scoring ability. Stevenson is coming off a 12-goal season at UNH while Citara and Gallant have some untapped potential from Providence and Dartmouth, respectively.
Boston College picks up veteran blue liner
The Eagles will once again be one of the youngest teams in college hockey. A much-hyped freshman class, including three likely first-round picks, will be the talk of college hockey.
Of the core group of returning defensemen, all are born in 2002 or after. Both top freshman defensemen are '05s.
To say landing Lake Superior State transfer Jacob Bengsston in the portal was key might be an understatement. Bengsston has scored 50 points over the last two seasons in the CCHA. He’ll provide a boatload of experience to a young defensive group.
New Hampshire loses key parts
It’s an unfortunate reality in the climate of college hockey today, but there have to be losers on the transfer portal.
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New Hampshire was rocked by losing one of its top goal-scorers and top defenseman. As mentioned above, Stevenson is off to Merrimack for his fifth year while defenseman Damien Carfagna is transferring to Ohio State.
It’s hard not to feel for head coach Mike Souza (Wakefield, Mass.) and his program. The Wildcats identified Carfagna at a young age and put a lot of effort into getting him to campus. It has to sting to see him walk out the door to a Big Ten school.
