There’s little doubt as to the strength of the 2018-19 Northeastern University men's hockey team. But with the loss of three superstar forwards, the balance of power has swung to the blue line.
The Huskies (4-2) are coming off a weekend in which they defeated UMass Lowell, 4-1, on the road Friday night. They then upset No. 2 St. Cloud State, 3-2, at Matthews Arena on Saturday evening.
“It was huge,” junior defenseman Ryan Shea said of the weekend. “We weren’t happy last weekend. We thought we should have beat (Union) both nights. Our game picked up against UMass Lowell. We were excited about the No. 2 team in the country coming in tonight. We felt like underdogs, played gritty and got the win.”
The team has three NHL draft picks on the blue line, including Shea, who hails from nearby Milton, Mass. All three are confident with the puck and make breakouts efficiently.
“We hadn’t seen a team with a defense that transitions so quickly up the ice," said St. Cloud coach Brett Larson. "They’re one of the best teams we’ve seen at that."
The dynamic offensive instincts and puck-moving abilities of junior Jeremy Davies are well-chronicled. The native of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec has a goal and five assists in five games this season. A New Jersey Devils prospect, his feet and stick skills allow him to evade forecheckers and quickly get the puck moving north.
While Davies has garnered much of the attention because of his high point totals, Shea has steadily gone about his business. The junior was a high-flying, puck-moving defenseman in his days at BC High. However, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect’s game has evolved into being a complete, two-way defender.
Shea might not be as flashy when moving pucks, but he has the feet, poise, hockey sense and length to defend well and not turn the puck over as often as some high-risk, high-reward defenders.
“My defensive game,” said Shea of the area of his game that has improved the most at Northeastern. “In high school, I was strictly offense. Now, I’m a great two-way player. I have to keep working on my gaps, my angling, getting stronger and getting my shot better. Everything will go forward from there.”
Shea and Davies both have an ‘A’ on their sweater, while senior Eric Williams serves as the team’s captain. It’s an honor that Shea takes great pride in.
“It’s unreal. Guys look up to me," Shea said. "I have to carry myself like a professional and show the way for the younger guys. I can’t go back to my habits of frustration from high school and early on in college. I have to be mature for the younger guys."
One of those younger players is Jordan Harris, who's a true freshman right out of Kimball Union Academy, where he played for former Maine and UMass Lowell coach Tim Whitehead. A third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, the Haverhill, Mass., native has come in and stepped right into a major role.
“He’s played really well. I don’t know what more we can ask of him," said Northeastern coach Jim Madigan. "He’s 20-22 minutes a game in all situations. He’s smart. He’s got a good stick. He makes plays and he has great feet."
Fellow freshman A.J. Villella and sophomores Collin Murphy (Wilmington, Mass.) and Billy Carrabino (New Canaan, Conn.) round out a defense that will be crucial to whether or not Northeastern can earn home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
“(Harris) has given us depth on that blue line. Between him, Shea, Davies and Williams, we have four high-end defensemen,” said Madigan. “Villella is making progress and Murphy is making progress. I like the group and we’ll continue to get better back there.”
With a defense that should limit opponents’ time in its own zone, Northeastern will also lean on reigning Hockey East Goaltender of the Year Cayden Primeau, another Montreal Canadiens prospect.
They won’t get the attention that forwards Adam Gaudette, Dylan Sikura and Nolan Stevens received last year, but Davies, Shea and Harris will play just as much of a role in deciding the fate of this year’s version of the Huskies.
