The prep school, high school and college hockey seasons are over in New England, but there’s still some junior hockey action ongoing.
The Northeast Generals evened their first-round series in the North American Hockey League playoffs with the Johnstown Tomahawks over the weekend. The next two games are in Attleboro at the New England Sports Village.
Lake Super State commit Louis Boudon had all four goals in Saturday night’s 4-3 win. The Tomahawks won the first game by a score of 4-1.
Even with hockey being mostly finished for the season, there is still no shortage of news and notes from the region.
Locals in hunt for St. Lawrence job
Mike McMahon of College Hockey News reported Monday night that Northeastern associate head coach Jerry Keefe and American International head coach Eric Lang would be interviewing for the St. Lawrence job this week.
While it’s true Lang will be on campus for an interview, a few sources have indicated Keefe is staying put at Northeastern.
St. Lawrence is reportedly interested in someone with head coaching experience. Nonetheless, it’s mind blowing that Providence associate head coach Kris Mayotte has not been given an opportunity to interview. He spent two seasons at St. Lawrence as an assistant to Greg Carvel, played in the ECAC at Union, and has spent the past five seasons on Nate Leaman’s staff at Providence.
UMass associate head coach Ben Barr and Trinity head coach Matt Greason also should be in the interview process.
Early departures
Boston University was hit the hardest by players signing pro contracts before their eligibility was up when the Terriers were bounced from the Hockey East playoffs. Freshman Joel Farabee signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, sophomore Shane Bowers with the Colorado Avalanche, and juniors Dante Fabbro and Jake Oettinger with the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, respectively.
Down the road at Boston College, freshman wing Oliver Wahlstrom signed with the New York Islanders. Another crosstown rival, Northeastern, lost junior defenseman Jeremy Davies to the New Jersey Devils.
As expected, UMass sophomore defenseman Cale Makar signed with the Colorado Avalanche immediately following his team’s loss to Minnesota Duluth in the national championship game. A Hobey Baker Award, a Hockey East Regular Season Championship, and a Frozen Four berth were all firsts in the history of the program.
https://twitter.com/Avalanche/status/1117986369643663360
Also not a surprise was Providence junior defenseman Jacob Bryson signing a three-year entry level deal with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.
UConn lost junior goaltender Adam Huska to the New York Rangers while Maine lost sophomore defenseman Brady Keeper and junior center Chase Pearson to the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings, respectively. Merrimack junior defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic signed with the Winnipeg Jets and UMass Lowell junior defenseman Mattias Goransson is pursuing professional hockey options in his native Sweden.
In ECAC Hockey, Quinnipiac was also hit hard. The Bobcats lost goaltender Andrew Shortridge and defenseman Brogan Rafferty to free agent contracts with the San Jose Sharks. Coincidentally, former Quinnipiac Director of Hockey Operations Neil McKenney is in his first season as an amateur scout with the Sharks.
Who hasn’t left?
One of the most significant developments of the off-season is that Harvard junior defenseman Adam Fox, a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist, has opted not to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes, the NHL organization that traded for his rights from the Calgary Flames, the team that originally drafted him.
Fox reportedly wants to play close to his Jericho, N.Y., home with presumably the New York Rangers. Fox was named a captain for the 2019-20 season with the Crimson, but it’s still possible Carolina could trade him to the Rangers and he could bolt. As of now, it’s looking like he’ll return, which is a good thing for Ted Donato’s team.
While Providence and UMass players have had less time to think about their futures as their seasons ended within the last week, there are some significant players with decisions to make.
San Jose Sharks second round pick Mario Ferraro, a sophomore defenseman with UMass, is the biggest fish to possibly leave Amherst.
Players with decisions to make at Providence include junior wing Brandon Duhaime, a Minnesota Wild prospect, junior wing Kasper Bjorkqvist, a Pittsburgh Penguins pick, Vegas Golden Knights prospect and freshman wing Jack Dugan, and junior center Josh Wilkins, a free agent.
According to a tweet by Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Dugan is apparently leaning towards returning to school. It would shock this observer if Bjorkqvist and Wilkins didn’t bolt while the iron was hot.
Coaching vacancies
While the most prominent job openings are all three positions at St. Lawrence and the assistant opening at RPI, there’s still a vacancy in the junior level in the New England region. The South Shore Kings have been rebuffed by numerous candidates in their search for a new head coach. It will be interesting to see who lands in Foxboro.
