Editor’s note: This story appears in the June/July issue of New England Hockey Journal.
As we all struggle with the pain of losing hockey, let us not forget that we are not alone in our woe. Across Europe, leagues were forced to shut down operations before the hard work and sacrifice of one fortunate team could be rewarded.
Only Belarus actually saw its campaign to completion (there’s a video of the Belarussian president calling the rink and hockey a natural antidote to COVID-19). Unfortunately, doctors didn’t agree with that decision, nor did the directors of the remaining leagues.
In Europe, the various dimensions add an extra layer of complexity. Of primary note would be the concept of relegation. Those countries which employ such a system usually have a short tournament at the end of the season to give the best teams in the “minor” league a chance to move up — and vice versa. This gives those lower-level teams added credibility. It can increase their attendance, their revenues, and allow them to attract some of the players about to be mentioned.
While many questions were left unanswered this hockey season, it still lasted long enough for memories and accolades. Some of the talents that have been churned out by the New England hockey systems left a mark before the doctors came calling. Here’s a look back at the shortened overseas year that was.
Allsvenskan (Sweden)
Goaltender Joe Cannata (Wakefield, Mass./Merrimack) got to see the disappointment of relegation rules firsthand. His stellar performance (1.72 goals-against average, .938 save percentage) earned him Goalie of the Year honors. It also nabbed his team, Björklöven, the top spot in the Swedish Allsvenskan. Thus, the team earned a spot in the qualifying tournament. Instead, the pandemic quashed that tournament and the Umea team’s chance to advance. Fortunately for Cannata, he has been signed by a team in the Swedish Hockey League, so he, at least, will move up.
What could have been: It’s hard not to have wanted to see Björklöven have a shot at promotion. A reliable goaltender makes any team a threat, and nothing could have capped Cannata’s first campaign in Sweden better than to lead his club back to the big league for the first time since 2001.
SHL (Sweden)
Sweden has received a fair amount of press for its hesitation in implementing strict quarantine measures. The country didn’t extend that to the hockey rink. SHL teams managed to play their full seasons, but on the final day, each host played to an empty arena. They teased that they might continue with that approach. Alas, they followed the norms, and halted play before the postseason began.
In Linköping, Broc Little (Yale) continues to dazzle in Sweden. His 24 goals led the lot, and his production pushed him into the organization’s all-time top 10. He also breached the 100-goal and 100-assist barriers for the team. The assistant captain is signed through 2022, so he has a realistic chance of moving into seventh on the team’s list by the end of that deal. Helping him the past two seasons has been Joe Whitney (Reading, Mass./BC), whose 27 points trailed only Little.
Elsewhere, former Boston Bruins prospect Anthony Camara had a solid season for HV71. The forward put up 26 points as well as an impressive plus-15 rating to help his team into the middle of the playoff picture. Former Maine standout Spencer Abbott arrived late to Leksands but barely missed a beat. His 21 points were good for second on the struggling squad.
What could have been: There was quite a shift in fortunes this year in Sweden. Lulea finished with a comfortable lead in the standings and entered as the postseason favorite. Although in seventh place, defending champion Frölunda, which also won the Europe-wide Champions Hockey League, would have been foolish to count out.
GET Ligaen (Norway)
Norway’s top league mirrored its eastern neighbor. The GET finished its regular season but shut down any further games on March 11.
Former Merrimack defenseman Brendan Ellis continued his dominance for Lillehammer. The assistant captain finished third on the team in scoring and fifth among blueliners leaguewide. His offense is quickly moving him up the ranks within the franchise, and he is signed through next season.
Wade Murphy, who got a good tour of New England with ECHL stints in Portland, Maine; Manchester, N.H.; and Worcester, Mass.; made the most of his rookie season. He led Narvik with 46 points, tallying just above a point per game.
What could have been: Stavanger was the cream of the crop in Norway, finishing 23 points ahead of the second-place team. However, still looking for his first Norwegian championship, you can bet Ellis’ Lillehammer would not have gone down easily from the fifth seed.
EIHL (United Kingdom)
Many of us feel like we’re stuck on an island. On the British Isles, the Elite Ice Hockey League operates in a similar fashion to soccer, where the regular-season title is the ultimate goal. When the EIHL pulled the plug on its season, there were still a few weekends to play.
The April 2020 issue of New England Hockey Journal spotlighted former Brown Bear Sean McMonagle’s foray into the EIHL, but he wasn’t the only former Rhode Island Ivy Leaguer making an impact.
Charlie Corcoran’s 52 points with Coventry put the New Canaan, Conn., native in fifth place leaguewide. A pugilist in North America, Bobby Farnham’s transition to Europe saw him use his hands to produce offense as opposed to taking offense. The North Andover, Mass., native’s 15 goals were second for Belfast. Forwards Ben Lake (Sacred Heart) and Brian Ward (Haverhill, Mass.) — with 34 and 35 points, respectively — also played a large part in Belfast remaining competitive.
At the other end of the ice, Mark Matheson (UMass) proved as valuable on the attack as in retreat. His 44 points ranked second among blueliners. As the last line of defense, Matt Ginn (Holy Cross) kept his team in most games. His .921 save percentage was third best.
What could have been: Five teams were contesting the regular-season title, and none was running away with it. The play of some of the abovementioned may have been key to their team’s final push. Only Ginn’s Manchester had no chance at the top prize.
Ligue Magnus (France)
Across the Channel, the French league had advanced one round into its postseason before cancellation on Saint Patrick’s Day. It feels like that must be even more upsetting than scrapping things before the start of the playoffs.
In that lone round, fifth-seeded Mulhouse was the only lower seed to win. Tommy Besinger (Milton, Mass./Endicott) and Colin Downey (Sandwich, Mass./Bowdoin) played key roles with the Scorpions. For Besinger, it was his first professional season. He shined with 35 points in 32 games. Downey added 23 of his own in his first season at France’s top level. Each also added four points in that first round.
Round two would have been tougher, though. There they would have met Denny Kearney (Hanover, N.H./Yale) and Kyle Hardy (Bowdoin) of Grenoble. Kearney hit the 20-goal plateau for the third straight season. His 52 points were tied for seventh in the league. Hardy continues to be, arguably, the best defenseman in France. He matched Kearney’s output and led all defensemen across the offensive board. He did it without sacrificing his main priority. His plus-44 rating bested all challengers. To add to his accolades, he passed the 200-point barrier in his French career.
What could have been: Grenoble was the top seed and defending champs, so it would have remained the favorite until the final buzzer. From the New England perspective, it’s a shame three Division 3 standouts couldn’t square off in the quarterfinals.
EBEL (Austria)
Worse than finishing a round, the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga halted play in the middle of its first round. Two pairs were on the cusp of proceeding, while the others were locked in a heated back and forth.
On the cusp was top-seeded Bolzano, which reached that peak thanks to contributions from former Bruins prospects Jamie Arniel and Colton Hargrove. The two combined for 68 points on the season with Hargrove notching 20 goals.
A pair of Massachusetts North Shore products were battling in the 2 vs. 7 matchup. Jerry Pollastrone (Revere, Mass./UNH) picked up his 200th EBEL point as he notched 40 for Villacher. Connor Brickley (Everett, Mass./Vermont) appeared in only 33 games for second-seeded Salzburg. He made a strong impact, picking up 15 goals and 26 points.
What could have been: With defending champion KAC on the verge of elimination, things might have gotten interesting. Villach was one of the hotter teams entering the playoffs. If Pollastrone — along with Brodie Reid (Worcester Sharks/Northeastern) and Jamie Fraser (AHL Bridgeport) — could have found a way to pull off the upset against Salzburg, all bets would have been off.
DEL (Germany)
The German DEL stopped on March 10, a day after the regular season concluded. One of the more competitive leagues in Europe, the DEL playoffs always are the truest measure of who really is the best in Deutschland.
We do know who the best defenseman was: Maury Edwards. The former UMass Lowell River Hawk continued his DEL dominance. He led all offensive categories, earning the Defenseman of the Year title. His Ingolstadt teammate, Wayne Simpson (Providence Bruins), paced everyone with 56 points in his Euro debut.
Instead of pursuing AHL greatness, Chris Bourque (Topsfield, Mass.) chose to cross the pond. Only the scenery changed. He finished 10th in scoring, and his plus-26 topped them all. That mark barely beat out former Boston College defenseman Patch Alber. His plus-24 rating with Bremerhaven was reminiscent of a different Bourque.
What could have been: Either München or Mannheim have won the championship since 2015. They placed first and second, respectively. Ben Smith (Avon, Conn/BC) of Mannheim would have opened his attempt to repeat against Edwards and Ingolstadt.
Metal Ligaen (Denmark)
Denmark also put the kibosh on hockey before the playoffs.
T.J. Moore (Holy Cross) finished his season strong by leading Rungsted with 21 goals. In SønderjyskE, Mike Little (Enfield, Conn./AIC) collected 33 points, providing major offensive contributions from the point. His production helped push his team into the third slot above Moore’s. Rødovre secured the last playoff spot thanks to the goaltending of Matt O’Connor (BU).
What could have been: Aalborg finished first by 18 points but got drubbed in its final game. The team might have packed it in, but still put blood in the water.
Liiga (Finland)
All but one Finnish team had one game remaining before the virus afflicted another league.
Justin Danforth (Sacred Heart) captured the scoring title with 60 points. It would be tough to argue for an asterisk. One game remained, and he held a three-point gap over his runner-up. Former Springfield Thunderbird AHLer Juho Lammikko did give Danforth a run for his money, putting up 51 points in his return to his homeland. One-time Providence College standout Trevor Mingoia had his strongest European season, reaching 20 goals and adding 21 assists for KooKoo.
What could have been: Lammikko’s contributions helped push Kärpät to the top of Liiga. Danforth’s Lukko wasn’t far behind in third. Equally as scary would have been Tappara. The second seed had some scoring threats, but, more importantly, had some scoring deterrents. Michael Garteig (Quinnipiac) might have been primed for the “hot goalie” role. He had some rest thanks to splitting duty during the season. When he did play, he posted a .929 save percentage coupled with a 2.01 GAA.
NLA (Switzerland)
Switzerland is home to the International Ice Hockey Federation. The IIHF canceled its events on March 2. The NLA didn’t shutter as quickly, but, once the regular season wrapped up, the NLA put a bow on everything.
Veteran Daniel Winnik spent year one of his NHL retirement in Geneva last season. He returned — and improved. He put up his best numbers since before enrollment at UNH. In Fribourg, former UVM teammates Ryan Gunderson and Viktor Stalberg reunited to help the team secure a playoff spot. Gunderson led the team in scoring with Stalberg a few behind.
Winners of three of the past four championships, Bern, stunningly, failed to make the playoffs. Mark Arcobello (Milford, Conn./Yale) cannot be blamed. He continued to score, finishing second in the league. He surpassed the 200-point plateau. He refuses to relinquish his spot as one of the best players in Switzerland.
What could have been: With Bern out, Zürich would draw the heavy attention. Although Winnik’s performance guided Geneva to only fourth place, his team did record the most regulation wins. Those two teams were separated by just two points. It would have been a tightly contested playoff.
KHL (Russia)
The Russians tried to be stubborn, seeming determined to plow through. However, Jokerit (of Finland) and Barys (of Kazakhstan) both dropped out of the playoffs after round one. The KHL toyed with reorganizing the bracket, playing games without fans, but finally ceded defeat.
In a sense, it was a shame Jokerit bailed. It is consistently a championship challenger. For Brian O’Neill (Yale), it would have been a chance to try and add that elusive KHL title. As usual, he was a key cog for the Jokerit offense with 48 points. O’Neill’s team had sealed the fate of Stephane da Costa. The former Merrimack star continues to shine. This season he collected 35 points, second for Yaroslavl.
What could have been: For Manchester Monarchs fans, what could have been was a championship showdown between former teammates Linden Vey and Justin Azevedo. Both players led their team in scoring. Vey’s CSKA was the top seed in the West, while Azevedo’s Ak Bars was No. 1 in the East.
