Carolina Hurricanes‘ 2nd round pick in the 2018 draft (#42 overall) center Jack Drury(72) arrives back from his first pro experience, a 2021 SHL Championship with Vaxjo Lakers.
The 21-year old good goal scoring forward picks up a nice three year NHL entry level deal to start in the system and there’s little doubt he’s big league bound.
Former four year, UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior captain Charles Levesque(12) will take his game overseas to France’s Lique Magnus, joining Cergy-Pontoise Jokers for 2021/2022.
Not exactly always the biggest scorer in college hockey, he was at least decently efficient, pocketing 6 goals and 6 assists in just 20 games with a +11 rating in his final session.
The Ontario native was a very prolific scorer in a pair of junior seasons in the CCHL, grabbing a total of 48 goals and 87 assists for 135 points in 119 games.
At 5’10” 175 lbs., we think the 23-year old will come back to life scoring in his new league and move up and on from there.
Northeastern University Huskies‘ undrafted, starting goalie of the 2020/2021 frame, Connor Murphy(31) decides to move on entering the transfer portal and comes out on the other side for his junior year to guard cage for the closer to home Union College.
The very big 6’4″ 201 lbs. net minder didn’t exactly have the greatness campaign in the pandemic protocol season at 9-9-3 in 21 NCAA Division 1 Hockey East games but what we found most impressive was his very decently low GAA at 2.72 and .910 SV%.
He also posted a pair of shutouts.
It’s seemingly was a bit of an up and down ride through youth hockey teams to a split first year of juniors in the NAHL and USPHL/NCDC of mixed results before heading north to the CCHL to hook up with Carleton Place Canadiens, where he found his footing to commit to college.
He had a league best 2.07 GAA, .917 SV% with a 31-8-7 record.
The 22-year old, Hudson Falls, NY native shifts hockey to roughly an hour from where he grew up, but switches division to ECAC and will still be awesome.
Swedish native defenseman Philip Alftberg(14) decides to head back home to start his pro hockey career, signing for 2021/2022 with HC Vita Hasten of tier two, Allsvenskan.
The small-is 5’8″ 170 lbs. blue liner spent the last four years at St. Lawrence University Saints, fighting for ice time and probably having his most successful season as a senior with a modest goal and 4 assists and a +1 rating in a surprising ECAC Championship run for an almost shambles of a 2020/2021.
He played most of his junior hockey overseas with Brynas IF and even figured in SHL game appearances as an 18 and 19-year old.
Almost crazier, he even skated 2 regular season then 2 playoff games for tier 3 HockeyEttan, when he was all of 16 after time with first club, Wings HC J18.
The now 24-year old did have one full season of juniors before college, first with Tri City Storm, where he committed to school, then Fargo Force putting up decent USHL point totals.
There’s little doubt he’ll work his way up the ladder when he closer to where he lives.
Johnstown Tomahawks‘ sizable 6’3″ 195 lbs. blue liner Caden Lewandowski(6) thought he had it all set, when he committed a couple of months into his 2nd junior season to Robert Morris University, then as the summer rolled in, word came down that they were immediately ditching both their men’s and women’s hockey programs.
It took a month or so and likely a few conversations, but for 2021/2022 the just turned 21-year old will report to an excellent, next choice, Clarkson University Golden Knights.
The Port Huron, MI native started his youth hockey in the Honeybaked 13U AAA before heading to University Liggett School, where he put up some major 20 assists in his last year there.
He had all best last season with 5 goals, 22 assists, 27 points with a +17 rating in 45 NAHL games.
It didn’t go quite as well for 2019/2020 in the USHL for Youngstown Phantoms, where he only managed 2 assists.
He will be a big addition to Atlantic Hockey.
New Jersey Titans‘ 2-year right wing Jake LaRusso(21) decides to go for another season of junior hockey before committing to Colorado College for 2022/2023.
After an impressive 2nd NAHL season, scoring highs of 16 goals and 28 assists with a +6 rating was drafted by USHL Madison Capitals and hopes to play a full season up there before heading off to school.
Initially committed before his 16U AAA year in close to home, Colts Neck, New Jersey’s youth program, he would next go to play a couple of single games for his stepdad’s team New Jersey 87’s before joining the main squad.
The 19-year old will need to continue to prove his game but you can bet he’ll put in the work.
We did a Twitter player interview with Jake:
cHp: You’re from New Jersey. You looked to have a decent youth hockey run with NJ Jr. Titans, but then joined NJ 87’s, which is a pay to play league.
Was that just temporary before joining the Jr. Titans NAHL team and can you talk about that two game experience a little, because you started low in the 87’s system in premiere, getting a hat trick in your only game, then played 1 more with their EHL team. It looks like you moved onto the NAHL team from there and stayed until this year.
I did see from an article your step dad coached one of the 87’s teams.
You’ve played all your hockey close to home in Jersey, but committed to Colorado College. Why did you pick that school and not one around here?
You also committed to that school at the beginning of 2018, very young. How did they discover you? Was it thought you’d play a few of juniors before heading to college?
You’re listed as playing high school hockey at St. John Vianney High as a freshman in 2016/2017 season, but was that you’re only year there?
You’ve had a super solid weirdo season in the NAHL scoring 16 goals and 28 assists in 52 games playing like 4 teams constantly.
Does that have you looking beyond college at all or is that your main focus for right now?
JL: Yea, so my U16 year I left St. John Vianney. I played U16 Titans and my step dad was the coach of the 87’s. The only reason I played one game with them was because they needed guys due to injury and illness.
Later on that year I joined the NAHL team where I have been my whole career so far. It has been a blast. The culture, coaching staff and arena is by far one of the best in junior hockey.
I committed to Colorado College when I was 16.
I loved the facility and coaching staff there when I committed so that was the decider for me.
I have plans to go to the USHL next year and play for the Madison Capitals.
I do want to play in the NHL one day as well, after college
cHp: Nice. I was wondering that, if you were going to head to Colorado College, as reported for 2021 or put it off a year for another run in juniors.
Did you get drafted by that USHL team or just agree to join them?
JL: I got drafted by Madison.
cHp: That’s awesome. Was that exciting news as you move your way up? Do you have an expectation for yourself going in?
Former 3-year Lake Superior State University Lakers‘ defenseman Zach Trotman(4) decides 267 AHL, 91 NHL and 114 NCAA Division 1 hockey games was plenty enough to retire on.
The one-time Boston Bruins‘ 7th round draft pick in 2010 (#210 overall; dead last) scored 3 goals and 10 assists with a +1 rating in the big league.
He skated for 5 different clubs throughout his 9-year playing career.
The 30-year old always had a major contract, 6 deals, so was decently taken care of throughout.
Dartmouth College 2021/2022 commit defenseman Ben Ritter(2) agreed to the college as he was heading to his first year at The Loomis Chaffee School.
The Pittsford, NY native had kept his hockey close to home until this move to play USHS-Prep.
In his first year, he scored a modest goal and 4 assists, but took that up nicely as a senior with four tallies and 16 helpers in 31 games and a New England Championship.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. blue liner moved on to junior hockey, originally tendered by New Jersey Jr. Titans, but that experiment lasted all of 4 NAHL games before he next signed on to play for a team he was once selected by in a draft, South Shore Kings.
He seemed to find his space in this league, getting 2 goals and 4 assists in 41 USPHL/NCDC games for an off and on 2020/2021 COVID-busted season.
It did go to playoffs though, and in 3 matchups, he came away with a goal.
The 19-year old, more stay at home style d-man will likely answer any call given.
Tyler Gaulin(8) won’t go far from his junior team of 2020/2021 to his college commit, as he starts with Maine Nordiques and heads to University Of Maine Black Bears for 2021/2022.
The 6′ 175 lbs. plays like a power forward scored a solid 10 goals and 25 assists in 55 NAHL games with a +4 rating last season.
It was actually at the beginning of this frame that he confirmed his college, and that was post a monster final year as team captain at Berwick Academy, where he scored 21 goals and 27 assists in 29 USHS-Prep games.
He actually played a couple of games at the end of that campaign for his current team and scored his first two league goals.
The 19-year old, Kingston, NH native is an impact player that should contribute to Hockey East play as soon as he arrives.
UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ captain (and local Tewksbury product) center Connor Sodergren(28) will return for a sanctioned 5th season of college hockey and further studies.
The 5’11” 190 lbs. forward probably wants to get back what was lost last season in the off and on mini-schedule of 18 Hockey East games against mostly division only teams and a playoff run ended only by a goal in the final.
We also think he eyes scoring like he did in his 2nd run with West Kelowna Warriors, where he had a best 24 goals and 35 assists and also when he committed to school.
He won a BCHL Championship with the team in his first year, scoring 6 goals and 7 assists in 24 playoff matchups.
The 24-year old is an undrafted, impact player.
