Alex Kerfoot Listening To All Teams

While Will Butcher has dominated many of the headlines lately as the top NCAA prospect closes in on free agency later this month, there is another name that should draw quite a bit of interest. Alex Kerfoot took over from Jimmy Vesey as captain of the Harvard team this season, and is poised to follow in another way in two weeks. Kerfoot, a New Jersey Devils draft pick will not sign before the deadline and is set to become a free agent on August 16th. Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 in Vancouver spoke with Kerfoot’s agent JP Barry who told him no one had been ruled out just yet. There should be several teams after him, though he’s not a blue-chip name like many considered Vesey to be last year.

Kerfoot had an interesting college career, playing in Vesey’s shadow for several years. Until this season he was a pure playmaker, racking up assists but not cracking 10 goals in a single year. That all changed when Vesey moved on and more offensive responsibility was heaped on Kerfoot, as his goal total spiked to 16 and he registered 45 points in just 34 games. While he always had incredible creativity and vision once inside the zone, he was often pushed off the puck or lacked the straight line speed to create off the rush.

Those weaknesses may be behind him, as he’s increased his physical edge despite still being undersized, and has improved his skating to a point where it’s now a positive for him. It will be tough—but not impossible—to continue in his natural center position, but like many other college and junior players before him he could crack into the league as a winger instead.

Kerfoot is from Vancouver and has been tied to the Canucks in the past, though there will likely be many of the usual suspects trying to go after him. Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit have all been linked to Butcher, and could easily pop up in negotiations with Kerfoot as well. It’s hard to handicap where he’ll end up, as it’s not clear if many teams see the 22-year old as a contributor in 2017-18, or more of a long-term depth piece. He’ll have to sign a two-year entry-level contract, but performance and signing bonuses can vary slightly from team to team. Like Butcher, it’s more about opportunity than salary and he’ll find that somewhere in two weeks.