While the emergence of Montreal Canadiens 2022 second-round pick Lane Hutson has attracted a significant amount of attention in the Montreal market (no doubt helped by the fact that it was his overtime goal that won Boston University the Hockey East title), 2020 fourth-round pick Sean Farrell has had an incredible season in his own right. The Harvard forward was recently named the ECAC’s player of the year after scoring 52 points in 33 games, and this comes after he scored six points in four games representing the United States at last year’s Winter Olympics. This has led to many wondering if the NHL could be just around the corner for Farrell, or if he would choose to play until graduation and potentially test the open market once his rights expire.
Based on recent reporting, it seems Canadiens fans may not have much to worry about. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin and Arpon Basu reported in a recent column (subscription link) that Farrell’s advisors at CAA have assured them that the scenario of Farrell graduating and testing free agency is “not one worth mentioning” because Farrell “has every intention of signing with the Canadiens.” This means that should Harvard be upset in their first-round matchup against Ohio State on Friday, “Farrell could be available as early as this Saturday,” and his signing would certainly add some excitement to what has been a rollercoaster Canadiens season.
Some other notes from college hockey:
- Farrell’s teammate Matt Coronato, a 2021 lottery pick, is also a highly-regarded prospect who could be nearing an NHL debut. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports that Flames general manager Brad Treliving is traveling to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Harvard’s aforementioned game against Ohio State with the goal of getting Coronato “signed and into an NHL game” whenever his season ends. Coronato just completed a second-straight point-per-game season, and is widely regarded to be the Flames’ best skater prospect.
- New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver has reported that three NHL prospects are hitting the transfer portal, meaning they are exploring the possibility of transferring to another NCAA program. The first is Los Angeles Kings prospect Jack Hughes, a 2022 second-round pick who scored 16 points in 32 games for Northeastern. The next is Detroit Red Wings 2021 fourth-rounder Redmond Savage, who scored 14 points in 32 games for Miami University (Ohio) and made the United States World Juniors team the past two tournaments. The final player is Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Colangelo, the 36th overall pick at the 2020 draft. Colangelo’s production declined from last season when he scored nearly at a point-per-game rate, and he could be looking for a fresh start for his age-22 campaign.