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Snapshots: NCAA Recruitment, Colorado, Lekkerimäki

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The NCAA commitment window opened to the 2008 birth year on August 1st, bringing another wave of top young players to the collegiate level. International recruits have so far headlined this year’s class, with five Europeans and 13 Canadians already announcing their commitments. Among the notable international commits is hefty centerman Caleb Malhotra, who went eighth overall to Kingston in this year’s OHL Draft, but solidified his plans to play outside of the OHL with a commitment to Boston University. Malhotra is emerging as a top Canadian in the 2008 birth year – even despite battles with injury this season. He played in just 48 games, though he still did enough to score at a point-per-game pace and earn a five-star rating from PuckPreps, who praised his mobility and puck skills.

Malhotra – the son of longtime Vancouver Canucks center Manny Malhotra – is a cerebral playmaker, who knows how to use his frame and stickhandling to create space. With a college commitment out of the way, he’s now set for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL. Malhotra is undeniably one of the BCHL’s top recruits and will now look to vindicate the expectations around him, and quickly bounce back from injury, by finding scoring quickly at the juniors level. If all goes well, he’ll enter BU with the same lofty expectations.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The AHL’s Colorado Eagles have announced they’ve hired Kim Weiss as a video coach and Matt Zaba as a goalie coach. Weiss moves to the pro level after becoming the first female coach in D-III history this season, serving behind the bench of her alma mater Trinity College. Trinity won their conference championship under Weiss’ guard – earning her a ring after losing in the NAHL’s 2023 Robertson Cup semifinals with the Maryland Black Bears. Zaba is also moving from American juniors, having spent the last seven seasons as the goalie coach for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. He’s built up multiple NHL prospects over that span, including Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Filip Larson, Calgary Flames prospect Arseni Sergeyev, and Vegas Golden Knights prospect Isaiah Saville. He’ll now join that trio at the AHL level – coaching in familiar territory after starting his career at Colorado College. Zaba is also an alum of one NHL game, 66 AHL games, and 31 ECHL games – though much of his personal playing career was spent in Austria and Italy.
  • The Vancouver Canucks are facing a list of lineup questions as training camp approaches, shares Thomas Drance of The Athletic, who highlighted the right-wing role next to Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson as the team’s most glaring hole. Drance mentioned Nils Hoglander as an early favorite for the role, though he’ll face pressure from new signee Daniel Sprong. However, Drance also noted that star prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki could be a dark horse to round out what should be Vancouver’s scoring line. Lekkerimäki won the SHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award last season, after posting 19 goals and 31 points in 46 games with Örebro HK. He signed his entry-level contract and moved to the AHL after Örebro’s early playoff exit – adding two points in six more games with the Abbotsford Canucks. Lekkerimäki is an effective scorer, with an eye for the offensive zone and hard snapshot – though his size has some worried about how he’ll adjust to the next step. It seems he’ll have a chance to answer that bell at training camp, as he fights for a significant role out of the gates.

Ryan Leonard Hopes To Win Before Joining Washington

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One of the more interesting prospect developments of the summer is the desire from former-eighth overall pick, Ryan Leonard, to forego his entry-level deal with the Washington Capitals to return to Boston College for his sophomore season. Leonard had a fantastic season in 2022-23 with the U.S. National U18 Team leading to him being a top-10 selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

As a freshman with the Eagles, Leonard proved to be one of the best prospects in the league by scoring 31 goals and 60 points in 41 games played. Flanked by Cutter Gauthier, Gabe Perreault, and Will Smith, the quartet occupied four of the top-six scoring leaders and represented one of the most dominant offenses in the NCAA.

Before it was time to make a run at the National Championship, Leonard joined the United States U20 Team for the 2023-24 IIHF World Junior Championships. Leonard scored three goals and six points in seven games throughout the tournament and helped the United States capture their first gold medal since 2021.

Boston College coasted to the National Championship behind a powerful offense with strong wins over Michigan Tech University, Quinnipiac University, and the University of Michigan. Unfortunately, the offense ran dry in the last game of the season as the University of Denver shut them out to take home the trophy.

In a write-up of day two of the World Junior Summer Showcase, Mike G. Morreale of the NHL writes that Leonard hopes to capture the only trophy that has eluded him up to this point before turning pro. Leonard said, “We have some unfinished business, honestly. Maybe if our game against Denver goes the other way, it could have been a little bit different and I could have played the end of the season with the Capitals. But Washington has been really supportive. They told me whenever I was ready, they’d be grateful and happy. Leaving my team after losing that last game against Denver was just something I couldn’t do”.

Whether or not Leonard can help the Eagles win their first National Championship since 2012, the additional year in the NCAA should be a huge benefit to his development regardless. Leonard was already one of the best players last year as a freshman and should be top-five in the scoring leader conversation once again at the season’s end.

The Capitals still have a Nicklas Backstrom-sized hole down the middle of their top six but will attempt to bridge the gap with a combination of Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois next season. With a legitimate claim of being the team’s future top-line center, Leonard will give Washington one of the better looks down the middle of any team around the league. A combination of Strome, Dubois, Leonard, and Hendrix Lapierre down the middle of the ice will give opposing teams a lot of problems to match up against.

Snapshots: Merela, Sabres Staff, Krog

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Yesterday, Lightning restricted free agent forward Waltteri Merela signed a one-year deal with SC Bern of the Swiss National League. The Lightning reportedly wanted Merela to return to the organization (as per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times) but couldn’t offer him the guaranteed money that he could get abroad because of their need to keep salary cap flexibility. The Lightning plan to make Merela a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights until he is 27.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Buffalo Sabres have hired Chris Bergeron as a scout, shares Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. Bergeron has served as the head coach of Miami (Ohio) University’s men’s hockey team for the last five seasons, posting a cumulative – and dismal – 35-116-16 record with the club. Those results earn Bergeron the title of lowest win percentage in Miami’s history, narrowly beating out Bill Davidge’s 39-111-3 record across four seasons in the late 1980s. Bergeron still has a storied hockey career despite a slow go of things in Miami, Ohio – serving as the head coach of Bowling Green State University for nine seasons and accumulating 43 AHL games, 119 ECHL, and 111 IHL games across a seven-year professional career of his own. Bergeron is expected to, unsurprisingly, serve as Buffalo’s NCAA scout after Jerry Forton was promoted to ‘Director of Amateur Scouting’.
  • Buffalo has also shared that they will be maintaining AHL assistant coaches Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch, shares Lysowski (Twitter link). The duo – both former NHL players – concluded the first year of their coaching careers last season, helping lead the Rochester Americans to a strong 39-23-7 record. With a year under their belts, the novice coaches will now lend their lessons learned to new head coach Mike Leone as he enters the first pro role of his own coaching career.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have hired former NHL center Jason Krog as a skills and development coach for the NHL and AHL rosters (Twitter link). Krog played in four games with Vancouver to end a 202-game career in the NHL that was largely spent with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Krog scored 22 goals and 59 games across his career, including a single-season high of 25 points in 2002-03. He flaunted fantastic agility and skill as an undersized pivot in a physical era of the NHL – and will now look to bring those lessons to a young Canucks organization.

Notable Moves From The NCAA Transfer Window

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The NCAA Transfer Window is nearing its June 4th closing date, after staying open for 45 days rather than 30 for the first time following an October rule change. Collegiate athletes across all sports pushed for the increased window, naturally leading to much more eagerness to move schools. That’s shined through in men’s hockey, where many top players have left their posts in favor of a new role somewhere else. We’ll walk through some of the most notable moves today, as well as their impact on both the 2024-25 collegiate season and long-term effects on the NHL.

Breaking Down the Top Moves of the NCAA Transfer Window

Eric Pohlkamp (RD): Bemidji State to University of Denver

If there were ever an equivalent to Boston College’s ’Goalie U’ for defensemen, it’d be David Carle’s Denver Pioneers. They just stomped their way to a second National Championship in the last three years, largely thanks to a blue-line that featured top NHL prospects Shai Buium, Zeev Buium, and Sean Behrens. Shai and Behrens, both winners of the 2022 National Championship, have since signed their entry-level contracts in the NHL, leaving two massive holes atop the team’s depth chart. Zeev will likely assume his brother’s role atop the lineup – should he not be persuaded to turn pro by the team that drafts him – but Denver had to look externally to find the second half of their next top pair. And, true to the ’Defender U’ persona, they’ve found an absolutely perfect fit in San Jose Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp.

Pohlkamp had a breakout season in his final year in the USHL, boasting 16 goals and 51 points through 59 games with the 2022-23 Cedar Rapids Roughriders. It was the most a RoughRiders defender has scored since 2010 and Pohlkamp certainly looked the part, combining powerful and smooth skating with his hefty frame to blow through opponents and support the offensive rush. The performance was enough to convince San Jose to draft him in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, after he went undrafted in his first year of eligibility. He’s vindicated their decision, posting 11 goals and 24 points in his first 32 collegiate games.

After facing skepticism in his first year of draft eligibility, Pohlkamp has since firmly planted his feet as a top NHL prospect. He’ll now move to a red-hot University of Denver with the wind behind his sails. Pohlkamp’s ability to battle for possession and carry the puck out of the zone should be very welcome in a Carle lineup that thrived in the neutral zone last season – while his heft will be a nice balance for the fleeter Buium. Pohlkamp should be set up for a big season with the Pioneers, who will be looking to challenge the National title once again.

William Whitelaw (LW/RW): University of Wisconsin to University of Michigan

The University of Michigan lost a lot of talent following the end of their season. Each of Frank Nazar, Gavin Brindley, Dylan Duke, and eventually Seamus Casey signed with their respective NHL club, leaving substantial holes throughout the lineup. Some of those will be filled in by Michigan’s impressive recruitment class, including 2024 first-round hopefuls Matvei Gridin and Michael Hage, who will join in 2025. But the Wolverines were still in need of added bite in their top six during the transfer window.

And while they didn’t find as ideal of a match as Denver found in Pohlkamp, they’ve embraced similar potential, bringing in Columbus Blue Jackets prospect William Whitelaw after a slow freshman season at the University of Wisconsin. Whitelaw was one of many young players to transfer away from Wisconsin this Spring, and now seems set for a top role on a much more explosive Michigan offense. Whitelaw was the star forward of the Clark Cup-winning Youngstown Phantoms in 2022-23, recording a combined 41 goals and 70 points across 71 regular season and playoff games that year. The performance earned him a third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, though he was slow to follow it up, posting just 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games as a Wisconsin freshman.

Whitelaw’s game is rooted in his strong toolkit, boasting very sharp and aware stickhandling, agile skating, and a powerful shot that each make him a threat in the offensive zone. He’s certainly still working on how to use those skills cohesively with his teammates on the forecheck – growth that should be supported very well by the strong linemates Whitelaw will inherit in Michigan. Whether he play with McGroarty, Hage, or Gridin – any of the trio should help Whitelaw better find and maintain his tempo, while showing off how his raw skill can lead to goals. Whitelaw is a proven scorer when he’s in the right setting, but didn’t seem to have that setting in Wisconsin. He’ll look to remedy that on one of the most explosive offenses in college, in a what could be looked back on as a very lucrative move.

Matthew Wood (LW/C): University of Connecticut to University of Minnesota

The Pohlkamp and Whitelaw moves represent talented players moving to environments that should give their skillsets more room to shine. That’s not necessarily the case for Predators prospect Matthew Wood, who’s commanded a top-line role at UConn for each of the last two seasons. He’s been fantastic in his first two collegiate seasons, scoring 27 goals and 62 points over a combined 70 games and serving as the Huskies’ leading scorer in both years. Wood has been a dominant scorer since his days in youth hockey and even posted a combined 98 points in just 64 games during two seasons in the BCHL. He’s a tough and rugged winger who plays hard on the puck and puts plenty of power behind his shot. Many criticized his slow skating and lack of direction during his draft season, though his consistent scoring has always made him tough to doubt.

Wood will now move to a Minnesota lineup coming off the loss of top-line forward and team captain Jaxon Nelson, who signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. Wood should be set up to be Nelson’s direct fill-in, serving in tandem with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore. The duo seem perfectly matched, with Moore boasting very speedy playmaking while Wood brings power and grit. Moore posted 33 points in 39 games as a freshman this season, despite scoring just nine goals on the year. He’ll be the perfect pointman for Wood, who should only continue scoring at a high rate on a Minnesota team looking to take back the Big Ten.

Tim Lovell (LD): Arizona State University to University of Michigan

Michigan headlined what was a very active Transfer Window for the Big Ten. In a corresponding move to Whitelaw’s addition, the Wolverines also brought in top Arizona State defender Tim Lovell to try to fill the hole left by Seamus Casey’s move to the NHL. But while Whitelaw is supplemented by a strong offensive recruiting class, Lovell could be in line to take on the lion’s share of Casey’s minutes. He’ll be one of the most experienced, and certainly the highest-scoring, collegiate defenseman on Michigan’s lineup next season, and while he could cede some ice time to 2024 NHL Draft prospect Will Felicio, Lovell’s ability to drive the puck down the ice should give him a strong advantage. That’s the trait that made Casey so dominant in college and was likely exactly what the Wolverines were looking for on the open market.

They’ve certainly found it in Lovell, who’s shown no fear in carrying the puck through his first three seasons with Arizona State. He’s subsequently posted 12 goals and 79 points across 119 collegiate games, boasting an offensive awareness that should blend well with Michigan’s style. But Lovell has faced criticism for his ability to keep up with defending the rush and holding his position when his team is off of the puck. Casey – who certainly faced similar concerns – was much more stout at controlling both ends of the ice, especially towards the end of his collegiate career. Michigan has found a similar offensive style and skillset in Lovell, but they may need to balance out his aggression with strong defense elsewhere in the lineup. This move is high-risk, high-reward; particularly for a Wolverines team that faced challenges with controlling high-tempo offenses last season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Evening Notes: Hiller, Smith, NCAA

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Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake has revealed the details of Jim Hiller’s new head coaching contract, confirming to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta that the deal is a three-year contract with a fourth-year option (Twitter link). That’s a hardy deal for Hiller’s first NHL head coaching contract – made even more impressive when juxtaposed with fellow rookie head coach Drew Bannister’s two-year deal in St. Louis.

Hiller has earned the confidence of the Kings organization after leading the team to a playoff berth on the back of a 21-12-1 record. His guidance brought the best out of most of the team’s offense, most notably increasing Pierre-Luc Dubois’ scoring to 0.59 points-per-game, from his 0.42 points-per-game in 48 games under Todd McLellan. Hiller also guided much more ice time to the team’s top prospects, with Jordan Spence playing in 22 games, Alex Turcotte playing in 18, and Brandt Clarke playing in 10 during his reign. And while their success was varied, their ice time was nonetheless a welcome boost of youth to the Kings’ lineup. Los Angeles is now entering the offseason with nine pending free agents – including Quinton Byfield, Viktor Arvidsson, and Matt Roy – and just $15MM in cap space. They’ll have to make their moves wisely, as they now look to build behind a lineup with playoff aspirations under Hiller.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Blake also confirmed to Pagnotta that D.J. Smith will return as an assistant coach (Twitter link). The Kings hired Smith in early February, after he was dismissed from the Ottawa Senators head coaching role in December. Smith had led Ottawa’s bench since the 2019-20 season – a role he took over after spending four years alongside Hiller as assistant coaches for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will again remain on Hiller’s side, serving as his assistant coach alongside Derik Johnson.
  • More and more collegiate players are being invited to NHL development camp rosters with the NCAA season now concluded. Per the New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver, four Dartmouth players have joined the list (Twitter link). They include: defenseman C.J. Foley invited to the Florida Panthers camp, winger Nikita Nikora and defender Eric Charpentier to the Washington Capitals camp, and centerman Luke Haymes to the Tampa Bay Lightning camp. Divver also shared that Brown University’s Ryan St. Louis will join the Pittsburgh Penguins camp, while forward Tyler Kopff and defender Alex Pineau are headed to the Vegas Golden Knights’ camp (Twitter link). Finally, Vermont will be sending defender Duncan Ramsay and winger Jens Richards to the Capitals camp (Twitter link).

Snapshots: NCAA Rule Changes, Marchessault, Pettersen

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The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Committee wants to give on-ice officials more discretion in disciplining checking from behind and head contact penalties and has put forth an official proposal for a rules adjustment, per an announcement from the organization Thursday. The proposed changes must still be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which meets next on June 6.

Regarding examples of “clear violations” of the anti-head contact rule, officials would be required to supplement a five-minute major penalty with either a game misconduct or disqualification. Under previous rules, officials may have assessed a standalone five-minute major for head contact, but that option will disappear. Instances of head contact that officials deem to be inadvertent or otherwise legal may still be assessed as minor penalties.

Officials will also now have all penalty options available for checking from behind infractions, opening up a more extended use of minor penalties in response to collisions where the player on the receiving end of the hit turns or changes position just prior to contact. Other proposed rule changes include modifying the NCAA’s definition of playing the puck with a high stick to match NHL rules (above shoulder height as compared to the NCAA’s current 4 feet rule) and mandated shootouts after five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime for regular-season play across all conferences.

Other news and notes from around hockey:

  • If Jonathan Marchessault is able to re-sign with the Golden Knights, don’t expect it to be on a huge discount. In a mailbag Thursday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal says Vegas is prepared to dole out a raise on his current $5MM cap hit to get him to stay. They’ll need to make some significant roster moves to accommodate him, though, as the Golden Knights have less than $1MM in projected cap space next season with a roster size of 20. Moving the final season of injured goaltender Robin Lehner’s $5MM cap hit to long-term injured reserve will give them some much-needed flexibility, but they’ll still likely need to move out one contract to keep their 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner around. Evolving Hockey projects a Marchessault extension in Vegas to come in at roughly $7.2MM per season for four years.
  • Norway has added Stars prospect Mathias Emilio Pettersen to its roster for the 2024 World Championship, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis reports. Pettersen, 24, was drafted by the Flames in the sixth round of the 2018 draft and spent parts of four seasons playing for their AHL affiliate before being dealt to Dallas in a minor-league swap just before this year’s trade deadline. The 5’11” forward closed out the season on a high note, notching eight points in 12 regular-season games for AHL Texas and adding five points in seven playoff games. This marks his second appearance at the Worlds and his first since 2021 when he had a goal and a -2 rating in six games. He’s a pending restricted free agent and is eligible for arbitration this summer.

Big Hype Prospects: Augustine, Solberg, Kapanen, Emery

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The World Championship has kicked off, bringing back the energy and excitement of international hockey at the top level. This year’s tournament has offered a special platform to the underappreciated hockey countries – with Austria, Poland, Switzerland, and Latvia offering some of the best hockey of the kickoff weekend. There has also been a rare influx of young players earning big chances, with the tournament currently led in scoring by 18-year-old Connor Bedard and in save percentage by 23-year-old Lukas Dostal. The boost of younger talent has offered scouts an extra look at some of the top prospects in the world. We’ll follow suit, once again borrowing the Big Hype Prospects series from MLB Trade Rumors and breaking down some of the top performers from Worlds.

Four Big Hype Prospects

Trey Augustine, G, Michigan State (NCAA Big Ten, Detroit Red Wings)
35 GP – 23 Wins – 0.915 SV% – 2.96 GAA

Trey Augustine made history on Saturday, stepping in for Team USA starter Alex Lyon following an undisclosed injury. Augustine stepped in just 24 minutes into the game and held strong, saving 11 of the 12 shots he faced en route to USA’s 6-1 win over Team Germany. The performance earned Augustine the win, making him just the fifth U20 goaltender to record a win at Worlds since 2000. He joins a list of incredibly talented goaltenders, including Juuse Saros, Andrei Vasilevskiy, John Gibson, and Jacob Markstrom. But what’s more – Augustine is the first U20 goalie since 2000 to step into a World Championship role without playing in a pro league first, though Gibson only had one AHL under his belt. Instead, Augustine is backstopping one of the World Championship’s top teams directly out of college, just months after rivaling the Big Ten ’Goalie of the Year’ Award. Augustine was nicknamed ’The Closer’ during his years at the U.S. National Team Development Program and is living up to the high acclaim now, showing a fantastic amount of poise and skill even at the top level. While there’s still a long road ahead for Augustine – who is currently expected to return to Michigan State next season – the Red Wings have to be happy with the value they’ve gotten out of the 2023 second round.

Stian Solberg, LHD, Vålerenga (Norway, 2024 NHL Draft Eligible)
42 GP – 5 G – 10 A – 15 TP – 47 PIM – +2 +/-

Stian Solberg is quickly winning the hearts of hockey fans. He’s been asked to do it all this season – serving in a top role during club play with Vålerenga, as the #1-defenseman on Norway’s World Juniors team, and now as a top-four defender at the World Championship. Solberg has handled all of the challenge in stride, showing a fantastic ability to stay adaptable. Whether it’s a long reach while defending the rush, a big hit to spark energy, or nifty passing to create a chance in the offensive-end, Solberg seems capable of doing it all. The support of Norway’s men’s team has let Solberg embrace much more of his offensive skillset at Worlds and he’s taking full opportunity of the chance, showing an improved ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone and create chances from the blue-line. Solberg is continuing to look mature beyond his years, substantially boosting a case to go in the 2024 first-round that’s been steadily growing all season long.

Oliver Kapanen, C, KalPa (Liiga, Montreal Canadiens)
51 GP – 14 G – 20 A – 34 TP – 32 PIM – 0 +/-

Oliver Kapanen kicked off Worlds with a bang, recording a hat trick in Finland’s game against Team Great Britain. It’s perhaps lighter pickings than some of the other clubs Finland will face, but it was how Kapanen recorded his trick that made it so impressive. After years of trying to survive as a high-slot shooter, Kapanen potted all three goals on Saturday from the low-slot, using his strong frame and quick reactions to consistently win the battles for loose rebounds. The performance felt like the culmination of a development curve that Kapanen has been on all season long, learning how to become more confident in the gritty areas of the ice and make plays with little-to-no space. They’re next-level traits which will support Kapanen substantially as he continues to take on more-and-more of a role at the top level. Fans will need to wait out the rest of his World Championship performance before getting too excited, but he’s kicked off the tournament in exciting fashion, offering a shimmer of hope to Canadiens fans excited for their next Finnish centerman.

Eric ’EJ’ Emery, LHD, U.S. U18 (NTDP, 2024 NHL Draft Eligible)
61 GP – 0 G – 16 A – 16 TP – 30 PIM – +5 +/-

Eric ’EJ’ Emery isn’t currently representing his country at the World Championship, but he is still finding ways to make himself popular on social media, posting a video jumping over Scott Norton, the President of his agency (Twitter link). The video shows off just how athletic the 6’3″, 185-lbs frame of Emery is – as well as the impressive vertical he’s been working towards since last summer. Emery had a bit of an underwhelming year on the scoresheet but there are few scouts who aren’t excited about the stout defensive potential he offers. Emery is a smooth, lanky defender who uses a long reach and strong physical presence to close off opponents with ease. He’s also fantastic on the puck, corralling open pucks and finding teammates quickly, without losing any momentum in plays. Emery showed off just how well he can go from shutting down play on defense to inspiring offense at the World U18 Championship, where he recorded six assists in seven games as Team USA chased a Silver Medal finish. Emery is considered to be on the fringe of this year’s first round, though continued feats of athleticism, and what seems to be a high potential for added offense in the future, makes him one of the most exciting risers through the year’s second half.

Panthers’ Jack Devine Returning To University Of Denver

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The Panthers will have to wait until next year to see right wing prospect Jack Devine turn pro. The University of Denver announced Wednesday that the 20-year-old is returning for his senior season in 2024-25.

Devine slipped to the late seventh round in 2022, where Florida happily picked him up with the 221st overall pick. A few public scouts expected him to go closer to the midway point of the draft after a solid freshman season at Denver, but the October-born forward garnered less interest than expected.

Not only has he outpaced his actual billing over the last two years, but he’s likely worked his way up to first- or second-round status in an early redraft. Devine’s collegiate resume was made more impressive this year with a second NCAA championship, but his individual stat sheet in his junior year was quite impressive, too. He was easily the Pioneers’ best player, leading them in scoring with 27 goals and 56 points in 44 games with a +29 rating. That showing earned him a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in collegiate hockey, as well as First All-American honors for the NCAA’s West Region.

The Illinois native will now likely join the Panthers on an entry-level contract as soon as his senior season ends, assuming he intends to sign with Florida and not test free agency. The Cats will likely burn the first year of his ELC in 2024-25, allowing him to make his NHL debut down the stretch of the regular season or in the playoffs. Devine was ranked fifth in the Panthers’ prospect system by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in February.

College Notes: Gallagher, Powell, Whitelaw

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After a busy few weeks on the college transactions front, things have slowed down in recent days.  However, there still has been a bit of news surrounding some NHL-drafted prospects which are noted here.

  • Bruins blueline prospect Ty Gallagher has transferred to Colorado College, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). Boston selected the 21-year-old in the seventh round in 2021, taking him 217th overall out of the U.S. National Team Development Program.  Gallagher has spent the last three seasons at Boston University but saw his role and numbers drop this season, going from 21 points in 40 games in his sophomore year to just five assists in 37 contests this year.  He’ll hope that the move will give him a bigger role and thus a better chance at landing an entry-level deal.
  • Lightning prospect Eamon Powell announced on his Instagram page that he has elected to return for his fifth and final season at Boston College next season. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Tampa Bay back in 2020 (116th overall) and after a slow first couple of years, he took a good step forward offensively last season, notching 22 points in 36 games.  This season, Powell took an even bigger leap forward, averaging nearly a point per game with 38 in 40 contests which led some to believe he’d turn pro.  Instead, the defenseman will stick around for another year.  Tampa Bay will now retain Powell’s rights through next year instead of having to sign him by August 15th.
  • Blue Jackets prospect William Whitelaw recently announced (Twitter link) that he has transferred to the University of Michigan for next season. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick last year, going 66th overall after a near-point-per-game season in the USHL.  However, offensive success was a little harder to come by this season at Wisconsin, as he was limited to 10 goals and seven assists in 37 games.  Those numbers aren’t bad for a first-year player but he opted for a change of scenery.  Whitelaw is the fourth NHL-drafted prospect to transfer out of Wisconsin in recent weeks, joining Pittsburgh’s Cruz Lucius, Detroit’s Brady Cleveland, and Minnesota’s Charlie Stramel.

College Transfer Roundup: Leddy, Benoit, Emerson, Croteau, Muszelik

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While college signings have slowed down in recent days, that doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been college activity, as several NHL prospects continue to find new homes for next season.  Here’s a rundown of some recent moves on that front.

  • Devils prospect Charlie Leddy has transferred to Quinnipiac, notes Cameron Levasseur of The Quinnipiac Chronicle (Twitter link). The 20-year-old blueliner was a fourth-round pick by New Jersey two years ago (126th overall) and spent his first two NCAA campaigns at Boston College.  This past season, he had eight assists in 39 games.
  • Wild blueline prospect Nate Benoit has also transferred to Quinnipiac, reports Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. The 2021 sixth-round pick was limited to just 19 appearances at North Dakota this season, collecting a single assist which was not the freshman year he was certainly hoping for.
  • Hurricanes youngster Michael Emerson has committed to Merrimack, reports Mike McMahon of College Hockey News (Twitter link). The winger was a sixth-round pick last year, going 190th overall.  He started the season at North Dakota but left after six games, opting to go back to USHL Chicago, where he posted 20 points in 27 contests.
  • Canadiens goalie prospect Emmett Croteau announced (Twitter link) that he has transferred to Dartmouth. A sixth-rounder two years ago, the 20-year-old had a very quiet first season in college, getting into just six games with Clarkson. There, he struggled, putting up a 3.53 GAA and a .835 SV%. Dartmouth lost their starter to the pros when Cooper Black signed with Florida, so Croteau may have an easier path to playing time next season.
  • Panthers prospect Tyler Muszelik is on his way to UConn, reports Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. The netminder was a 2022 sixth-rounder, going 189th overall after spending time in the U.S. National Team Development Program.  Muszelik spent the last two seasons at the University of New Hampshire but in a backup role.  UConn’s tandem has both moved on (Ethan Haider to the pros and Arseni Sergeyev via the portal) so the 19-year-old should have a better path to playing time next season.

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