Four NCAA Skaters Leave Early for NHL

The list of NCAA players leaving school early to sign NHL contracts keeps growing.

Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth) passed up his senior season to sign with the St. Louis Blues, who tabbed him 45th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The junior defenseman, who helped UMD to two straight NCAA Division I championships before this year's national tournament was canceled by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), recorded a career-high 34 assists and 40 points this season in 34 games, and was also named the 2019-20 NCHC Player of the Year. Perunovich, 21, from Hibbing, Minn., finished his career with 20 goals and 95 assists for 105 points in 115 career outings with the Bulldogs.

Max Gildon (New Hampshire) has joined the Florida Panthers, who took him 66th overall in 2017, after three seasons at UNH. A defenseman from Plano, Texas, Gildon, 20, notched seven goals and 29 points in 34 games this season, and was selected as a Hockey East Third-Team All-Star. He completed his Wildcat career with 21-52—73 points in 101 contests.

Jack Badini (Harvard) also left college after three years when he inked a deal with the Anaheim Ducks, who selected him 91st overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Badini, 22, a forward from Old Greenwich, Conn., notched 6-8—14 points in 31 outings this season for the Crimson, and in three campaigns altogether registered 24-27—51 points in 97 contests.

Trevor Zegras (Boston University) became the latest NCAA one-and-done when the freshman forward signed with the Anaheim Ducks, who chose him ninth overall last summer. In his only season with the Terriers, Zegras, 19, from Bedford, N.Y. posted 11-25—36 points in 33 appearances, and was also named a Hockey East Third-Team All-Star.

Coronavirus Cancels Cornell's Stellar Season

No. 1 Cornell's 2019-20 men's hockey season is over, two steps short of a fourth straight trip to the NCAA tournament, and a possible return to the Frozen Four for the first time in 17 years.

The Big Red lost only two games all season, won both the ECAC Hockey regular season and Ivy League crowns, and were undefeated in their last nine outings overall before COVID-19 emerged earlier this month. Read more here.

Swayman Leaves Maine to Sign with Bruins

Add goaltender Jeremy Swayman (Maine) to the list of early NCAA signings by the NHL. The Anchorage, Alaska native has passed up his final year of college eligibility to sign with the Boston Bruins, who drafted him 111th overall in 2017.

A product of Sioux Falls (USHL) and South Anchorage High School, Swayman, 21, backstopped the Black Bears for the past three seasons, finishing with a 47-40-12 record in 100 career appearances. He also posted a 2.51 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage to go with four shutouts.

The 6-foot-2 Swayman went 18-11-5 this season (2.07, .939, 3 ShO) in 34 outings. His final appearance in a Maine uniform, in a campaign ultimately cancelled by the coronavirus (COVID-19), was a 1-0 shutout of Hockey East rival Providence on March 6.

Swayman recently took home the 2020 Walter Brown Award as the best player in New England college hockey this season, and was named Hockey East's First Team Goaltender for 2019-20 along with Hockey East Player of the Year. He is also one of 10 finalists for the 2020 Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

NCAA Season Over, College Signings By NHL Has Begun

With the NCAA hockey season cancelled by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the NHL season on hold due to the same, several players have already jumped ship from the former level to the latter.

The biggest undergraduate catch so far has been Drew O'Connor (Dartmouth), who signed as a free agent last week with the Pittsburgh Penguins after two years of college hockey. The 6-foot-3 native of Chatham, N.J. posted an assist in his final NCAA appearance, a 5-4 overtime loss to Princeton on March 7 in the ECAC Hockey tournament that ended Dartmouth's 2019-20 season. He finished the campaign leading the Big Green with 22 goals and 34 points in 31 games, and posted 38 goals and 59 points in 64 career contests.

Signing with the New York Rangers last week after four NCAA seasons was Patrick Khodorenko (Michigan State). The six-foot forward from Walnut Creek, Cal., led the Spartans this past season with 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in 36 outings. In 143 career contests with MSU, he finished with 54-68—120 points.

Also signing with the Rangers recently was defenseman K'Andre Miller (Wisconsin), who posted seven goals and 28 points as a sophomore with the Badgers. Wisconsin teammate Alex Turcotte signed with the Los Angeles Kings after notching nine goals and 26 points in his only NCAA season.

Coronavirus Chases Out NCAA Tournament Crowds

First it was Rensselaer, followed by Cornell in banning spectators, and then the Ivy League as a whole canceling its entire spring season.

Now, no spectators will be allowed at any of the games of the 2020 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament, or any NCAA tournament in any sport this spring, as stipulated by the college governing body today in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

That includes the Division I men's ice hockey regionals in: Albany, N.Y.; Allentown, Pa.; Loveland, Col., and; Worcester, Mass., on March 27-29 There will also be no spectators allowed at the 2020 Frozen Four at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit in April, the first time the championship is being held in that building, and the first time in the Motor City since Ford Field hosted the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four.

According to USCHO.com, "only credentialed institutional personnel, student-athlete family members, credentialed media crews and official team party members will be allowed to attend games."

The 2020 ECAC Hockey men's championship quartefinals have also been re-worked, as Harvard and Yale will no longer participate. Princeton will now play at Quinnipiac, and Colgate will vist Rensselaer this weekend, while top-seeded Cornell and No. 2 Clarkson will receive byes to the league semifinals in Lake Placid the following weekend.

ADDENDUM: The remainder of the 2020 ECAC Hockey championship through Lake Placid has been canceled., along with the rest of the men's WCHA championship. The NCAA Tournament has also been canceled.

MSU and Alaska Done, BC and Princeton Move On

The 2019-20 season is over for Michigan State and Alaska (Fairbanks) men's hockey.

MSU bowed out Saturday evening with a second straight 3-0 loss at arch-rival Michigan in their best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinal series. The Spartans finish the season at 15-19-2 overall. Senior goaltender John Lethemon finished his Spartan career with 33 wins, a 2.79 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and nine shutouts.

Alaska fought back from several deficits at the Carlson Center but fell, 3-2, to visiting Bowling Green on Saturday in the second game of their best-of-three WCHA preliminary round series. The Nanooks end the campaign at 16-15-5, while Alaska senior netminder Anton Martinsson concluded his NCAA career with 26 victories (2.81, .906, 5 SO).

Princeton had four wins overall the entire winter prior to its ECAC Hockey series at Dartmouth this weekend. The Tigers now have six wins, following their second straight overtime victory to oust the Big Green and move on to next week's quarterfinal series against top-seeded Cornell. Mark Paolini notched the game-winner halfway through the extra session, after Dartmouth scored three straight times in the final nine minutes of regulation to force OT. Jeremie Forget made 46 saves in all for the Tigers (6-20-5).

Fourth-ranked Boston College finished its regular season with a 3-3 tie at New Hampshire on Saturday. Aapeli Räsänen scored the game-tying goal late in the third period, while Spencer Knight made 47 stops for the Eagles. BC (24-8-2) will now host No. 18 Providence in a best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series next weekend at Conte Forum.

DU's Mermis Scores First NHL Goal for Devils

Dakota Mermis (Denver) played just 19 games in his NCAA career. It took him 18 games to score his first NHL goal.

Mermis, 26, beat Jordan Binnington with a wrist shot from the left circle on Friday evening to help the host New Jersey Devils defeat the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues, 4-2, at the Prudential Center. It was also the first time the Devils had beaten the Blues in 13 meetings.

A defenseman from Alton, Ill., Mermis played at DU during the 2012-13 season, notching a goal and three assists before leaving midway through the year to join London (OHL). He spent the next full season in London, before splitting the 2014-15 campaign between the Knights and Oshawa (OHL).

Mermis turned pro in 2015-16 with Springfield (AHL), then played most of the next three seasons with Tucson (AHL) while also making 10 scoreless NHL appearances with the Arizona Coyotes.

Mermis tallied three goals and 19 points in 53 games with Binghamton (AHL) this year before being called up to New Jersey early in 2020. In nine games to date with the parent Devils, he has a goal and three assists.

Princeton, Other Surprises as 2020 League Playoffs Begin

There were some surprises on Friday night, as conference postseason tournaments got underway with the openers of best-of-three series in most NCAA Division I men's hockey leagues.

In ECAC Hockey, Princeton recorded just its fifth win of the 2019-20 season in edging host Dartmouth, 4-3, in overtime. Finn Evans tied the game for the Tigers with 2:45 remaining in regulation, before Reid Yochim connected for the game-winner 3:36 into the extra session. Christian O'Neill scored twice for Princeton, which got 25 saves from Jeremie Forget.

In the Big Ten, Trevor Janicke tallied the game's only goal late in the second period as visiting Notre Dame blanked No. 19 Minnesota, 1-0. Cale Morris stopped all 12 shots he faced for the Fighting Irish.

In the WCHA, Tim Theocharidis and Frederic Letourneau scored power-play goals late in the third period as Bowling Green bested host Alaska (Fairbanks), 4-2. Eric Dop made 19 saves for the victorious Falcons.

In Atlantic Hockey, Brendan Walkom scored twice and Jonathan Desbiens set up three goals for Bentley, which routed visiting Canisius, 6-1. Aidan Pelino picked up the win for the Falcons with 18 saves.

Hockey East and the NCHC will both complete their regular seasons this weekend before starting their respective playoffs late next week.

Alaska Fairbanks Wins Governors Cup Again

The University of Alaska (Fairbanks) locked up its 10th consecutive Governors Cup with a 6-1 victory over visiting rival Alaska Anchorage at the Carlson Center on Saturday night. The Nanooks had moved with one win of the title following a come-from-behind 5-2 victory over UAA on Friday night.

Steven Jandric tallied a natural hat trick for the Nanooks in the third period in the opener to break a 2-2 tie, after the visiting Seawolves had taken a 2-0 lead. The two rivals combined for a total of 48 separate penalties on the night.

UAA then jumped out to a 1-0 advantage on Saturday, only to have the Nanooks score six unanswered goals the rest of the way. Roberts Kaļķis notched two goals for Alaska and set up another, while Anton Martinsson stopped 49 of 52 shots on the weekend for the Nanooks.

Both Alaska schools qualified for the WCHA tournament, which features all its games played on member campuses at the site of the higher seed. Alaska (16-13-5 overall, 14-9-5-2 WCHA) finished in fourth place in the league standings and will host Bowling Green in a best-of-three series this weekend, while UAA (4-23-7, 4-18-6-3) will visit top-seeded Mankato State.