It’s now confirmed: the season for Canadian hopefuls Jordan Harris and Jayden Struble will continue next Friday.
Posted at 7:56 p.m.
Northeastern University has indeed been officially selected as one of the 16 teams that will participate in the NCAA Men’s National Hockey Championship.
The Huskies’ task will be a tough one, however, as they will face off against Western Michigan, the top-ranked school in the quartet of teams that will play in the round of 16 and quarter-finals in Worcester.
The 16 teams are divided into four groups of four, the “regional” finals, which will take place from March 24 to 27. The winners of these four groups will then meet in Boston for the Frozen Four, the semi-finals and the final, on April 7 and 9.
All of these stages are single-elimination; as soon as a team loses a match, its tournament is over.
The duel between Northeastern and Western Michigan will take place Friday noon. The winner will play the regional final two days later, on the 27th.
Harris is the closest Canadiens prospect to the NHL among those playing in the college ranks. He is currently playing his fourth and final season, and everything suggests that discussions are going well with the new management of the Canadian for a professional contract.
“We hope to get along with Jordan Harris when his season ends,” said the general manager of the Canadian, Kent Hughes, in a press briefing Thursday. Remember that by signing a contract this spring, Harris could spend the first season even playing only a few games, as Ryan Poehling did three years ago.
Struble is in his third season at Northeastern and could therefore stay another year in college. In interview with The Press last November, he hinted that obtaining his diploma will not be among the “decisive factors”. In short, if he thinks he’s ready to play for the pros, he won’t stop himself to finish his schooling. “It’s possible to graduate at any time,” he said.
PHOTO FROM NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY HUSKIES TWITTER ACCOUNT
Jayden Struble
Hughes remained vague about his intentions with Struble. “He’s another prospect on the left. It remains to be seen whether he will come next year or the following season. It will be to see at the end of his season, ”said the DG on Thursday.
Struble has mainly evolved on the left this season, its natural side and where it is rather congested at CH. Behind veteran Joel Edmundson, we indeed find Alexander Romanov, a regular member of the top 4 CH for a few months. The young Harris and Kaiden Guhle then arrive in the hierarchy, without forgetting Brett Kulak and Corey Schueneman, them whose future is however less known.
Five more hopefuls
The Canadian will have seven of his hopes at this tournament, divided into six different teams. None of them will face each other in the first round.
Also in Worcester, the University of Minnesota and Rhett Pitlick (Rem’s brother) will face off against the University of Massachusetts on Friday night.
In Albany, Sean Farrell and Harvard University will face Minnesota State on Thursday noon.
Friday night, in Allentown, it’s Ty Smilanic, newcomer to the CH nursery, who will be in action with Quinnipiac University, against St. Cloud State, the alma mater of Ryan Poehling and Bret Hedican.
Finally, in Loveland, Colorado, the University of Minnesota-Duluth (Blake Biondi) will face Michigan Tech on Thursday afternoon. This will be followed by a duel between Denver (Brett Stapley) and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Stapley, who is in his senior year of college, will also have to be watched, like Harris. The Canadiens will therefore lose their rights if there is no agreement before May 31.
Canadian hopes at the NCAA National Championship (goals-assists-points)
Northeastern University
Jordan Harris
Defender, 21, left-handed
Choice of 3and tower (71and total) in 2018
5-15-20 in 38 games
Jayden Struble
Defender, 20, left-handed
Choice of 2and tower (46and total) in 2019
3-11-14 in 33 games
University of Denver
Brett Stapley
Forward, 23 years old, right-handed
Choice of 7and tower (190and total) in 2018
15-25-40 in 37 games
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Blake Biondi
Forward, 19 years old, right-handed
Choice of 4and round (109and in total) in 2020
17-11-28 in 40 games
University of Minnesota
Rhett Pitlick
Forward, 21, left-handed
Choice of 5and tower (131and total) in 2019
5-12-17 in 27 games
Quinnipiac University
Ty Smilanic
Forward, 20 years old, left-handed
Choice of 3and tower (74and overall) in 2020 (Florida Panthers)
13-9-22 in 39 games
Harvard University
Sean Farrel
Forward, 20 years old left-handed
Choice of 4and tower (124and in total) in 2020
9-17-26 in 23 games