The Hockey East transfers will take effect in the first half: College Hockey News

November 23, 2021
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The new transfer rules created more movement than ever, for better or worse

author Joe Pohoryles/ CHN Reporter

Vermontin Philip Lagunov

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Merrimack

Vermont

About five minutes from the second episode of the 2021 Frozen Four National Championship, St. Cloud State was in power after the 2-0 against the University of Massachusetts. A bad pass to the neutral zone caused Minutemen striker Philip Lagunov to break into the right.

The clever hanging around St. Cloud’s Nick Perbix and a slippery backhand past goalkeeper David Hrenak led UMass to a 3-0 lead, which would eventually lead to a 5-0 victory in the first national championship in the program’s history.

Lagunov was present through the explosive rise of UMass from Hockey East post-thinking to a powerhouse, and after eventually reaching the top of the mountain while retaining an extra year of eligibility for COVID-19, the Russian-Canadian moved to Vermont.

Lagunov and 300 other university hockey players came to the transfer portal this interim, less than half of the previous year. Between the extra year of eligibility, which causes circulatory disruptions as more players stay involved despite the arrival of new recruits, and the NCAA’s new one-time transfer rule, more players decided to test transfer waters than ever before.

The new rule allows student-athletes to move to a new school without having to sit all season, and Lagunov saw a unique opportunity to help build a new program following the results achieved at UMass.

“When I got there (to UMass), I think the team was 58th in the country. I knew the ultimate goal was to leave the jersey in a better place, so this opportunity here in Vermont is very special to me, Lagunov said.

Lagunov, who lead Catamounts by six points in eight games this season, was one of a handful of Hockey East moves left in the conference. An important factor for Lagunov was to stay in the same geographic area, and after discussions with Catamount head coach Todd Woodcroft, Lagunov felt it was a good time to move on after finishing his chapter at UMass with the Frozen Four title.

For others, it wasn’t that neat and poetic.

Merrimack striker Jake Durflinger, who has so far scored five points in 12 matches in the Warriors this season, posted his name on a portal on his vacation in the Dominican Republic without a mobile phone service, meaning he had to wait for his trip to end five days later. to start receiving calls.

After seeing so many names on the portal, Denver Pioneer at the time felt he couldn’t afford to delay the release of his name.

“When I made the decision (transfer), things went well and I happened to be in the Dominican Republic,” Durflinger said. “I really didn’t think it was time to wait. Just put my name in there and see what happens. “

What happened, Durflinger heard from several teams when he returned, and he decided to take his talent to Merrimack within two weeks. That was it. Not a long recruitment process full of plant tours; just talking to coaches and making a choice.

While the transfer boom has brought new talent from top conferences like the NCHC, it has also led to key outputs. Former Connecticut captain Adam Karashik left Storrs after four years to join Notre Dame in Big Ten.

Karashik, who has six points (all pass points) in 10 matches with Fighting Irish, misses his former teammates, but he still believes his move to South Bend was right, citing excellent facilities.

“Everything you need for development, everything you need for recovery, everything is at your fingertips,” Karashik said. “It’s all professional facilities, so it’s definitely something I didn’t have, and I’m really lucky to have it here.”

The experience of joining the new program has broadened the horizons of these players in many ways. In addition to a variety of facilities, these players get to experience new coaching systems and student cultures. Durflinger and Karashik are also pursuing master’s degrees at their new schools, while Lagunov hopes to get it in the near future.

Lagunov also stressed how much he enjoyed his experience at UMass, but he appreciates playing in Vermont in a program that gives players more freedom to act than the pros.

“At UVM, we have the opportunity to take our own leadership into their own hands,” Lagunov said. “At UMass, it was a long process and it was hard for the team to gain the trust of Greg Carvel, and I think we got there. “I think there’s a little more early here (in Vermont).”

In Durflinger’s eyes, the biggest change has taken place in travel. He grew up in Northern California and spent four years in Denver. He was used to flying to games every other weekend. Now in such a small geographical conference, Durflinger enjoys much shorter bus journeys.

“We played in Maine and someone said this is the longest road trip we’ve had and it took three and a half hours,” Durflinger said. “Absolutely a positive change.”

Despite all the positive changes, game staff have expressed concern about the new rules that will create a free-agent-type market for a university disc with too many moving parts.

Lagunov acknowledges that some improvements could be made to the rules, but ultimately believes the new transfer rules are better.

“Of course, I think there’s going to be some fine-tuning over the years about how it goes down in the future,” Lagunov said. “But I think it’s great to see players have a little more control over what their careers will look like in college.”