Willett Selected by Lincoln in the USHL Futures Draft.

Northeastern recruit Daniel Willett was selected by the Lincoln Stars in the second round of the 2012 USHL Futures Draft tonight.  He was the 17th overall pick.

Willett, a ’96, is a defenseman from Bayville, NY.  He committed to Northeastern back in September 2011.  He spent last year with the New Jersey Rockets playing for their MJHL team (23 games).   He was called up to their AJHL team for 3 games.  He was recently picked by the Plymouth Whalers in the OHL Draft last month after a good performance in the OHL Cup.

Willett is expected to come to Northeastern in the fall of 2014, but if he chooses to sign for Plymouth, he would be ineligible to play NCAA hockey.  Being picked in the Futures Draft means that Willett will be on the Stars’ Affiliate List for next season.

Northeastern recruit Dylan McLaughlin was selected by the Sioux Falls Stampede in the first round last year, and he appeared in 48 out of 60 games for them.  That kind of playing time is far from a guarantee, though.   Northeastern recruit Garett Cockerill was the second overall pick in the 2010 Futures Draft, but he played in just 2 games for the Muskegeon Lumberjacks in the 2010/2011 season.  He was traded to Des Moines in February 2011, but did not play a single USHL game for either team in the 2011/2012 season.  He did however play 2 games with the U-17 USNDTP.

The Lincoln Stars are no strangers to Northeastern.   Colton Saucerman will come to Northeastern next season from Lincoln.  Current Huskies Garrett Vermeersch and Ben Oskroba also played for Lincoln before coming to NU, as did Jake Newton who played 1 season with NU before signing with Anaheim.  Zach Aston-Reese, a 2013 Northeastern recruit, also plays for the Lincoln Stars.

Being picked in the Futures Draft is a good sign, but it will be up to Willett to work himself into the lineup. Still, it is a positive sign for Northeastern as it may help keep him from the OHL and help retain his NCAA eligibility.

Alumni Update: 3/9

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

NHL

• Brad Thiessen is 2-0 since being called up to the NHL for the first time in his career. He has given up just 2 goals in each of his starts and has a .917 save percentage.    His latest win came in a nationally televised came that featured many Northeastern mentions.  Thiessen has looked good in his starts and he is positioning himself for an NHL contract next season whether it be in Pittsburgh or somewhere else.  He will be a restricted free agent this summer.
• Staying in Pittsburgh, Joe Vitale is enjoying his first NHL season.  Vitale has been a  constant on the 4th line all season and he has chipped in with 4 goals and 9 assists.   The former Husky captain has also been huge for the Penguins on faceoffs.  They recently rewarded him with a 2 year, $1.1 million extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2014.

AHL

• Tyler McNeely‘s Bridgeport Sound Tigers are leading their division.  McNeely is a +11, but has just 5 goals and 10 assists in 52 games despite getting off to a hot start.
• In last place in that same division is Wade MacLeod and the Springfield Falcons. MacLeod missed some time earlier in the season with an injury but he has fared well since returning.  He has 6 goals and 14 assists in 49 games.
• Brodie Reid is having a quiet season in his first as a professional.   In 55 games, he has 8 goals and 13 assists for the Worcester Sharks who are barely hanging onto a playoff place.
• Michael Ryan may never play hockey again.  After 3 games this season, Ryan was forced out of the lineup with concussion like symptoms.   He returned in February but lasted just 5 games.  There is a chance he could come back, but there is not a lot of optimism.   Ryan, who graduated in 2003, has dealt with concussion problems for much of his career.  A career that has seen him play 83 NHL games split over 3 seasons.   Its an unfortunate situation, but hopefully his long term health will not be compromised.

ECHL

• Kyle Kraemer continues to tear it up for the first place Ontario Reign.  48 points in 46 games has him tied for 2nd best on the team.   This is Kraemer second full season of professional hockey and he has done well in both.   He could be in line for a shot at the AHL next year if he continues this pace.
• Chad Costello leads the ECHL in points with 76 in 45 games.  He has been called up to the AHL twice already but managed just 4 assists in 11 games.  In his career, he has played 19 AHL games.  He is just 0-5-5, -2 in those games.  He can dominate the ECHL all he wants, if he doesn’t start performing in his AHL chances, he will never get higher in the ECHL.   Since leaving Northeastern after his Sophomore season in 2008, Costello has played for 8 different teams in 4 different leagues.
• Dennis McCauley was traded to Chicago, but he failed his physical so the trade was cancelled and he has been returned to Reading.
• Chris Donovan: 25 GP 0-2-2, Steve Silva: 36 GP, 6-23-29,  Dave Strathman: 21 GP, 2-6-8 (since being traded to Utah), Louis Liotti: 38 GP, 2-4-6

CHL

• Jake Newton finally found his comfort zone.  After posting a 1-2-3 in 31 games with Lake Erie, Newton found himself demoted to the CHL this week.  In his first game with the Allen  Americans, he scored a goal.   Since leaving NU, Newton has played 79 AHL games over two seasons.  He is a 3-9-12, -17.  If those stats don’t justify Cronin’s response to him leaving, then this demotion definitely does.  This should serve as a warning for defenseman who think they may be ready for pro hockey but really aren’t.   But judging by the events of this offseason, it clearly hasn’t.

Juniors

• Jamie Oleksiak is having a good go of things in Niagara.  In 24 games, he has 4 goals and 13 assists to go with his +19.  His team has already clinched a playoff bid.

Intramurals

• JP Maley has 2 goals in 4 games for the Mighty Ducks.  His team needs to win their last game to grab a playoff spot after once again finishing behind Reptar on Ice.

Coaching

• Toronto fired their head coach, but Greg Cronin survived and remained on the staff.   He could be looking for a new job in the summer though if Toronto decides to clean house.
• Jason Guerriero and Holy Cross swept Army last week in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs.  This week they head to Mercyhurst for their quarterfinal matchup.

Alumni Update 1/25

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

NHL

• Joe Vitale has cemented his spot on the 4th line for the Penguins.  He has played in 42 of 49 games for Pittsburgh this season, posting a 2-7-9 line.  He is averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time per game, but his 55.7% win percentage on faceoffs leads the team.    Last night, Vitale got to play in front of friends and family as the Penguins traveled to his hometown of St. Louis.  Penguins coach Dan Bylsma even let Vitale take the game’s opening faceoff, which he won.  While he may not be lighting up the stat sheet, Vitale has proven that he can be a reliable 4th liner in the NHL and he looks like he will be sticking around.

AHL

• Wade MacLeod has returned from injury for Springfield.  He is having a quiet season with a 3-11-14 line in 31 games.
• Tyler McNeely is playing on the first line for Bridgeport, but he has just 11 points in 39 games.
• Jake Newton’s change of scenery hasn’t really done much for him.  He is a +2 after 29 games, but has just 3 points to his credit.  Since leaving Northeastern after his freshman season, Newton has played 77 AHL games.  He is a -16, with just 3 goals and 9 assists.   Cronin said at the time that he wasn’t ready and it looks like he was right.   Definitely a cautionary tale for guys thinking about making the jump.
• On the hand, Brodie Reid has proven Cronin wrong.  Reid put together a great second half to his freshman season and parlayed it into a pro deal.  In his first year of professional hockey, Reid is 7th on his team with 18 points (7 g, 11 a).  It will be interesting to see if Reid can keep it up through the entire season.  Regardless, he has proven that he can at least hold his own in the AHL.
• Michael Ryan was supposed to finally return this week from an extended absence to due to lingering headaches, but it doesn’t appear he that has happened. They are not sure whether it is a concussion or just neck problems, but either way they aren’t taking any chances.  The 7th year veteran has been out of the lineup since the first week of the season.  Hopefully it is not the end of a career that he has seen Ryan play 83 NHL games between the Sabres and the Hurricanes.
• Brad Thiessen is having a tough year for Wilkes Barre Scranton.  He has started 29 out 46 games, posting 2.81 GAA and .890% save percentage.  But Thiessen has somewhere to turn to off the ice, thanks to the voluntary chapel program he has set up for the team.  Thiessen has turned it around of late with wins in his last 4 starts.  The quickest path to the NHL is probably still going to be through a trade, but his play this year may have diminished that.  Definitely a situation to watch with just 1 month until the trading deadline.

ECHL

• Its been a tough season for the 2 Reading boys.  Both have missed time due to injuries.  Louis Liotti is a -13 and has just 5 points in 32 games.  The Pride of Billerica, Dennis McCauley is 8-8-16 through 31 games, with 4 fights this season.
• Trenton is struggling as well but Steve Silva is enjoying his first season as a pro with 13 points in just 11 games.  Silva missed the early part of the season with an injury but he returned just before Christmas and has been enjoying a nice run.  Just like he did at Northeastern, Silva has put up great numbers in two categories: assists (10) and penalty minutes (33).     Being 3rd on the team in PIMs despite missing half the team’s game is quite an accomplishment.
• Its been an interesting year for Dave Strathman who know finds himself on his third ECHL team of the season. He was picked up by Gwinnett after Reading let him go at the beginning of the year.  He played 18 games with them before being traded to Utah this week.  Strathman’s former teammate at Northeastern, Chris Donovan, is also on Utah.  Donovan had 25 points last year, but has been unable to replicate that in his second season.  In 16 games, he has just 2 assists to his name.  He has not put up a point in the 5 games he has played since returning to the lineup in late December after an injury.
• Its not all bad for NU alums in the ECHL, Kyle Kraemer is putting together a good year for Ontario.  The team is in 2nd place and Kraemer has played a big part in that.  After missing the beginning of the year with an injury, he has put up 18 points in 25 games.  In 9 games this month, Kraemer has 4 goals and 7 assists.
• Chad Costello is having a another great year for Colorado.  He is tied for second in the league with 22 goals, and he leads the league with 57 points,  thanks to a league leading 37 assists.   For the second time in two weeks, he has earned a call-up to the AHL.  In  his 2 previous call-ups, Costello has managed just 1 point from 12 games.   But through 2 games with the Worcester Sharks, he already has 2 assists.  Since leaving Nu after his sophomore season, Costello has dominated the lower league, but so far been unable to find success in the AHL.  Hopefully this chance will be his breakthrough.

Europe

• Ryan Ginand made the move across the pond this season and is paying dividends.  Ginand has 39 points through 32 games in the Italian league and he is a +40.  He was also featured in the Globe recently.
• Jared Mudryk has an insane line of 22-41-63 in just 31 games for his German team.  He is second on the team in goals, assists, and points.

Major Juniors

• Jamie Oleksiak has played in just 6 games since being traded to the Niagra Ice Dogs, but he already has 4 assists and earned a +4 rating.  The trade saw him go from the bottom of the standings to the top, where as joined Bruins 1st round pick Dougie Hamilton on a very talented team.  The Ice Dogs will be looking to make a run for the Memorial Cup it could be just another big moment for Oleksiak who has already got to be a part of the NHL Draft (where he was picked 14th by Dallas) and the World Junior Championships (where he played for Team Canada) this year.

Coaching

• The Maple Leafs find themselves just outside the playoffs in Greg Cronin‘s first year as an assistant there.
• The Houston Aeros have the second most points in the AHL’s Western Conference.  Sebastien LaPlante is in his first year as an assistant with the team.
• Rob Rassey is an assistant with Youngstown who find themselves in the middle of the pack in the USHL.
• Jason Guerriero and Holy Cross are in 8th of 12 in Atlantic Hockey.   There hasn’t much chatter about a move to Hockey East in a while, but Guerriero has been traveling all over North America on recruiting trips in his first year as an assistant.