Some UMass recruits are playing for a championship.  Some are just starting their playoff run.  And others are getting news on their potential pro career post-UMass.  Let’s catch up on how the future Minutemen are doing.

Jake McCarthy – D – South Shore Kings (USPHL) – 2015 or 2016
10 GP / 0 G /2 A / 2 Pts / 11 PIM
McCarthy had a tough season, held out of the lineup for most of the year due to injuries.  I have to assume that his arrival in Amherst will be pushed back to 2016

Kurt Keats – C – Powell River Kings (BCHL) – 2015 (NLI signed)
52 GP / 31 G / 34 A / 65 Pts / 79 PIM
Keats finished the regular season 9th in the league in goals and 11th in points.  Keats had a hell of a series in the second round of the BCHL playoffs, grabbing seven points in the seven game series.  For that he was named the BCHL Player of the Week.  But unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep his team alive as Powell River ultimately fell.  He finished the playoffs with four goals and six assists in 13 games.

Austin Plevy – C – Brooks Bandits (AJHL) – 2015 (NLI signed)
56 GP / 29 G / 63 A / 92 Pts / 93 PIM
Plevy finished the regular season as the league scoring champion and was 3rd in goals.  He’s taken up right where he left off in the playoffs, leading the league in goals with 9 and points with 25 in 14 games.  His Brooks team, including teammates Shane Bear and Kyler Nachtigall, were down 0-2 in their conference final series but ended up beating Camrose in seven games.  They’ll take on Spruce Grove for the AJHL championship.  The series starts Friday.

Nic Renyard – G – Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) – 2015
30-8-3 / .924 save % / 2.19 GAA / 5 shutouts
Renyard finished the year first in the league in wins and third in both save percentage and goals against average.  Unfortunately the regular season MVP had a tough playoffs where he was 3-4-0 with a .868 save percentage and 3.97 goals against average.  His Oilers were swept by the Brooks Bandits in the second round.  He was named his team’s MVP in addition to the league awards he won.

Ivan Chukarov – D – Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) – 2015
55 GP / 12 G / 31 A / 43 Pts / 63  PIM / +38
The regular season has finished in the NAHL.  Chukarov had the 4th most points for defensemen in the league.  The Wilderness will take on the Coulee Chill in the first round, which starts Friday.

William Lagesson – D – Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) – 2015
50 GP / 2 G / 14 A / 16 Pts / 79 PIM/ +18
Lagesson had a goal and an assist in two games this week.  The USHL regular season wraps up this week.

Joe Widmar – RW – Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) – 2015
58 GP / 19 G / 22 A / 31 Pts / 44 PIM/ –7
Widmar had a goal and an assist this past week.

Shane Bear – D – Brooks Bandits (AJHL) – 2016
60 GP / 8 G / 35 A / 43 Pts / 77 PIM
Bear has four goals and seven assists in 14 playoffs games.

Troy Conzo – RW – Wenatchee Wild (NAHL) – 2016 or 2017
3 GP / 0 G / 0 A /0 Pts / 0 PIM / –2  Des Moines (USHL)
44 GP/ 4 G/ 5 A / 9 Pts /  20PIM / -4 Wenatchee (NAHL)
The Wild won their play-in round against Corpus Christi.  Conzo did not factor in any of the scoring.

Kyler Nachtigall – LW – Brooks Bandits (AJHL) – 2016
60 GP / 13 G / 12 A / 25 Pts / 67 PIM
Nachtigall has six goals and four assists in 14 playoff games so far for Brooks.  He had two goals in the deciding game 7 of the conference finals.

Jake Massie – D – Kimball Union Academy (NE Prep) – 2016
34 GP / 5 G / 15 A / 20 Pts
Massie was ranked as the 8oth best North American skater in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.  He’s likely to be drafted in one of the middle rounds of June’s NHL draft.  He is the top ranked defenseman in prep hockey.

Ty Pelton-Byce – C – Team Wisconsin U18 (Elite)/Madison Memorial (WI HS) – 2016 (NLI signed)
21 GP / 12 G / 12 A / 24 Pts / 8 PIM  Team Wisconsin U18
24 GP /35 G / 39 A /74 pts  Madison Memorial
Pelton-Byce’s season ended with a state tournament semifinal loss.  He was held to only two assists in the two state tournament games.  He was named his conference’s Player of the Year.  He was also named first team All-State.  He was recently the All-Area Player of the Year.

John Leonard – F – Springfield Rifles (Mass Selects)/Springfield Cathedral (MA HS) – 2017
14 GP / 21 G / 11 A / 32 Pts  Springfield Rifles
23 GP / 43 G / 27 A /70 Pts  Springfield Cathedral
Leonard’s season is over as Cathedral was upset in the Super Eight semifinals.  Leonard did have two goals in that game though.  SB Nation College Hockey named him their High School Player of the Year.  They also named him to their All-State team.  ESPN Boston named him their “Mr. Hockey”.  This week the Herald named him to their Dream Team.  Next up for Leonard?  Lacrosse.

Brian Scoville – D – Cushing Academy (NE Prep) – 2018
33 GP / 0 G / 1 A / 1 Pts
Cushing bowed out of the prep playoffs in the quarterfinals. Over The Boards reported that Scoville will be transferring to Winchendon next year.

▲

In last week’s post I passed along the news that UMass would not be participating in the Liberty Classic tournament next year even though they were originally slated to.  I guess that info is incorrect and UMass will indeed be playing in that tournament along with Maine, Yale, and Princeton.  It’ll take place the last weekend of October in Trenton, NJ.

I’m off to enjoy the Frozen Four in our own backyard for the next few days with thousands of other college hockey fans!