A look inside this year’s college hockey transfer portal

TJ Semptimphelter is moving from Northeastern to Arizona State. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Movement in the NCAA Hockey Transfer Portal is hard to keep up with these days as new entrants seemingly pop up daily.

Over the past few years, the transfer portal has become a part of college hockey. It has allowed players to move from program to program. It’s helped a few local teams reload quickly, instead of going through the usual process of building with new freshmen.

The transfer portal and the NCAA granting student-athletes impacted by the coronavirus season of 2020-21 a fifth year of eligibility has put a dagger in the hopes of many potential recruits over the last 18 months. It has also made it difficult for so-called lesser programs to keep their players, if they believe they can transfer to a bigger-name program.

UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma recently had a viral rant on the transfer portal in that sport. His message, summed up, was that the transfer portal has allowed players to pick up their ball and take it somewhere else, if they’re not happy with playing time at their current school. Furthermore, many of the players in the transfer portal aren’t winners. Instead, they’d rather hope for greener pastures on the other side than fighting and improving their current situation.

Much of that is true for college hockey players in the transfer portal. There are plenty of players in the portal who will likely end up in Division 3 or without a home in college hockey. A number of players in the portal are there because they chose to rush into college early instead of gaining experience in junior hockey before getting to campus.

However, there are a few players in the transfer portal with a real chance to help another program. A significant amount of the movement in the portal so far has revolved around goaltenders, which makes sense given the importance of the position and the limited amount of spots available to occupy a Division 1 crease.

The hottest commodity was Drew DeRidder, who is on the move to North Dakota after four seasons at Michigan State. The former USHL, NTDP and Youth Olympics goaltender posted a career save percentage of .916 in four seasons in East Lansing. His pro upside is limited, due to his size, but he’ll help UND fortify the goaltending position after losing another grad transfer in Zach Driscoll.

The other most sought-after goaltender was Mercyhurst sophomore Kyle McClellan, who parlayed his .932 save percentage in two seasons with the Lakers into a chance to start for Wisconsin.

Thank you Mercyhurst for an unforgettable 2 years. With that being said, I couldn’t be more excited to announce I am transferring to The University of Wisconsin. #OnWisconsin 👐🏻 https://t.co/fPAKjxD4df

— Kyle McClellan (@KyleMcClellan1) April 1, 2022

Boston College and Providence added Colgate’s Mitch Benson and Nebraska Omaha’s Austin Roden, respectively. Both teams had transfer starters in 2021-22 who either used up their eligibility or signed a professional contract, forgoing remaining years of qualification.

Northeastern lost TJ Semptimphelter (Marlton, N.J.), who is transferring to Arizona State. Recruited as a backup for Devon Levi, he was pressed into action when the superstar headed to Beijing for the Olympics. The former Lawrenceville backstop went 4-3 and had a .930 save percentage in eight appearances.

Three goaltenders drafted by NHL teams highlight the remaining players at that position who are in the portal and looking for a home. Arizona State’s Cole Brady (New Jersey Devils), Colorado College’s Dominic Basse (Chicago Blackhawks), and Maine’s Matthew Thiessen (Vancouver Canucks) are all in search of a new team in Division 1.

A solid blue line is a key recipe for success in college hockey. With former Boston University defenseman Braden Doyle moving on to Northeastern after a few months in the BCHL with Penticton, there are a clear-cut top three blue liners remaining in the portal.

The most coveted defenseman currently in the portal is Derek Daschke, who spent four seasons at Miami in the NCHC. In 133 collegiate games he posted 24 goals and 61 assists for 85 points. He’ll bring plenty of experience to his new program, as he also spent 256 games playing for three organizations in the USHL.

After a huge sophomore year at Bentley, former Lawrence Academy defenseman Drew Bavaro is in the transfer portal. He had nine goals and 18 assists in 36 games for the Falcons in 2021-22. Also notable is the addition of UMass senior Ty Farmer, a steady four-year performer for the Minutemen.

For forwards, former Merrimack leading scorer Chase Gresock is back in the portal after spending a season at Miami. He had 19 points in 21 games for the RedHawks. Speaking of the Warriors, Scott Borek’s program lost  Liam Walsh to Northeastern after the latter had 10 goals and 17 assists as a junior.

A recent addition to the portal is RPI senior Ture Linden, who will seek to play as a grad student at another school. He had three and six goals in his first two seasons before RPI canceled the 2020-21 season. He came back with a vengeance in 2021-22, scoring 20 goals. As a result, he’ll have plenty of suitors. Teammate Zach Dubinsky, who had 20 points in 2021-22, recently announced he’ll transfer from the Engineers to Michigan State.

Three Hockey East players of note in the transfer portal are UNH star Jackson Pierson and Northeastern sophomores Dylan and Ty Jackson. The twin brothers from Ontario are rumored to be heading to Arizona State while Pearson, a four-year stalwart for the Wildcats, will have plenty of programs calling.