College Hockey Transfers: Offseason Sees 8 Players Join New Teams So Far

College Hockey Transfers: Offseason Sees 8 Players Join New Teams So Far

College hockey is almost halfway through its offseason, and the usually dull summer months have seen a handful of players take the transfer path.

Jun 29, 2018 by Jacob Messing
College Hockey Transfers: Offseason Sees 8 Players Join New Teams So Far

College hockey is almost halfway through its offseason, and the usually dull summer months have seen a handful of players take the transfer path, seeking bigger opportunities with new programs.

With a little more than three months to go before the early-October puck drop for the 2018-19 season, FloHockey will be on top of all future transfers that join the list below. The list is highlighted by a number of graduate transfers—those seeking a degree their former school doesn’t offer—who have been granted immediate eligibility. 

It starts with the Big Ten’s Penn State Nittany Lions, which have added a pair of players from Merrimack of the Hockey East Conference, one as a regular transfer and another as a graduate.

Evan Bell | Penn State

D | Sophomore

Bell started the 2017-18 season with Merrimack College, scoring two assists in five games. The 21-year-old defenseman ultimately left the program in December at the semester break, returning to the USHL’s Fargo Force.

Bell had spent the previous two seasons with the Force, scoring 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 117 games. After leaving Merrimack, Bell broke out offensively, recording eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 35 games.

Per NCAA rules, Bell won’t be eligible to play for the Lions until the winter semester, unless Merrimack releases him from his national letter of intent. 

Ludvig Larsson | Penn State

C | Graduate

The Lions also added Larsson as a graduate transfer. Larsson spent the previous three seasons at Merrimack, setting career highs in goals and points each season. The 22-year-old Swede recorded 13 goals and 21 points in 36 games with the Warriors last season.

“[Larsson] has three years of playing experience at Merrimack in Hockey East and as an older player will bring added leadership on and off the ice. He is great on face-offs and will be able to play in a lot of different situations for us,” Lions coach Guy Gadowsky told The Express.

Larsson’s 21 points led the Warriors in 2017-18. Under the graduate transfer rule, he’ll be immediately eligible to join the Lions on opening night.

Mathias Israelsson | Minnesota State

G | Graduate

Israelsson spent the last three years in a backup role with the Northern Michigan Wildcats, starting just 21 total games, where he went 5-7-2 and posted a 2.88 GAA and a 0.896 save percentage.

Israelsson, 23, will be battling for the starting role with incoming freshmen Dryden McKay and Jacob Berger. History is on his side, as last season, MSU saw another grad transfer in Connor LaCouvee leave Boston University to claim the crease with the Mavericks.

Would-be senior netminder Jason Pawloski was confirmed to have left the team this summer after losing the job to LaCouvee last year, leaving the crease open for the three new goalies.

Drew Best | Bentley University

F | Graduate

Best comes to Bentley from the University of Vermont, where he was largely a spare part for three seasons.

The average size of an NCAA player doesn’t stack up to the pros, but Best is still undersized at 5-foot-9 and hasn’t been given much opportunity to recreate the offense he had leading up to his college career.

The forward suited up in just three games in 2017-18, tallying one goal. The year prior, Best chipped in four assists in 10 games. Prior to joining Vermont, the 23-year-old skated in 94 games between the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and Omaha Lancers, registering 15 goals and 51 points.

Mike Gornall | Rensselaer Polytechnic (RPI)

F | Junior

After two seasons with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Gornall left the program in October 2017 in search for a bigger opportunity. He announced his transfer to RPI in January 2018, where he sat out the remainder of the season. He’ll be eligible for the entirety of the 2018-19 season.

“Mike is a hard-nosed player who brings a lot of energy to the rink every day,” RPI coach Dave Smith said in a release. “He was a top recruit coming out of juniors and has valuable NCAA tournament experience.”

The 23-year-old scored just three goals and four points in 20 games over his first two seasons with the Hawks.

Austin Plevy | Northeastern

F | Graduate

After three seasons with University of Massachusetts (Amherst), Plevy will join the Northeastern Huskies, bringing a stat line of 20 goals and 30 assists for 50 points in 104 games.

“We believe his offensive abilities will contribute to us and our team,” Northeastern coach Jim Madigan said in a statement. “What I like about graduate transfers is that he’s been in a program for three years. He understands what it takes to compete not only at the college level but in Hockey East. 

Plevy, 23, saw his role with the UMass shrink with a coaching change, even after a 24-point freshman season (14 goals, 10 assists). He’ll be given a larger offensive role for a deeper Huskies team.

Max Willman | Boston University

F | Graduate

The first NHL-drafted transfer of the summer (Round 5, 2014 by the Buffalo Sabres), Willman spent the last four seasons with Brown University. In 2016-17, he recorded 26 points in 31 games (11 goals, 15 assists). Last year, an undisclosed injury limited him to just nine games, where he scored a goal and five points.

In 99 games with Brown, Willman scored 15 goals and 45 points and is set to join an already deep Terriers roster featuring a handful of NHL draft picks and future pros.

His upside, alongside higher quality linemates, will help the annual national tournament-contending team return for a fifth straight bid.

Jeff Baum | American International College (AIC)

D | Sophomore

During the 2017-18 season, Baum played in 15 of 19 games during the fall semester with Providence before leaving the program. The 22-year-old announced his transfer to AIC, where he sat out the winter semester, but will be eligible for opening night with the Yellow Jackets.

Baum is largely a stay-at-home defenseman but showed sparks of offense in both the NAHL and USHL before joining Providence. Baum failed to record a point during his 15 games with the Friars.

He’s seeking a fresh start under coach Eric Lang and could be bringing a high confidence after an invite to the NHL’s Dallas Stars Development Camp this summer.

FloHockey will continue to monitor additional transfers throughout the collegiate offseason and update the list above as necessary.


Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.