A pair of NHL-drafted prospects have entered the NCAA’s transfer portal as Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports (Twitter link) that Blackhawks defenseman Slava Demin and Michigan State forward Josh Nodler are looking for new schools for next season. It’s actually the second year in a row that Demin, a 2018 fourth-round pick, has been in the portal as the senior transferred from Denver to UMass for this season but had just three points in 22 games. Meanwhile, Nodler, a 2019 fifth-rounder, had 15 points in 36 games with Michigan State and will now look for a new place to play in the hopes of having a bigger role for his senior year to help his chances of getting an NHL contract from the Flames or someone else.
More college hockey news:
- Jets prospect Chaz Lucius is expected to remain at the University of Minnesota for his sophomore year, notes Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe. The 18-year-old was the 18th-overall pick in 2021 and had 19 points in 24 games before suffering a lower-body injury in February that ended his season early. While Winnipeg will need some cheaper forwards to balance out the bigger deals they have, turning Lucius pro after that short of a college career would have been risky.
- Undrafted forward Parker Ford will return to Providence for his senior year instead of turning pro, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 21-year-old finished third on the Friars in scoring this season with 27 points in 38 games which undoubtedly would have had him on the radar for some teams. Instead, he’ll stay in college for one more season before making the jump to the pros.