Player Development Camps

Roster Update: Trey Bagwell (Black, No. 17) and William Steele (Gold, No. 15) did not dress for Friday's action. Royal goaltender Dayton Rasmussen (No. 30) and Kelly's Zachary Walker (No. 12) both returned to the lineup on Friday, after missing time  due to injury. Rasmussen, however, manned the crease for just 18 minutes before being replaced by fellow netminder, Brandon Bussi (Royal, No. 1), for the remainder of the bout. 

Worthy of a High Five: Friday's action was highlighted by three five-point efforts, courtesy of Grey's No. 18, Garrett Wait (2G, 3A), as well as Columbia's No. 12, William Knierman (1G, 4A), and No. 17, Kaden Pickering (1G, 4A).

Making a Statement: In a battle between the camp's only two unbeaten squads through three outings, Kelly remained perfect with a 6-0 shutout victory over Orange. Grant Cruikshank (No. 17) contributed three assists for Kelly, who also received goals from six different skaters. Between the pipes, Eric Schuch (No. 1) and Ryan Edquist (No. 30) combined to turn aside all 24 shots faced in the winning effort.

Local Ties Behind the Bench: Buffalo's own Peter Ratchuk is serving as a coach for Gold in this week's camp. Drafted in the first round (25th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Ratchuk enjoyed a lengthy 13-year professional career split mostly between the NHL, AHL and DEL (Germany). The former defenseman now works as a scout for the Winnipeg Jets, a position which he took-on following his retirement from playing in 2011.

Emphasizing Education: 85% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players earn their degree. Only fencing, skiing, gymnastics and lacrosse have higher graduation rates among NCAA men’s sports... Several American-born NHLers took online classes during the season and completed their college degrees this year, including David Backes (Minnesota State), Anders Lee (Notre Dame), Jeff Petry (Michigan State) and Justin Florek (Northern Michigan).