Aidan Metcalfe leaving team to focus on school

UConn men’s hockey defenseman Aidan Metcalfe will leave the team to focus on school, a source told the UConn Hockey Hub. The rising junior from Palos Verdes, California will remain at the school to finish his engineering degree.

Metcalfe played in just one game during his collegiate career, a 5-0 shutout of Vermont on Mar. 5, 2022. He held his own on the ice and didn’t look overmatched as he filled in as the extra skater after Carter Berger was benched following a rough performance in an upset loss to the Catamounts the night before. Metcalfe did not see any action this past season and wasn’t in line to see any this coming year barring an injury.

Despite the lack of playing time, Metcalfe was regarded as a hard worker and good teammate. The Huskies would’ve been happy to keep him on the roster and work around his school schedule, though Metcalfe ultimately decided stepping away completely was the best course of action.

His departure leaves UConn with just seven defensemen — fifth-years Jake Flynn and Harrison Rees; seniors Andrew Lucas and John Spetz; sophomores Tom Messineo and Jack Pascucci; and incoming freshman Owen Simpson. The Huskies are already in the process of searching for Metcalfe’s replacement — looking more in the junior ranks than the transfer portal.

Metcalfe committed to UConn in July 2021 and joined the team that fall as one of just five freshmen and the lone defenseman. Prior to his arrival in Storrs, he played for the NAHL’s Shreveport Mudbugs from 2019-2021.

This isn’t the only time UConn has seen a defenseman step away to focus on academics. Back in 2017-18, then-sophomore Bryan Nelson left the team midway through the year to work on his engineering degree. He eventually returned for the second half of the 2019-20 campaign when the Huskies were down to seven defensemen after bloodclots forced Roman Kinal to sit out the entire season.