Notebook: UConn goalie Ethan Haider turns pro

UConn goaltender Ethan Haider will turn pro after receiving an amateur tryout and AHL deal from the Milwaukee Admirals. He’ll play the rest of the season on an ATO before it turns into a full contract for the 2024-25 campaign.

The Admirals are the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft.

Haider transferred to the Huskies after three seasons at Clarkson. He earned the starting job in the first half after Arsenii Sergeev struggled but then went back to splitting games in the second half. Haider faltered down the stretch and didn’t play in either postseason contest. He finished the season with a 2.91 goals against average, .905 save percentage and two shutouts.

While Haider had an extra year of eligibility, UConn expected him to sign professionally this offseason. Still, that means the Huskies have to rebuild the goaltender position with Sergeev departing through the transfer portal and third-stringer Matt Pasquale graduating.

UConn will hit the transfer market to find a veteran option to pair with incoming freshman Callum Tung — not unlike the 2021-22 season, when Darion Hanson transferred in and Logan Terness arrived as a freshman. The Huskies also need a new third-stringer, though that shouldn’t be much of a problem to find.

Chase Bradley likely departing

According to Mark Divver, Chase Bradley will look to sign an NHL deal this summer when he becomes a free agent. He was taken in the seventh round of the Detroit Red Wings in 2020.

Bradley finished second on the Huskies with 11 goals and 22 points this past season as a junior. While there was hope within the team that he’d return, the decision ultimately had more to do with the additional burden of schoolwork than anything.

Arsenii Sergeev, Jake Black find new homes

After hitting the portal on Monday, Sergeev found a new home on Tuesday. The net-minder will head to Penn State with two additional seasons of eligibility remaining. The Nittany Lions struggled between the pipes last season with their two goalies combining for a 3.37 goals against average and .877 save percentage. Since the Calgary Flames reportedly wanted Sergeev to get more consistent playing time, he’ll get the opportunity in Hockey Valley.

Meanwhile, Jake Black will head to Bentley. He’s the second Husky to transfer to the Falcons after Eric Linell, who did so following the 2020-21 campaign.

Landing spots for Matthew Wood, Samu Salminen

The likely landing spots for UConn’s two big-name departing forwards are coming into picture. Minnesota has been the favorite for Matthew Wood ever since he hit the portal, though Denver and Wisconsin are also expected to be in the mix.

As for Samu Salminen, College Hockey Insider’s Mike McMahon called Denver the “front-runner”. Salminen was committed to the Pioneers before running into admissions issues, which is how UConn picked him up in August of 2022.

David Berard takes over at Stonehill

Former UConn interim head coach David Berard is the new head coach at Stonehill. He had spent the last three seasons as an administrator at Providence — his alma mater — before taking the job.

Berard guided the Huskies during the 2012-13 season after Bruce Marshall stepped down from his post due to medical reasons. While he interviewed for the full-time job, UConn ultimately went with Mike Cavanaugh. Berard eventually got his chance to run a program with Holy Cross, where he spent seven seasons and amassed an 84–116–34 record.

Stonehill unexpectedly moved up to Division I in 2022 and has struggled badly. The Skyhawks went just 2-33-0 last season after playing a mostly Division II schedule the year before.