Positional Preview: UConn has a new-look defensive corps

UConn men’s hockey will have plenty of new faces on the blue line this season. The Huskies lost half their defensive corps from last year with Andrew Lucas, Jake Flynn and Harrison Rees all exhausting their eligibility, but brought in two transfers and three freshmen to replace them.

Initially, it looked like they’d have plenty of depth with 10 defensemen on the roster, but that number is already down to nine due to injury. Still, it should be a strong group top-to-bottom — there might not be a standout star, but they shouldn’t have any weak links either.

Returners

John Spetz

Spetz returned to UConn for his bonus fifth year and will provide a veteran presence on the back end. Though he’s typically been a productive two-way d-man, his points dropped off to just six last season — the lowest total of his career.

That could’ve been a product of the Huskies’ offensive struggles — practically everyone’s numbers fell — but if Spetz can get back around 15 points on the season, that’ll help fill the void left by Lucas on the blue line.

Tom Messineo

The second-most experienced player on UConn’s blue line behind Spetz, Messineo has played in every possible game in his career to this point. This past year, he emerged as arguably the Huskies’ best defensemen: His 11 assists were tied for third-most on the team (and tied for most among blue liners), he led the squad with 52 blocked shots and then took just a single penalty all year.

If Messineo continues on that upward trajectory, he could be one of the best all-around defensemen in the league this season.

Jack Pascucci

After splitting time with Owen Simpson early in the season, Pascucci earned a permanent spot in the lineup and played in the final 21 games. Though he didn’t record a point, the rising junior established himself as a steady, reliable stay-at-home defenseman.

Even after a good sophomore campaign, Pascucci will need to earn his spot once again considering all the new faces.

Owen Simpson

As mentioned, Simpson lost his spot to Pascucci in November and then played in just three games during the second half. While the sophomore appeared to be in line for a bigger role this year, the return of Spetz followed by the additions of Nick Carabin and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg certainly makes the blue line more crowded. He’ll have to earn a place in the lineup each week.

Bauer Swift

A late addition to the roster to replace Aidan Metcalfe last summer, Swift did not appear in a game as a freshman. The West Hartford native missed some time with injury, but also served as depth on a defensive corps where four players suited up in all 36 games. With nine healthy blue liners now on the roster, disaster would need to strike for Swift to see the ice.

Newcomers

Nick Carabin (Princeton)

After exhausting his eligibility at Princeton, Carabin had to move on to use his fifth season and ended up at UConn. Rated by College Hockey Insider’s Mike McMahon as the fourth-best defenseman in the portal, Carabin is a well-rounded defensemen who excels at making break-out passes and should see time on all special teams units.

Viking Gustafsson Nyberg (Northern Michigan)

Potentially the best name in college hockey, Viking Gustafsson Nyberg stands at 6-6 out of Sweden. He spent his freshman season at Northern Michigan but followed assistant coach Nick Peruzzi to UConn via the transfer portal over the summer. Gustafsson Nyberg is a defensive defensemen who’s expected to be a key piece on the penalty kill.

Kai Janviriya

A former member of the US National Team Development Program, Janviriya is small for a defenseman at 5-8 but makes up for it with speed and skill. He’s the heir to Andrew Lucas as UConn’s offensive-minded blue liner and should be on the power play unit from the jump.

Kevin Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald will miss the entire season after suffering a knee injury in practice last week. He was a highly-regarded freshman with a strong defensive game and speed from the back end, but will have to watch the entire campaign from the sideline now.

Trey Scott

With nine other healthy defensemen, Scott might struggle for ice time initially but will be more than capable when called upon. When he committed last November, the team was hopeful that he’d be an under-the-radar pickup and so far through camp, he’s proven to be exactly that.