UConn adding forward Carter Sproule ahead of second half

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UConn men’s hockey will add forward Carter Sproule over the winter break to provide some desperately-needed depth up top, the UConn Hockey Hub confirmed. The move comes as a result of a season-ending injury to senior forward Huston Karpman, who went down in the Huskies’ win at Merrimack on Dec. 5 with an apparent leg injury.

Without Karpman, UConn would’ve been left with just 13 forwards for the remainder of the season. Now, Sproule will push that number back to 14.

The Huskies cannot announce the addition of Sproule until he clears compliance and enrolls in classes. UConn’s winter session begins on Dec. 29, so he should be eligible to play against LIU on Dec. 31.

"It happened super quick, but I'm super excited for the opportunity," Sproule told the Grand Forks Herald. "I think one of the coolest parts is that I'm going into a super good team. I hope to go in there and help the team any possible way I can."

Sproule is listed at 6-3, 207 pounds with a left-handed shot out of Grand Forks, North Dakota. He joins the Huskies out of the NAHL, where he led the Watertown Shamrocks with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 19 games.

“UConn is getting a player that can influence games in a number of ways, including his physicality, playmaking, and ability to score goals,” Watertown head coach and general manager Casey Kirley said in a release. “More importantly, they are getting a great teammate and a natural leader.”

Even before Karpman went down, UConn has dealt with injuries at forward all season long. Joey Muldowney sat out three games with a concussion and, separately, an upper-body injury, Carlin Dezainde was sidelined for a contest with a lower-body injury while Joe Odyniec missed significant time with mononucleosis.

Sproule isn’t the Huskies’ first midseason acquisition. In 2019-20, they did it twice with goaltender Matt Pasquale and defenseman Bryan Nelson then the following season, they brought in Ryan Tverberg at the winter break.

Karpman’s career ends

With Karpman out for the season, the senior’s UConn career is now over. A native of Manhattan Beach, California, he came to Storrs as a part of the Huskies’ 2022 recruiting class.

Karpman saw action six times as a freshman but only played once as a sophomore. Last year, he earned a spot in the lineup during the stretch run and dressed for 18 contests. Karpman had been a regular on the current campaign, playing in 10 consecutive games before the injury.

While Karpman never recorded a point, head coach Mike Cavanaugh frequently lauded him for knowing the team’s systems, always being in the right spot and, most often, being a valuable voice on the bench.

“This year, Huston Karpman has been dressing every game for us, pretty much,” Cavanaugh said in November. “When he's on the ice, he's played very well but he provides incredible leadership on the bench.”

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Rankings updates

While UConn wrapped up its own first half on Dec. 6, the winter break officially began for the entire sport this past weekend. As such, the Huskies saw some movement in the various rankings and standings.

In the NPI, they moved up one spot to No. 18 without playing a game. While Hockey East doesn’t have a single team in line for an at-large bid at the moment, there are four schools between 15-18 and six schools in the top 23. UConn, along with Providence (15), Boston College (16), Northeastern (17), UNH (21) and BU (23), has a chance to play its way into the field with a strong second half.

Meanwhile, the Huskies remain atop the Hockey East standings with 22 points in 11 games. Boston College sits one point back (but has a game in hand) while BU is third with 17 points from 11 games. Maine and Northeastern each have 16 points, though the Black Bears have needed 11 contests to get there while the other Huskies only needed nine.

UConn has plenty of opportunities to collect points the rest of the way, too. The series with Boston College on Feb. 20-21 could be decisive, while it has six games against current bottom-feeders UMass Lowell (tied for eight), Vermont (10th) and UMass (11th). For the first time ever, the Huskies should be viewed as legitimate contenders for the Hockey East regular season crown.

As for the least consequential rankings of the bunch, UConn moved up one spot to No. 11 in the USCHO Poll.