How the outgoing UConn transfers fared this past season

The conclusion of the 2021-22 season represented the end of an era for UConn. A core group of players that had taken the Huskies from a ninth-place finish in Hockey East to back-to-back fourth-place finishes and a goal away from the NCAA Tournament was moving on.

After the season, not only did most of that core graduate but five players departed via the transfer portal as well. They left in search of more playing time, bigger roles, or because they just weren’t a fit at UConn anymore.

This past season, that group stretched both across the continent — from New England to British Columbia — and through multiple levels of the game — a Division I NCAA Tournament squad to Division III and even down to juniors.

Artem Shlaine — Northern Michigan

Shlaine’s season has ended the same way two years in a row: With an overtime loss in the conference tournament championship. The Wildcats went on a run in the Mason Cup Playoffs (the CCHA’s tournament) to reach the final against Minnesota State and held a 2-0 lead with less than three minutes left. Then it all fell apart.

After pulling the goalie, the Mavericks scored two goals in 2:17 to force overtime and won it just 1:08 into the extra period to end Shlaine and Northern Michigan’s season.

Shlaine had a good year himself, racking up 32 points — second-most on the team — in 38 games with 11 goals and 21 assists.

Carter Berger — Western Michigan

Berger’s tenure at UConn unofficially ended when he was scratched for the 2021-22 regular-season finale following a tough performance in a loss to Vermont the night before. He returned to the lineup for the postseason as the extra skater.

While the Huskies came up one goal short of reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2022, Berger finally got a taste of it with the Broncos in 2023. Western Michigan made the field as a 3-seed but fell to Boston University 5-1 in the opening round.

In one season with the Broncos, Berger racked up 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) which nearly matched his total production from his three years at UConn (27 points). He’ll return to Western Michigan for his COVID season this fall.

Gavin Puskar — Brown

After appearing in just three games through two seasons at UConn, Puskar departed for Brown last summer. He became a fixture in the Bears’ lineup, dressing for 30 games while collecting five goals and four assists.

Cassidy Bowes — Endicott (Division III)

Like Puskar, Bowes left in search of a bigger role and found it at Division III Endicott. He had a strong season individually with 11 goals and nine assists in 20 games as the Gulls reached the DIII Frozen Four, where they ultimately fell to Hobart.

Sasha Teleguine — Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)

Teleguine entered the portal after an up-and-down freshman campaign at UConn but didn’t find a home, which led him back to the junior ranks. He re-joined the Chilliwack Chiefs, putting up six goals and 12 assists in 47 games. Despite the underwhelming numbers, Teleguine was named a star of the season for the Chiefs alongside future UConn forward Mason Kesselring.

Teleguine is set to restart his collegiate career at Lake Superior State this fall.