The Forecheck: Wyatt Newpower comes close to NHL debut

Welcome to the UConn Hockey Hub newsletter, which catches you up on all the stories, trends, and anything else you might have missed, along with some quick takes and leftover notes from the weekend.

Wyatt Newpower comes close to NHL debut

In the first 64 years of UConn men’s hockey’s existence, five players made it to the NHL. Since the calendar flipped to 2024, the Huskies nearly had two earn their debut in the league. Yan Kuznetsov suited up for the Calgary Flames and this past weekend, Wyatt Newpower came tantalizing close to being the next player on that list.

On Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings called Newpower up from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. While he skated with the team during warmups, he didn’t ultimately make the lineup. He was a contingency plan in case Ben Chiarot couldn’t go due to injury, but the veteran ultimately played. Newpower got sent back to the AHL the very next day, so his debut will need to wait.

Newpower has spent the last four seasons in the AHL since he graduated from UConn. In that time, he’s played in 148 games with the Cleveland Monsters and Grand Rapids Griffins, collecting nine goals and 24 assists as a defensive defenseman. Through 20 contests this season, Newpower is +7.

During his time with the Huskies, he developed from someone who struggled to crack the lineup as a sophomore into the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman as a senior while collecting 19 points — which was then the most ever by a blue-liner in UConn’s Hockey East era.

Newpower is one of the top candidates to be the next Husky in the NHL alongside Ruslan Iskhakov, Chase Bradley and Matthew Wood.

Mahshie turns pro

After leaving the team for “personal reasons” last week, Ryan Mahshie signed with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears over the weekend. He’s played in just one game so far and did not record a point.

Mahshie follows a near identical path to Adam Dawe last season. The Maine transfer never found his groove with the Huskies, left the team in January then signed in the ECHL shortly after departing.

Headlines

• UConn men's hockey beats Sacred Heart in CT Ice opening round, 6-2

• Salminen's Michigan goal sparks UConn past Sacred Heart in CT Ice

• Photos: Sacred Heart vs. UConn

• UConn falls to Quinnipiac in CT Ice final, 4-3

• Once again, UConn watches Quinnipiac lift the CT Ice trophy

• Bracketology: CT Ice blues

• UConn women’s hockey notches five points against Vermont

• Photos: UConn women’s hockey vs. Vermont

Last week’s Forecheck

• How Arsenii Sergeev bounced back from his early season struggles

Three stars

First star: Tia Chan

The net-minder started both games on the weekend and recorded a pair of shutouts along with a shootout win on Saturday. She’s got five clean sheets on the year to go with a 1.59 GAA and .942 save percentage. Chan brought home Hockey East Goaltender of the Week honors.

Second star: Chase Bradley

Bradley had a four-assist game in the win over Sacred Heart and followed it up by scoring a shorthanded goal against Quinnipiac. He’s over a couple of big milestones on the season: Double-digit goals (10) and 20 points (21).

Third star: Hudson Schandor

Not only did Schandor have a three-point game on Friday night with two goals and an assist, he went 27-18 at the face-off dot as well. His 11 helpers are tied with Bradley for the most on the team.

Standings check

Play of the Week

Best of social media

The week ahead

Both teams have home-and-home series with Providence this weekend. The women will be on the road for Friday night before hosting the Friars on Saturday, while the men will do the opposite.