UConn makes rare in-season addition after Karpman injury

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Each season, UConn men’s hockey compiles an emergency list of potential prospects at each position to add if injuries strike. For the first time in years, the Huskies had to use it.

On Dec. 5, Huston Karpman went down with a torn ACL, leaving UConn with just 13 healthy forwards on the roster. With the entire second half of the season ahead, head coach Mike Cavanaugh and his staff scrambled to find a replacement over winter break.

“It's really dangerous just to play with 13 forwards the whole year,” Cavanaugh told the UConn Hockey Hub.

Eventually, UConn settled on Carter Sproule, a 6-3 power forward out of North Dakota who had been playing in the NAHL with the Watertown Shamrocks.

The Huskies were fortunate they could bring in a replacement for Karpman at all. Since the school opted into revenue sharing, its roster is capped at 26 players — a significant restriction for a physical sport like hockey.

“It's a rule I'm hoping gets changed because if we were at 26 players and [Karpman’s injury] happened, we couldn't add one more,” Cavanaugh said. “I just don't think that's in the best interest of the student athletes because when you have to start practicing with fewer than 24 skaters, it gets really hard.”

In past years, UConn made in-season additions when injuries depleted depth. In 2019-20, it brought in goaltender Matt Pasquale after injuries and illness forced the Huskies to play a game with just one healthy net-minder. They also convinced Bryan Nelson to rejoin the team to shore up the blue line with Roman Kinal sidelined due to blood clots. They finished that campaign with 28 players on the roster.

This year, UConn built in some flexibility, beginning the season one short of the roster limit — and only 15 forwards. Although the Huskies spent much of the summer looking for one final addition up top, they never found anyone who checked off enough boxes.

“We just couldn't find the right player to fit,” Cavanaugh explained. “If we found the right player over the summer, we would have added one because we'd like to get to 15 (forwards), eight (defensemen), and three (goaltenders), but you just don't add someone for the sake of adding them, either. You gotta have the right pieces.”

“We knew we could add somebody if we had to,” he added later.

That ended up being Sproule. While the Huskies had never recruited him previously, he had a relationship with assistant coach Nick Peruzzi from the coach’s time at Northern Michigan.

Given Sproule’s size and age — he’ll turn 21 in February — UConn is confident he can step into the lineup and hold his own if needed despite joining the team mid-season.

“He's a big body. He's good on face-offs. He's a strong, heavy player,” Cavanaugh said. “So I still think he's probably getting used to the pace we're playing at right now.”

Although Karpman never managed a point in 37 career games, he was frequently lauded for his leadership on the bench. The Huskies hope to keep him involved the rest of the way, though they’ll decide what that looks like once he’s further along in his recovery.

“He brings great energy to our team, and I think he has a lot of good insight,” Cavanaugh said. “We haven't really figured that out yet. He just had surgery yesterday, so when he gets back up and moving around, we'll certainly discuss that.”

Karpman’s injury is a worst-case scenario for a college athlete. It didn’t just end his season; it ended his career. With 12 games played on the year, Karpman surpassed the threshold for a medical red-shirt and has no eligibility remaining.

From here, his impact will have to come off the ice.

“It's the worst, especially a kid like him,” Cavanaugh said. “He's the epitome of a UConn Husky. He's been loyal — he’s had opportunities to leave, for sure — but even when he wasn't playing, he loved being here. He loves being around the program. Last year, when we went on a run, I don't think it was any coincidence that he was dressing for a lot of those games.”

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Six future Huskies land on NHL Central Scouting rankings

UConn had six future commitments on NHL Central Scouting’s midseason rankings:

• No. 29: Defenseman Charlie Morrison (2-4—6 in 23 games with QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts)

• No. 87: Forward Nathan Amidovski (8-14—22 in 34 games with OHL’s Ottawa 67’s; no points in two games with OHL’s Brampton Steelheads)

• No. 108: Forward Alexei Vlasov (27-25—52 in 39 games with QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres)

• No. 181: Defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson (1-7—8 in 31 games with QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats; no points in three games with QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs

• No. 199: Forward Andrei Molgachev (14-15—29 in 31 games with WHL’s Calgary Hitmen)

• No. 207: Forward Jack Torr (1-1—2 in 21 games with USHL’s Fargo Force)

Free admission for UConn-Northeastern

Tickets to UConn’s Feb. 6 matchup against Northeastern at Bentley will be free to attend for all fans with general admission seating. The Huskies from Boston closed historic Matthews Arena after the first half and won’t have a home rink for the foreseeable future.

Given that uncertainty, Northeastern announced it will not ticket any “home” games in the greater Boston area for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.