Harvard Crimson 2024-2025 - Will our Youth be Served?

[Skate79]

Skate79, Bernstein did not play this year for Nobles that I could find. Two other goalies played. When I asked where he was (thinking he'd moved on to the USHL)I was told by a knowledgeable guy that Bernstein was no longer headed to Harvard, and was instead headed to Princeton to play lacrosse.

Hmm. I rely on RinkNet College Commitments (https://www.collegecommitments.com) and they had him listed as going to Harvard next year. I have no reason to doubt your source. I'm wondering why RinkNet didn't remove him from their list. This also means Donato has to find another goalie w/o the use of the transfer portal.

 

[PullTheGoalie]

Bernstein is still listed on the Heisenberg site I use, too. (Google Chris Heisenberg 2024 list. 2025 updates are accessible on it.) Has him as entering Harvard in 2026. I got curious when I saw Nobles play a couple of times early in the year and didn't see him in uniform. The source reports on amateur hockey in New England. Time will tell.

 

[LP_Hockey]

Bernstein is still listed on the Heisenberg site I use, too. (Google Chris Heisenberg 2024 list. 2025 updates are accessible on it.) Has him as entering Harvard in 2026. I got curious when I saw Nobles play a couple of times early in the year and didn't see him in uniform. The source reports on amateur hockey in New England. Time will tell.

If you look at his social media (Instagram) he declared his commitment to play lacrosse at Princeton in January.

 

[bothman]

Interesting and likely why he left the USHL to go back to Nobles....must have made the decision that he did not want to play hockey in college. Good for him for doing that. That must be why Harvard brought in Jacoby Weiner from Kent. He's not due to come in until 2026, so next year, it will be Charette's crease.

 

[Skate79]

Interesting and likely why he left the USHL to go back to Nobles....must have decided that he did not want to play hockey in college. Good for him for doing that. That must be why Harvard brought in Jacoby Weiner from Kent. He's not due to come in until 2026, so next year, it will be Charette's crease.

They still need another goalie for next season. To go into the year with only two will mean they will need an exemption to play with one if the other gets hurt. Too risky.

BTW, Ian Moore signs with San Diego of the AHL. Nice place to play pro hockey.

 

[PullTheGoalie]

Another goalie can be found in the portal.

 

[PullTheGoalie]

Alex Gaffney and Kyle Aucoin to the portal

 

[Skate79]

Alex Gaffney and Kyle Aucoin to the portal

I was wondering if he would redshirt this year and come back next year. Harvard eliminated that possibility about ten years ago I think. They don't allow redshirts unless the student takes time off from school. I'm guessing that Kyle Aucoin is entering as a grad transfer, although his eligibility is used up. So I'm wondering how that works for him.

 

[Puck Boy]

Gaffney took a red shirt year because he was rarely in the line up - didn’t suit up after early December. Assume Aucoin was granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA because his junior season ended after 8 games due to injury. Hopefully they both find a place to play.

 

[bothman]

Aucoin to Miami Ohio.

 

[bothman]

So let's think about Harvard for next year. They return 13 forwards, 6 defenseman, and 2 goalies. I have tried to group them into tiers as best as I can, though you could certainly argue some of the guys in the upper tier should be in the lower year (both in the forward and defenseman groupings) even though they played considerable minutes this year. For the expected recruits, you never know until Harvard announces the class (usually in August) so there could be guys who get pushed and guys who come in earlier than expected.

Returning Forwards (13 Total):
Joe Miller
Casey Severo
Ben MacDonald
Phil Tresca
Cam Johnson
Justin Solovey
Mick Thompson

Ryan Fine
Sal Guzzo
Marek Hedjuk
Will Hughes
Mike Callow
William McDonough (don't think he played all year)

Expected Forward Recruits (5 Total):
Richard Gallant
Chase Stefanek
Heikki Ruohonen

Logan Renkowski
Drew DellaSalla

Returning Defenseman (6 Total):
Ryan Healey
Matthew Morden
Mason Langenbrunner
Lucas St Louis

Sean Keohane
David Hedjuk

Expected Defenseman Recruits (3 Total):
Donny Bracco

Matt Biotti
James Mackey


Returning Goalies (2 Total):
Ben Charette

Evan Zhang

Expected Goalie Recruits:
None

 

[Skate79]

So let's think about Harvard for next year. They return 13 forwards, 6 defenseman, and 2 goalies. I have tried to group them into tiers as best as I can, though you could certainly argue some of the guys in the upper tier should be in the lower year (both in the forward and defenseman groupings) even though they played considerable minutes this year. For the expected recruits, you never know until Harvard announces the class (usually in August) so there could be guys who get pushed and guys who come in earlier than expected.

Returning Forwards (13 Total):
Joe Miller
Casey Severo
Ben MacDonald
Phil Tresca
Cam Johnson
Justin Solovey
Mick Thompson

Ryan Fine
Sal Guzzo
Marek Hedjuk
Will Hughes
Mike Callow
William McDonough (don't think he played all year)

Expected Forward Recruits (5 Total):
Richard Gallant
Chase Stefanek
Heikki Ruohonen

Logan Renkowski
Drew DellaSalla

Returning Defenseman (6 Total):
Ryan Healey
Matthew Morden
Mason Langenbrunner
Lucas St Louis

Sean Keohane
David Hedjuk

Expected Defenseman Recruits (3 Total):
Donny Bracco

Matt Biotti
James Mackey


Returning Goalies (2 Total):
Ben Charette

Evan Zhang

Expected Goalie Recruits:
None

Okay, so I'll take the bait and offer some thoughts on your rankings:

First, the forwards. I don't think Tresca warrants being in the top tier. Yes, he's had injury issues, but he's not a top-six forward by any stretch. I would put him in the lower tier. We don't know anything about Will McDonough because he didn't play last year. So that's an incomplete.

The Defense. Healey does not deserve to be in the top tier. He is a giveaway machine in the D zone. He does have the offensive skill that would be better suited up front, and I would move him to one of the top two lines next season to add some punch. We haven't seen enough of David Hedjuk to form an opinion. Will likely get more ice time next season unless the freshmen are appreciably better.

Goalies. We know what Charrette can do, so that's a lock. They need to pick up another goalie because Zhang didn't play, and he is a wildcard. Not being able to use the transfer portal hurts Harvard. This is only going to get worse as the years go on. I don't know how they will be able to compete against non-Ivy foes inside or outside the ECAC.

 

[Skate79]

On an unrelated note, the Bruins signed Bancroft from Cornell even though he had one more year of eligibility. I'd like to see the B's sign Ryan Walsh now as well. Put a dent into Cornell for next season.

 

[bothman]

Okay, so I'll take the bait and offer some thoughts on your rankings:

First, the forwards. I don't think Tresca warrants being in the top tier. Yes, he's had injury issues, but he's not a top-six forward by any stretch. I would put him in the lower tier. We don't know anything about Will McDonough because he didn't play last year. So that's an incomplete.

The Defense. Healey does not deserve to be in the top tier. He is a giveaway machine in the D zone. He does have the offensive skill that would be better suited up front, and I would move him to one of the top two lines next season to add some punch. We haven't seen enough of David Hedjuk to form an opinion. Will likely get more ice time next season unless the freshmen are appreciably better.

Goalies. We know what Charrette can do, so that's a lock. They need to pick up another goalie because Zhang didn't play, and he is a wildcard. Not being able to use the transfer portal hurts Harvard. This is only going to get worse as the years go on. I don't know how they will be able to compete against non-Ivy foes inside or outside the ECAC.

Can Harvard not use the transfer portal? If so, why?

Will Felicio would be a very interesting portal defenseman (played at Michigan previously and has 3 more years of eligibility) that could be a very interesting player for Harvard.

Princeton has taken guys from the OHL and Brown has taken transfers. So it certainly is not an Ivy League stipulation. Gonna be difficult for Harvard to compete if it can't open doors that its peers can.

 

[Skate79]

Can Harvard not use the transfer portal? If so, why?

Will Felicio would be a very interesting portal defenseman (he played at Michigan previously and has 3 more years of eligibility) that could be a very interesting player for Harvard.

Princeton has taken guys from the OHL, and Brown has taken transfers. So, it certainly is not an Ivy League stipulation. Gonna be difficult for Harvard to compete if it can't open doors that its peers can.

It's not that they can't use the portal. I think it is more of a choice not to participate. And if I had to guess (given my history in working with Admissions), this is more about academics and the idea that these kids use the portal to move between schools like they are dropping and picking up girlfriends. While some schools look the other way regarding credits and grades, Harvard won't do that under any circumstances. I think the last player we brought in via transfer was that defenseman from RPI (his name escapes me). And that was well over 20 years ago.

 

[LongTimeCrimsonFan]

It's not that they can't use the portal. I think it is more of a choice not to participate. And if I had to guess (given my history in working with Admissions), this is more about academics and the idea that these kids use the portal to move between schools like they are dropping and picking up girlfriends. While some schools look the other way regarding credits and grades, Harvard won't do that under any circumstances. I think the last player we brought in via transfer was that defenseman from RPI (his name escapes me). And that was well over 20 years ago.

Goalie Justin Tobe transferred from Michigan State in 2006

 

[ROMD]

What about the AIC players? Are any of them a possibility for next year? A program shutting down is a special situation and should overcome the issue with admissions that Skate79 is describing. That was what happened when Mark Benning transferred from Notre Dame in the 80s and he turned out really well, perhaps one of the top five D ever for Harvard.

 

[Skate79]

Goalie Justin Tobe transferred from Michigan State in 2006

The transfer portal did not exist in 2006. Tobe had to go through the transfer application process that every student wanting to transfer to Harvard has to go through. Transfers get notified in late May or early June after admissions tallies how many students are coming in and how many are leaving to ensure the proper # of students for that academic year.

The transfer portal is open for about a month and allows coaches to pick the players they want and then tell admissions to get them in. That won't fly at Harvard. To wit: Tennessee's starting QB skipped practice on Friday, claiming he wanted more NIL money (he is currently making $2.4M). The coach told him to pound sand, and the QB immediately entered the transfer portal. That's how it's done these days. The kids expect to receive a certain financial package, and if they don't get it, they enter the portal and look for greener pastures. Harvard will never go there, which is why they are at a competitive disadvantage playing schools that recruit players who are using the school to boost their visibility and earning potential.

 

[Skate79]

What about the AIC players? Are any of them a possibility for next year? A program shutting down is a special situation and should overcome the issue with admissions that Skate79 is describing. That was what happened when Mark Benning transferred from Notre Dame in the 80s, and he turned out well, perhaps one of the top five D ever for Harvard.

I don't think the program is shutting down. I think they are moving back to D-2 or D-3. So the players can stay and continue playing or enter the transfer portal in the hopes of landing at a D-1 program. Again, I don't see Harvard using the portal. The transfer process for Harvard applies to all students looking to leave their current school and come to Cambridge.

 

[Puckluckh]

I don't think the program is shutting down. I think they are moving back to D-2 or D-3. So the players can stay and continue playing or enter the transfer portal in the hopes of landing at a D-1 program. Again, I don't see Harvard using the portal. The transfer process for Harvard applies to all students looking to leave their current school and come to Cambridge.

Thanks. I know the portal didn't exist in 2006. My point re Justin (who was as strong in the classroom as on the ice) is that admissions can help out in a pinch if the right person is there.