Capitals College Credits – February, 2025: Boston Beanpot Heroics For Hutson and Leonard and Home Stretch of Regular Season

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Photo: Boston University

The Washington Capitals’ have eight prospects playing at the collegiate level for the 2024-25 season. They include Ryan Chesley, Chase Clark, David Gucciardi, Cole Hutson, Brent Johnson, Nick Kempf, Joaquim Lemay, and Ryan Leonard.

February was the last full month of the regular season for all the college teams, with Big Ten Conference teams’ regular season ending the weekend of February 28-March 1 and the Hockey East Conference teams going on for another weekend.

The players on the teams in the Boston area, Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern University, played in the Beanpot tournament early in the month. The players in the Big 10 Conference generally enjoyed one bye weekend from competition this month.

Here is how each prospect did during February.

Ryan Chesley — RH Defenseman — Minnesota Golden Gophers – Junior
Drafted in 2022 2nd Round (#37 overall)

Photo: Minnesota Gophers

On February 15, in a 2-2 tie against the Michigan Wolverines, Chesley had the primary assist on Minnesota’s second goal at 0:13 into the third period, which put the Gophers up 2-1 at the time. Chesley received a pass and then shot the puck towards the net where a teammate tipped it in for the score. Unfortunately, the Gophers could not hold onto the lead and the final score remained tied.

Chesley scored the game-winning goal in a 4-1 win against Ohio State on February 21 and was selected the Third Star of the Game. After getting a pass at the blue line, Chesley fought off an OSU check before stepping around the goaltender and slipping home the go-ahead tally into an open cage behind a brilliant individual effort.

Chesley played in six games in February and played in all three defensive pairings. For the month, he scored one goal and recorded one assist. Chesley fired 17 shots on goal for the month and blocked 13 shots. He took one minor penalty during February for two penalty minutes.

For the regular season, Chesley scored eight goals and recorded 11 assists for 19 points, which are all career highs. He took 87 shots on goal and blocked 64 shots. He took 12 penalties for a total of 48 penalty minutes. His Plus/Minus value is +23.

The Golden Gophers had a record of 24-8-4 overall on March 1, with a Big Ten Conference record of 15-6-3.  Minnesota currently ranks third in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey. The Golden Gophers clinched a share of the Big Ten Championship, sharing the title with Michigan State. This is the seventh championship in their history and their third in four seasons. Thanks to tie breakers, the Gophers will be the second seed going into the Big Ten tournament and Michigan State will be the top seed.

Chase Clark – Goaltender — American International College Yellow Jackets – Junior – Drafted in 2021 6th Round (#183 overall)

Photo: American International College

It was a busy month in goal for Chase Clark. He played in six of the eight games scheduled for his team in February to complete the regular season, playing in all seven of the games scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays but not in either of the two games scheduled for a weekday.

Clark was the winning goaltender in both games in their weekend series against the Mercyhurst Lakers, with a 5-0 win on Feb 7 where he made 21 saves in the shutout and a 4-1 win on February 8 where he made 17 saves out of 18 shots.

He played in both games against the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers during a rough weekend for the team on February 14-15. The first game was a 3-0 loss where he made 27 saves out of the 29 shots he faced. The second game was a 3-3 tie in which AIC lost in the shootout. Clark made 24 saves out of 27 shots. During the weekend of February 21-22, he played in both games against Army West Point. He was the winning goaltender on February 21, where the score was 3 2, and he made 26 saves in 28 chances. He even helped set up the team’s first goal, stopping a dump-in behind the net and firing the puck up and out of the zone around the boards to a teammate, ultimately winding up with the secondary assist. On February 22, AIC played West Point to a 2-2 tie but AIC lost in overtime. Clark made 33 saves in 36 chances in that game.

AIC began their postseason on February 28, playing the Rochester Institute Tof echnology (RIT) Tigers in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament and beat the RIT Tigers 2-1 in an overtime thriller. Clark was in goal for that game and made 31 saves out of 32 shots. The Yellow Jackets have now advanced to the Quarterfinals of the AHA tournament.

During February, Clark started seven games, including six regular season games and the one playoff game.  His record for the month was 4-2-1. He made 182 saves out of 194 chances for a save percentage of .932 and a goals against average of 1.81.

For the season, to include both the regular season and one post season game, he is 8-12-2 with 620 saves out of 679 attempts for a save percentage of .938. His goals-against average is 1.67.

The AIC Yellow Jackets struggled as a team this season, posting a record of 12-21-2 overall and 10-16-1 in the Atlantic Conference. AIC had announced on November 12 that they would drop from Division I to Division II at the end of the 2024-25 season.

David Gucciardi — LH Defenseman — Michigan State Spartans – Senior
Drafted in 2022 7th Round (#213 overall)

Photo: Michigan State Spartans

On February 8, in a 6-1 win against Michigan, Gucciardi had the secondary assist on the goal scored at 15:38 of the second period that put the Spartans ahead 3-1.

On February 29, Gucciardi scored Michigan State’s first goal at 11:55 of the first period in a 5-2 win over Notre Dame. This goal put the Spartans up 1-0.

For February, Gucciardi played in all 5 games for his team, scored one goal and recorded one assist. He had 12 shots on goal and blocked three shots. He took two minor penalties for the month. He played in the last regular season game on March 1 against the Notre Dame Irish and was kept off the scoresheet.

For the regular season, Gucciardi played in 34 games where he scored six goals and recorded eight assists. He has already reached career highs for both goals and assists. He made 79 shots on goal and blocked 35 shots. He took six minor penalties, two 5-minute major penalties, and two game misconducts, for 42 penalty minutes. He is +20 for the season.

Michigan State is 24-6-4 overall and 15-5-4 within the Big 10 Conference. They currently are in first place in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey. They finished tied with the Minnesota Golden Gophers for first place in the Big 10 standings, but due to tie-breakers, they are the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They earned a first round bye but will play in the Big Ten Semifinals on March 15.

Cole Hutson — LH Defenseman – Boston University Terriers – Freshman
Drafted in 2024 2nd Round (#43 overall)

Photo: Boston University

Hutson and Boston University started off the month facing Harvard University in the first game of the 2025 Beanpot Tournament on February 3. It was a great day for both Hutson and the Terriers as they beat the Harvard Crimson 7-1 while Hutson scored two goals and recorded two assists. This win propelled Boston University to the Beanpot Final where they would face Boston College a week later

He scored his first goal at 5:59 of the second period, which put the Terriers ahead 3-1.

He added his second goal of the game at 14:52 of the third period on the power play. This goal put Boston University ahead 7-1.

The Terriers’ next game against Merrimac on February 7 was anticlimactic as it occurred between the first Beanpot game and the Beanpot Final. The Terriers lost that game 2-1 in Overtime as Hutson contributed an assist on their goal at 13:24 in the first period, that put Boston University ahead 1-0.

Boston College and Boston University then met at the Beanpot Final on February 10. The Terriers won this showdown 4-1 with Hutson getting the game winning goal at 6:53 of the second period. Hutson had received a cross-ice pass at the left circle and then buried a shot inside the near post.

Hutson’s two goals and two assists against Harvard and his game winning goal against Boston College earned him the Most Valuable Player award in the Beanpot Tournament.

On the weekend of February 14-15, they played two games against the Providence Friars, losing the first game 6-3 but winning the second game 3-0. In the latter, Hutson had the secondary assist on the team’s first goal at 13:15 of the second period.

On Feb 21, in a 5-1 loss against Northeastern Huskies, Hutson had the primary assist on his brother Quinn’s goal at 17:43 into the second period, which narrowed their deficit to 3-1. This assist was his 22nd assist of the year and moved him to the 30-point plateau. He became the fourth Hockey East freshman defender since at least 2002-03 to record 30 points in his debut season.

The next day, February 22, the Terriers rebounded to win 3-1 against Northeastern. In that game, Hutson scored BU’s second goal at 8:04 during the third period, putting the Terriers ahead 2-1.

He also assisted on an empty net goal at 18:34 on a power play that put Terriers ahead 3-1.

On February 25, the Terriers tied the University of Connecticut Huskies 2-2 with Boston University winning the shootout. Hutson scored a highlight reel goal to tie game at 2-2 at 10:03 in a 4-on-4 situation.

For February, Hutson played in eight games, scoring 5 goals and recording 6 assists for 13 points. He had 25 shots on goal and 11 blocked shots. He took 6 minor penalties for 12 penalty minutes during February.

Hutson has played in 31 games for Boston University. He scored 10 goals and recorded 23 assists. He has made 86 shots on goal, blocked 30 shots, and is -0 in Plus/Minus. He has 58 penalty minutes in all.  He played in all but one of Boston University’s games, except for one game when he participated in the World Junior Championship. On March 3, Hutson was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Month for February.

The Terriers are now 18-12-2 and 12-8-2 in the Hockey East conference. Boston University currently ranks 15th in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey. Once their regular season is complete, they will play in the Hockey East tournament.

Brent Johnson — RH Defenseman — Ohio State Buckeyes – Senior
Drafted in 2021 3rd Round (#80 overall)

Photo: Ohio State University

On February 7, in a 5-1 win over Notre Dame, Johnson assisted on the team’s fourth goal at 19:08, an empty netter that had put the team up 4-1.

On February 27, in a 2-1 Overtime win over the Michigan Wolverines, Johnson had the primary assist on the game winning goal in overtime that came at 1:22. Johnson had wrapped the puck around the boards before he skated in on a 2-on-1, ultimately making the pass that led to the game winner.

The next day, February 28, the Buckeyes lost 4-3 to Michigan. Johnson scored a goal at 13:38 which tied the score at 1-1.

This game was Senior Night where Johnson was one of eight seniors to be recognized.

Johnson played in all eight of his team’s games in February. He scored one goal and recorded two assists. He had 3 shots on goal and blocked 13 shots. He did not take any minor penalties during February.

Johnson played in 32 games during the regular season, scoring four goals and recording eight assists. He made 42 shots on goal and blocked 52 shots. He served just two penalties this season.

Ohio State is 21-11-2 for the season and 14-9-1 record within the Big 10 conference.  Ohio State University currently ranks 13th in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey, a vast improvement over last season. They are seeded third in the upcoming Big 10 tournament and will play the Wisconsin Badgers in a best of three series that starts on March 7.

Nick Kempf – Goaltender — Notre Dame Irish – Freshman
Drafted in 2024 4th Round (#114 overall)

Photo: Notre Dame

As the backup goaltender for Notre Dame, Kempf played in just two games during February. The first was on February 7 when the Irish lost to Ohio State 5-1. In that game, Kempf made 25 saves out of the 30 shots he faced.

He next played on February 21 in a 7-3 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers. Kempf entered the game at 13:35 during the first period after the starting goalie had given up three Wisconsin goals. He played 46:13, giving up 4 goals in 20 shots and was the losing goaltender.

He played in the team’s last regular season game on March 1, a 5-2 loss to the Michigan State Spartans. In that game, Kempf made 45 saves out of the 49 shots he faced.

For February, he played in two games, posting a 0-2-0 record. He made 63 saves in 69 chances for a save percentage of .913 and a 3.00 goals-against average. He played in the regular season finale on March 1 where he made 41 saves out of 45 shots in a 5-2 loss to Michigan State.

Kempf played in 13 games during the regular season, starting in 12 and playing in relief once and compiled a 2-10-1-0 record. He has made 384 saves out of 429 shots and has a save percentage of .895. His goals-against average is 3:74. In nine of the 13 games he’s played, he has faced 30 or more opposing shots on goal and 40 or more shots in four games.

Notre Dame has had a rough regular season, with a record of 10-23-1 and a 4-19-1 record within the Big 10 Conference. Their opponent in the Big Ten tournament that starts on March 7, against an opponent still to be determined.

Joaquim Lemay — LH Defenseman – Northeastern University – Junior
Drafted in 2021 4th Round (#119 overall)

Photo: Northwestern University

In a 2-0 win against University of Massachusetts Lowell on February 14, Lemay had an assist on the Huskies’ first goal that came at 5:24 during the first period. Lemay had received the puck in front of the net and passed to a teammate across the boards who eventually shot his own rebound for the goal.

On February 21, Northeastern won 5-1 against Boston University, pulling off the upset against the Terriers who were coming off a win in the preliminary game of the Beanpot. Lemay had the primary assist on Northwestern’s first goal at 14:17 on a 4 on 3 power play during the first period. It put the Huskies up 1-0.

The next day, February 22, they played the Boston University Terriers again and this time lost 3-1. In this game, Lemay scored a third period goal at 5:53 that tied the game at 1-1. However, Boston University ultimately prevailed.

During February, Lemay played in 7 games, scored one goal and had two assists. He made 9 shots on goal for the month and blocked 11 shots in February. He took one minor penalty and one major penalty and game misconduct for a total of 17 penalty minutes for the month.

For the season, he has played in 24 games, scoring one goal and recording three assists. He also made 10 shots on goal and blocked 34 shots. He took one minor penalty and a major penalty/game misconduct for 27 penalty minutes. His Plus/Minus is -10.

As of March 1, the Northeastern Huskies had a record of 11-18-3 and a record of 6-13-3 for their conference. The Huskies have three regular season games left to play in March. After that, they play in the Hockey East tournament.

Ryan Leonard — Right Wing – Boston College Eagles – Sophomore
Drafted in 2023 1st Round (#8 overall)

Photo: Boston College

Leonard began the month by being named a Hockey East Co-Player of the Week on February 3 for his heroics in their game of January 31.

Leonard had one goal and one assist in Boston College’s first game in the annual Beanpot Tournament on February 3 when they beat the Northeastern Huskies 8-2. Thus, they would play in the Beanpot Championship a week later.

His assist occurred at 0:35 during the second period, which put the Eagles up 4-1.

He scored his goal at 16:07 during the third period, which put Boston College up 7-2.

On February 7, during a 4-2 win against New Hampshire, Leonard had a secondary assist on a shorthanded goal at 17:50 during the second period which tied the game at 1-1.

On February 10, the Eagles played Boston University in the Beanpot Final and lost 4-1. Leonard had the primary assist on the lone Boston College goal that came at 6:15 and put the Eagles ahead 1-0.

February 14 was another loss for Boston College, this time losing 3-2 to the University of Massachusetts. In this game, Leonard scored a goal at 19:34 in the third period, when they had pulled the goaltender in favor of an extra attacker.

Boston College rebounded to beat University of Massachusetts 4-1 the next day, February 15. Leonard scored one goal and recorded two assists in that game and was selected as the game’s First Star. He had a secondary assist on a goal at 3:13 during the second period which put Boston College up 2-0.

He then had a primary assist on a goal scored at 6:42 during the second period to put Boston College up 3-0.

He scored his goal at 18:20 during the third period on an empty net to seal the win for Boston College at 4-1.

On the weekend of February 21 and 22, Boston College swept the Vermont Catamounts, beating them 6-3 and 4-1. In the first game, Leonard scored a goal at 12:02 during a second period power play which put the Eagles up 3-2.

The next day, Leonard had the primary assist on a goal scored at 14:24 during the first period which put Boston College up 2-0.

He followed it up with a goal scored at 4:37 during the second period that put the Eagles up 3-0.

Boston College closed out the month with a 4-1 win over New Hampshire on February 28. Leonard scored the Eagles’ fourth goal, an empty netter, at 17:23 during the third period.

Leonard played in eight games during February, scoring 6 goals and recording one assist. He made 29 shots on goal and took eight minor penalties for a total of 16 penalty minutes.

Through the end of February, Leonard played in 32 games. He has scored 28 goals and recorded 15 assists for 43 points overall and currently leads all NCAA players in goals scored. He made 165 shots on goal and took 18 penalties for a total of 36 penalty minutes.

Boston College is 19-4-1 overall and 12-3-1 within the Hockey East Conference. Boston College currently ranks second in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey. Once their regular season is complete, they will compete in the Hockey East conference tournament.

General

March will bring a handful of regular season games for the college prospects and will mostly involve in-conference tournaments. The NCAA tournament will begin near the end of the month and climax in April.

By Diane Doyle

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