Capitals College Credits – January 2025: Hat Tricks for Leonard and Points on Defense for Cole Hutson, Ryan Chesley, and David Gucciardi

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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. Here is how each prospect did in the month of January.

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

Photo: Minnesota Golden Gophers

On January 4, Chesley had a three-point game in a 5-2 win against the Mercyhurst Lakers  and was selected as the second star of the game.

His goal came at 7:59 of the first period and put the Gophers up 3-0. It was the game-winner. He fired off a quick wrist shot after getting a pass from teammate John Whipple.

Later in the first period, at 15:22, Chesley made a shot from the circle that a teammate deflected into the net for the Gophers’ fourth goal.

Chesley earned his second assist at 1:19 of the third period when he assisted on a breakaway goal. That goal gave the Gophers a 5-1 lead.

On January 11, in a 6-1 win against Ohio State, he scored the team’s sixth goal of game and his seventh goal of the season at 8:24 during the third period. A shot of the boards came to Chesley who potted the goal.

He earned one more assist on January 24 in a 9-3 loss to the Michigan State Spartans. The assist came on a goal scored at 15:37 during the second period and narrowed the deficit to 5-3.

Chesley played in nine games in January, either in the second or third defensive pairing. For the month, he scored two goals and recorded three assists. Chesley fired 19 shots on goal for the month and blocked 11 shots. He took one minor penalty during the month for two penalty minutes.

For the season overall, Chesley has seven goals and ten assists for 17 points. He took 70 shots on goal and blocked 50 shots. He took nine penalties for a total of 29 penalty minutes. His Plus/Minus value is +17.

The Golden Gophers ended January with a record of 20-6-3 overall, with a Big 10 Conference record of 11-4-2.  Minnesota currently ranks third in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

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

Clark played in five games for AIC in January, getting more work than he did in either November or December. His first start for the month was on January 7 against Army in an 8-2 victory where he made 49 saves out of 51 shots, which was a career high in saves.

He lost his next start on January 17 against Sacred Heart, a 5-2 loss. He made 24 saves in 29 shots. He did not start the next day against Sacred Heart but Peyton Grainer, the starting goaltender, was forced to leave the game less than three minutes into the game and Clark replaced him for the remainder of the game, a 6-3 loss. He made 13 saves out of 18 shots.

Clark started both of the weekend games against Canisius, one on January 24 and the other on January 25. The first was a 4-2 loss where he made 35 saves out of 39 shots and the second was a 3-2 victory where he made 33 saves out of 35 shots. He was excellent in the third period in the latter game where he stopped 15 shots in the frame, including a point-blank chance from Canisius’s Hobey Baker Award nominee Matteo Giampa at the side of the net with just over five minutes to play.

For January, Clark was 2-3.  He made 159 saves out of 177 shots for a save percentage of .898 and had a goals against average of 3.60.

For the season, he is 4-10-1 with 438 saves out of 485 attempts for a save percentage of .903. His goals-against average is 3.31.

The AIC Yellow Jackets have struggled as a team, posting a record of 8-17-1 overall and 6-12-2 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

Gucciardi and the Michigan State Spartans had a very busy January, playing 10 games against five conference rivals; Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio State. Overall, Gucciardi had a relatively productive month on the offensive front.

On January 2, in a 4-3 win over the Wisconsin Badgers, Gucciardi had two assists for his first multi-point game this season.

His first assist was a secondary assist on the team’s first goal that came at 5:36 during the first period. The puck had come to Gucciardi who sent it toward the net and, after a scramble, a goal resulted. This put Michigan State up 1-0.

During the third period, Gucciardi stopped the puck at the left wall and passed to a teammate who tapped it to another teammate who scored. This goal came at 0:57 and tied the game  3-3.

On January 17, in a 3-2 overtime loss to Michigan Wolverines, Gucciardi had a secondary assist on the team’s second goal at 8:35 during the third period which had put team ahead, except they could not hold onto the lead. He had a heads-up pass off the glass which ultimately set up the goal.

January 24 was a great day for the Spartans in general and for Gucciardi in particular as they beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 9-3. Gucciardi scored two goals. Gucciardi’s first goal came at 9:01 of the second period when he made a cannon shot from the slot. This goal gave the Spartans a 3-2 lead.

Gucciardi scored his second goal of the game at 13:21 in the same period after a goalmouth scramble. This goal increased the team’s lead to 5-2.

The Spartans played the Golden Gophers again on January 25. This game was a 3-3 tie. But Gucciardi contributed two assists.

His first assist came on the team’s first goal which was scored at 16:11 during the first period. After a faceoff win, Gucciardi got the puck at the right point and passed to a teammate at the high slot who then scored, putting the Spartans up 1-0.

His second assist came on a goal scored at 14:27 in the third period, which put the team up 3-2. Gucciardi blasted a shot from the point and a teammate scored on a rebound.

Gucciardi’s heroics against the Golden Gophers on January 24-25 earned him the Second Star of the Week for the Big Ten.

Gucciardi scored one more goal in January, in a 4-2 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 30. He scored his goal at 3:07 of the first period when he kept the puck in the zone along the left wall and drove to the net. He got his own rebound and banked it in off the leg pad of the goaltender. That goal put the Spartans up 1-0 at the time, a lead they could not hold.

For the month of January, Gucciardi played in all 10 games for his team, scored three goals, and recorded 5 assists. He had 22 shots on goal and blocked 15 shots. He took one minor penalty for the month.

For the season, he has played in 30 games where he scored four goals and recorded seven assists. He has already reached career highs for both goals and assists. He made 60 shots on goal and blocked 33 shots. He took four minor penalties, two 5-minute major penalties, and two game misconducts, for 38 penalty minutes in all. He is +19 for the season so far.

Michigan State is 22-3-3 overall and 12-3-3 within the Big 10 Conference.  They currently are in second place in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

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

Photo: Boston University Terriers

Cole Hutson returned to the team after helping Team USA win the IIHF World Junior Championships. The Terriers have, overall, done well this new year, except when playing their Commonwealth Avenue rivals from Boston College.

While Hutson scored only one goal for the Terriers since his return, he has produced tons of assists and was pointless in only one game during January – January 25 against Boston College.

On January 10, during a 6-1 win against the Vermont Catamounts, Hutson assisted on the team’s sixth goal at 1:21 during the third period on the power play. Hutson had made a great diagonal pass to a teammate who scored the goal. The goal had increased the Terriers’ lead to 6-0.

Boston University played the Catamounts again the next day, January 11. Hutson contributed two assists during a 7-4 win to complete the weekend sweep. He had a secondary assist on the team’s first goal at 17:48 in the first period which tied the game at 1-1.

He recorded his second assist when a teammate deflected one of his shots into the net. This was Boston University’s sixth goal which came at 5:59 of the third period, increasing their lead to 7-2.

On January 17, in a 6-3 win against New Hampshire Wildcats, Hutson had both a goal and an assist. His assist came on the power play at 8:28 during the second period. He had dished the puck across the zone to a teammate who found Cole’s brother, Quinn, wide open who then scored. This made the score 3-1.

Hutson scored a dazzling highlight-real goal at 16:11 of the third period. As described in the Boston University recap, Hutson collected a clear attempt by the UNH penalty kill in the neutral zone and then went to work. He gained the blue line, stopped, nutmegged a defender, and then skated to the slot. With another Wildcat closing on him, Hutson shifted and then fired a shot inside the right post.

The next day, they played the Wildcats again and beat them 2-1 in Overtime. Hutson assisted on the team’s first goal which came at 7:45 during the second period and tied the game at 1-1. Hutson had shot towards the net and Cole Eiserman collected the rebound to score. This assist allowed Hutson to extend his point streak to five games.

Hutson extended his point streak to five games with a primary assist on Eiserman’s game-tying goal, his team-leading 15th helper of the year.

On January 24, the Terriers lost 6-2 to the Boston College Eagles. But Hutson extended his point streak to six games by assisting on a power play at 12:26 during the first period. It put the Terriers ahead 2-1, a lead they could not hold.

On January 31, the Terriers beat the New Hampshire Wildcats 7-2 in a game most notable for Cole’s older brother, Quinn, earning a hat trick. Cole Hutson assisted on the team’s fourth goal and his brother’s second goal at 1:17 during the third period, putting the Terriers up 4-1. Quinn had passed to Cole who was at the right point and passed the puck back to his brother who had skated to the bottom of the right circle who then scored the goal.

During January, Hutson played in seven games, scoring 1 goal and recording 7 assists. He had 21 shots on goal and 8 blocked shots. He took no minor penalties during January.

Hutson has played in 23 games for Boston University. He has scored 5 goals and recorded 17 assists. He has made 61 shots on goal, blocked 19 shots, and is -2 in Plus/Minus. He has 46 penalty minutes in all.  He played in all of Boston University’s games, except their game on December 29 where they lost to Yale as he was participating in the World Junior Championship.

The Terriers are now 14-9-1 and 10-5-1 in the Hockey East conference.

Boston University currently ranks 8th in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

During the World Junior Championships, Hutson scored three goals and recorded eight assists for 11 points overall, the most for all participating skaters. It was the first time that a defenseman led in overall scoring. He also ranked second in assists. He was chosen as one of the two leading defenders on the World Junior All-Star Team. He scored the game-tying goal in the Gold Medal game which was the last goal scored before the eventual game-winner.

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

After a hiatus for Christmas break, Ohio State had a busy January with 8 games, all being two game series against Big Ten Division rivals; Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State, and Michigan State, with mixed results. They had three wins, one tie, two regulation losses, and two overtime losses.

Johnson played on the third defense pairing for Ohio State during January but was scratched for the game on January 25.

On January 2, he assisted on the team’s first goal during a 4-3 victory over Michigan State Wolverines that took place outdoors at Wrigley Field. This goal was scored at 15:26 during the second period at a time when the Buckeyes trailed 2-0.

On January 10, Johnson assisted on the Buckeyes’ fourth goal at 2:31 into the third period on a power play during a 5-1 win against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Johnson played in seven of his team’s eight games in January. He did not score any goals but recorded two assists. He had 10 shots on goal and blocked 13 shots. He took one minor penalty during January.

For the season, Johnson has played in 24 games, scoring three goals and recording six assists. He made 39 shots on goal and blocked 39 shots. He has served just two penalties this season.

Ohio State is 16-8-2 for the season and 9-6-1 record within the Big 10 conference.  Ohio State University currently ranks 9th in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey, a vast improvement over last season.

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

Kempf played in more games for Notre Dame during January than he had in the previous months of the season, playing in four games.  His results were mixed.

Kempf’s first game of the month was a 3-3 shootout win against the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 3. In that contest, Kempf made 39 saves out of 42 shots.

January 10 was a rough outing for Kempf as Notre Dame lost 5-3 to the Michigan Wolverines. In that game, he made 28 saves in 33 shots

January 17 was an even rougher day. Notre Dame lost 5-2 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Kempf was in goal for 20 minutes and gave up 5 goals out of 24 shots.

Kempf and Notre Dame ended January on a good note with a 4-2 win over Lindenwood University. Kempf made 20 saves in 22 shots.

For January, he played in four games, posting a 1-2-1 record. He made 108 saves in 123 chances for a save percentage of .878 and a 3.00 goals-against average.

Kempf has played in 10 games and has a 2-7-1 record for the season. He has made 298 saves out of 330 shots and has a save percentage of .903. His goals-against average is 3:34. In six of the 10 games he’s played, he has faced more than 30 opposing shots on goal.

Notre Dame is having a rough season so far, with a record of 6-12 and a 1-9 record within the Big 10 Conference.

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

The Northeastern Huskies had a pretty good January, in an otherwise rough season, winning four games, three of them in regulation, and losing three. Lemay had a relatively quiet month, offensively speaking.

On January 18, during a 3-2 win against the Vermont Catamounts, Lemay started a rush that led to the team’s first goal which came at 16:13 during the second period. It tied the game at 1-1. The Huskies went on to win 4-3.

On January 25, in a 4-3 loss to Merrimac, Lemay assisted on the team’s first goal that came at 19:40 during the first period on the power play. Lemay had directed a shot towards the net but a teammate scored on the second rebound.

During January, Lemay played in 7 games, scored no goals but had two assists. He made 9 shots on goal for the month and blocked 11 shots in January. He took two minor penalties for an overall season total of 4 penalty minutes.

For the season, he has played in 17 games, scoring one goal and recording four assists. He also made 31 shots on goal and blocked 23 shots. He took five minor penalties for 10 penalty minutes in all. His Plus/Minus is -4.

At the end of January, the Northeastern Huskies had a record of 9-12-3 and a record of 4-9-3 for their conference.

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

Photo: Boston College

The Boston College Eagles resumed action on January 10 after a long semester break hiatus. During that time frame, Ryan Leonard helped the USA win the Gold Medal at the IIHF World Junior Championships and was selected as Most Valuable Player. But he was back with his college teammates when the season resumed.  After losing the first game in January, the Eagles ran off a seven-game winning streak for the rest of the month.

Like his team, Leonard started slowly in January but scored goals in six of the seven remaining games for the Eagles, including two hat tricks.

On January 11, Leonard scored the first goal during a 4-1 win over the Merrimack Warriors. He scored on a one-timer from the left faceoff circle on a power play at 5:33 during the second period to put Boston College up 1-0.

On January 17, during a 3-0 win against the Providence Friars, Leonard, once again, opened the scoring for the Boston Eagles with a power play goal. He scored on a tap-in at 7:43 during the second period.

The Eagles finished the weekend sweep against the Providence Friars with a 4-1 victory on January 18.

This time, Leonard scored his team’s third goal at 8:02 during the third period on a power play when he redirected a teammate’s shot into the net past the goaltender. This goal increased the Eagles’ lead to 3-1.

The weekend of January 24-25 was the showdown between Boston College and their Commonwealth Avenue rivals from Boston University. January 24 featured a Ryan Leonard hat trick during a 6-2 win over the Terriers. Leonard’s first goal broke a 2-2 tie at 13:03 during the second period when he skated his way through the Terriers’ defense before ripping a shot into the top left corner of the net.

He scored his second goal at 16:59 during the third period which was a short-handed empty-net goal and the Eagles’ fifth goal.

His third goal, an empty net goal to complete the hat trick, came at 19:34, with just 26 seconds left in the game. It put the Eagles up 6-2 which was the final score.

On January 25, Boston College completed the sweep against the Terriers with a 2-0 win. Leonard was instrumental in both of Boston College’s goals. He assisted on the team’s first goal which came at 0:24 during the first period. Boston University’s goaltender saved Leonard’s shot but then a teammate scored on the rebound. This put Boston College up 1-0.

Leonard got the insurance goal by scoring an empty net goal at 18:57 during the third period.

Leonard finished the month by getting a hat trick during a 4-0 win over the University of Massachusetts Lowell on January 31.

His first goal came at 4:36 during the first period when he finished a shot just outside the crease to put the team up 1-0.

He scored his second goal and his team’s third goal just 13 seconds into the third period. He received a pass and quickly shot the puck into the bottom right corner of the net.

He completed the hat trick after skating through the defense and ripping a shot past the goaltender at 13:02 during the third period.

Leonard played in eight games during January, scoring 10 goals and recording one assist. He made 29 shots on goal and took three minor penalties for a total of six penalty minutes.

For the season, Leonard has played in 24 games. He has scored 22 goals and recorded 8 assists for 20 points overall. He had made 124 shots on goal and taken 10 penalties for a total of 20 penalty minutes.

Boston College is 19-4-1 overall and 12-3-1 within the Hockey East Conference. Boston College currently ranks first in the USCHO.com rankings for Men’s Hockey.

For the World Juniors, Leonard was awarded Best Forward in the IIHF Directorate Awards. He was also selected as one of the top three forwards on the Media All-Star Team and selected as Most Valuable Player, being the first recipient of the Murray Costello World Junior Championship MVP Award. He scored five goals and five assists for 10 points during the World Junior Championships. He was tied for second in points, only exceeded by Team USA teammate Cole Hutson. He was tied for fourth place in goals.

By Diane Doyle

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