Providence College sophomore right wing Jack Dugan will forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility to sign an NHL entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, it was announced Monday. Dugan’s departure comes as no surprise. It was the worst-kept secret in hockey for over two months now. Providence coach Nate Leaman and his...
Providence College sophomore right wing Jack Dugan will forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility to sign an NHL entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, it was announced Monday.
Dugan’s departure comes as no surprise. It was the worst-kept secret in hockey for over two months now. Providence coach Nate Leaman and his staff had been preparing for 2020-21 with the knowledge that Dugan would not be back.
The announcement was no coincidence given the AHL just declared the cancellation of the remainder of its season. Dugan had held out hope for burning a year off his entry-level contract by completing the 2019-20 season with Vegas’ AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Dugan, a 2017 fifth-round pick of the organization, was a Hobey Baker Award finalist this past winter. The Rochester, N.Y., native led college hockey in scoring with 52 points on 10 goals and 42 assists. That was on the heels of a 10-goal, 29-assist campaign as a freshman in 2018-19.
Dugan played high school hockey in Rochester for McQuaid Jesuit before heading to Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y., for two seasons. In between Northwood and Providence, Dugan starred with the USHL’s Chicago Steel.
Dugan obviously is a skilled forward who can make plays at the college level, but his leaving could be a blessing in disguise for Providence as the Friars look to get back to playing a team-first system. A quote from Leaman was notably absent in Providence’s press release. Only Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon was quoted in the release put out by the school.
BC loses recruit to QMJHL
Boston College lost a key recruit with the weekend’s announcement that Peter Reynolds had signed with the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL.
Reynolds, an ’03 from Fredericton, New Brunswick, committed to the Eagles out of Shattuck-St. Mary’s. He spent three seasons at the Faribault, Minn., prep school before moving on to play the 2019-20 campaign with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs. In 60 games this winter, Reynolds had 15 goals and 33 assists.
Considered one of the better ’03 prospects in Canada, Reynolds opted to play closer to home and in the QMJHL for his upcoming draft season.
While it’s a tough loss for BC, the Eagles still have some well regarded ’03s in the pipeline. Sioux Falls Stampede center Cam MacDonald and NTDP U-17 defenseman Aidan Hreschuk are the top recruits in the birth year, while three local products also are slated to be Eagles in the future. They are St. Sebastian’s center Tim Delay, Cushing center Billy Norcross and Avon Old Farms left wing Paul Davey.
