Drew Best remembers texting friends connected to Bentley University earlier this year while he was deciding what to do next.
After three years with the University of Vermont, the Plymouth, Mich., native graduated early and was eligible to play hockey elsewhere without sitting out a season.
His friends had nothing but great things to say about the Falcons and Bentley hockey, which opened a state-of-the-art arena last season. Throw in being right outside of Boston and it was an easy decision for Best.
“Bentley has a fantastic education and an improved hockey program over the last few years,” Best said. “It was a no-brainer.”
Best is one of three Hockey East transfers who will suit up for Atlantic Hockey clubs for the first time this season. The conference continues to get more and more skaters from larger conferences, a sign of Atlantic Hockey’s growth.
In Best’s case, his playing time was reduced from 10 games two years ago to just three games in the 2017-18 season. He didn’t play his first year with Vermont.
By getting his diploma in three years at UVM, the forward could join a team right away. That stood out to Bentley head coach Ryan Soderquist, who was looking for immediate help for his front line.
The Vermont coaching staff contacted Soderquist (Stoneham, Mass.) about a versatile forward who was leaving its team, and Soderquist was a fan of what the Catamount coaches had to say about Best.
“We were very excited about his maturity level, who he was as a person and what he can bring on and off the ice to our program,” Soderquist said. “We knew he was a great person.”
The Falcons finished second to last in the Atlantic Hockey standings a year ago, and their 2.59 goals per game were near the bottom as well. In a conference that includes explosive offensive teams like Mercyhurst and Canisius, Best will be given the opportunity to work with top-six forwards as either a center or wing, according to Soderquist.
“He has the ability to be versatile; he can play through the line,” Soderquist said. “He’s a guy that’s extremely responsible and plays 200 feet and kills penalties. When we were looking at potentially taking a forward at the end of the year, it made sense to take a guy that we thought could play in all situations.”
Once he’s up to speed with the new system, Best will be expected to contribute right away. He should be a focal point of the Bentley offense this season, and he acknowledges he has to work to get comfortable with a large role again.
“I’m trying to rebuild that confidence of being an everyday player,” Best said, “then taking that next step to try and be a game-changer, and hopefully transfer that into being a bigger-year guy that following year.”
Also joining Atlantic Hockey is Jeff Baum, a blueliner who played 15 games for Providence College in the 2017 fall semester. After playing 58 games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL the year before, the Dallas native realized halfway through the season he wasn’t a match for the Friars.
“It sunk in that I wasn’t where I wanted to be or where I should be at the time,” Baum said. “I wasn’t very happy with where I was.”
That’s why Baum decided to transfer before the end of his freshman year. He sat out the 2018 spring semester and will miss the first half of this season as well.
“When it came down to it, the timing of it was a good idea for me and the way I was feeling and the position I was at,” Baum said.
AIC head coach Eric Lang recruited Baum while an assistant coach at Army. He remembers being impressed with the defenseman’s leadership skills as an 18-year old, and at one point it appeared the prospect would be heading to West Point.
Things change, however, and Baum went to play junior hockey before eventually joining Providence. When Lang heard Baum obtained his release from the Friars program, the head coach made sure to target him.
Baum was impressed by the culture that Lang and his team were implementing at AIC. When he first arrived in Springfield, the whole team met Baum in his hotel room to greet him and make him feel at thome.
“It’s small things like that that really felt welcoming. It was a great place for me to come to,” Baum said. “It didn’t take long for me to feel like I was home. The culture there is so nice and so welcoming. To be a part of it and what we’re going to do this year is exciting.”
Baum joins a Yellow Jackets unit that ranked dead last in the conference in scoring. The blueliner won’t ever stuff the staff sheet, but Lang says Baum’s strong shot and puck instincts will help on the power play.
“We have a lot of value in getting our defensemen involved,” Lang said. “You look at our point totals last year, we utilize them as much as anything and we count on them for offense.”
AIC also has another ex-Hockey East player set to join the team next season. Austin Albrecht (Flemington, N.J.) scored 11 points in 28 games for UMass last season as a true freshman. He’ll have to sit out this season, but Lang is excited to see the forward join the Yellow Jackets in 2019.
“He’s a scoring machine from what we’ve seen so far,” Lang said. “He gets the puck and he can make plays and make things happen and has the ability to make guys around him a little better. He’ll be a nice surprise for us when he becomes eligible.”
Best isn’t the only UVM product to join Atlantic Hockey this year. Mike Lee (Hamden, Conn.) played 49 games over two seasons for the Catamounts, seeing only 15 games in his second season.
Sacred Heart head coach C.J. Marottolo (North Haven, Conn.) has known the defenseman since he was a youth hockey player who attended Marottolo’s summer camps. Once he learned Lee was leaving Vermont, Marottolo reached out and got his man.
Lee sat out all of last season per NCAA rules. Needless to say, Marottolo is thrilled to add a blueliner with Hockey East experience to a team that finished last in the AHC standings a year ago.
“He’s played a lot of college hockey games,” Marottolo said. “Even though he hasn’t played for us yet, he’s played in some high-pressure situations. We’re looking for him to be a quarterback back there for us.”
Marottolo also expects Lee to create some offense on the back end, as the 22-year showed flashes of scoring production with six points while with Vermont.
“He’s got some very high-end skill offensively,” Marottolo said. “He sees the ice, he’s very composed. We expect him to create some offense for us on the blue line and be a steadying influence back there. I was happy he ended up here.”
It can take time for transfers to mesh with their teammates and a new system, and these three coaches taking on Hockey East skaters are aware of that. Having experience in one of the top leagues in the country helps, but it’s another thing to get up to speed in a different setting.
Even so, Lee scored his first goal with the Pioneers in Sacred Heart’s season-opening loss to Northeastern. He took five shots in two games against the Huskies, proving Marottolo right that Lee can produce on both ends. Best sat out Bentley’s first game but saw action in the Falcons’ following series against AIC. Baum, meanwhile, won’t suit up until January.
All three players ended up at Atlantic Hockey under different circumstances, but the trio is ready to get back on the ice and compete with their new teams.
“It was nice to step away and relax for a minute and take the summer to focus on myself,” Baum said. “The most important thing for me is that I stay competing in practice and working hard to keep up with them, so when I get my chance to play again then I’m ready to go.”
