Capitals College Credits – March, 2025: Regular Season Ends, Conference And NCAA Tournaments, Awards, and Signed Contracts


Photo: Boston University Hockey

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.

March meant a handful of regular season games for some teams. It also meant that all teams qualifying for the post-season would play in their conference tournament in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, despite a weak regular season, or improving their potential seeding position.

Here is how each prospect did during March.

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

Photo: Minnesota Gophers Hockey

March 1 was the last game of the regular season for Ryan Chesley and the Minnesota Golden Gophers when they played the second game of their weekend set with the Penn State Nittany Lions and won 5-3. Chesley had no goals nor assists but was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for direct contact with the head and ejected from the game. The Golden Gophers clinched a tie for the Big 10 title but were the second seed as Michigan State won on tiebreakers.

The Golden Gophers then played in the Quarterfinals of the Big 10 Tournament against the Notre Dame Irish in a three-game series from March 7 through March 9. They lost the first game 3-2.

They rebounded to win the second game 4-2. In that game, Chesley assisted on the game-winning goal during a power play by firing a stretch pass off the boards to a teammate eventually resulting in a goal at 7:18 during the third period. The score was now 3-2.

But Notre Dame completed the series upset by winning the rubber game 4-1, and the Golden Gophers were out of the tournament.

Chesley and his fellow Golden Gophers received various awards for their performance. On March 18, The Big 10 announced postseason awards and selected Chesley for their All Honorable Mention team.

On March 19, the Big 10 announced the Winter Academic honors and included Chesley as one of their honorees.

The Golden Gophers faced University of Massachusetts Minutemen in the NCAA Fargo Regional on Thursday March 27 and  lost 5-4 in overtime. The Golden Gophers ended their season with a record of 25-11-4 overall, with a Big Ten Conference record of 15-6-3.

Chesley played in five games in March, generally on the second defensive pairing. For the month, he scored no goals and recorded one assist. Chesley fired 10 shots on goal for the month and blocked 10 shots. He took no minor penalties during March but had one major penalty and one game misconduct for 15 penalty minutes.

For the season, Chesley scored eight goals and recorded 12 assists for 20 points, all career highs. He took 97 shots on goal and blocked 73 shots. He took 13 penalties for a total of 48 penalty minutes. His Plus/Minus value is +17.

Chesley has signed an ATO contract with the Hershey Bears and will sign a contract with the Capitals later.

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

The American International College (AIC) Yellow Jackets qualified for the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) tournament and faced the Holy Cross Crusaders in the quarterfinal series from March 7-9, with all games being played at Holy Cross’s venue as Holy Cross was the higher seed.

On March 7, AIC scored three goals during the first two periods, staking themselves to a 3-0 lead. They held on to win 3-2. Clark was in goal for that game and made 34 saves on 36 shots on goal, with 16 of those shots coming during the third period. Several of these saves came while the Yellow Jackets killed off a major penalty. Clark made saves on back-to-back scoring changes and three key saves in the last 1:10 of play.

In the game on March 8, Holy Cross got off to a 2-0 lead just over 11:00 minutes into the first period. The Yellow Jackets tied the game, scoring about a half minute after Holy Cross’ second goal and scoring again at 3:38 into the second period. Unfortunately, Holy Cross scored the go-ahead goal at 16:19 into the third period and won the game, tying the series at 1-1. AIC had challenged that goal for goaltender interference, but the goal was allowed to stand. Clark was in goal again and made 31 saves out of 34 chances.

This set up the series finale on March 9. In a very see-saw game, featuring the teams taking turns scoring, AIC tied the game with just .35 left in the third period, forcing overtime. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, Holy Cross scored just 51 seconds into overtime to win the game and take the AHA quarterfinal series. This allowed Holy Cross to advance to the AHA semifinals, ending AIC’s season. Clark made 30 saves out of 34 chances in the game.

During March, Clark played three games, i.e., the entire Quarterfinal series against Holy Cross. He posted a record of 1-2, making 95 saves out of 104 shots and posting a goals against average of 3:04.

For the season, including the regular season and one postseason game, he is 9-14-2 with 715 saves out of 783 attempts for a save percentage of .913. His goals-against average is 2.80.

The AIC Yellow Jackets struggled as a team this season, posting a record of 13-23-2 overall and 9-16-1 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. Most of the current players on the team, including Clark, have entered the Transfer Portal.

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

Photo: Michigan State Spartans

Gucciardi and the Spartans wrapped up their regular season with a 5-2 win over the Notre Dame Irish on March 1. Gucciardi had no goals or assists in that game. But the win allowed the Spartans to clinch their second straight Big Ten title. While they were technically tied with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in points, they were considered the winner based on tiebreakers. This earned them a bye in the quarter-finals.

They met Notre Dame in the Big Ten semifinals on March 15 and beat them 1-0 to advance to the Finals. Gucciardi did not have any goals or assists in that game.

The Big Ten Final occurred on March 22. The Spartans won 4-3 in double overtime. Gucciardi had the secondary assist on the Spartans’ third goal at 0:42 of the third period, putting them ahead 3-1.

This was the second consecutive season where Michigan State won both the regular season championship and the Big Ten Tournament.

For March, Gucciardi played in all four games for his team, one regular season game and three post-season games. He scored no goals but recorded one assist. He had 14 shots on goal and blocked five shots. He did not take any minor penalties in March.

For the season, Gucciardi played in 37 games, where he scored six goals and recorded nine assists, both career highs. He made 88 shots on goal and blocked 39 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 26-6-4 overall and 15-5-4 within the Big 10 Conference. They faced ECAC Tournament Champion Cornell University in the Toledo Regional on Thursday, March 27, and lost 4-3 on a power-play goal in the closing seconds of regulation. This was a disappointing ending to the season for the overall second seed.

Gucciardi has signed a two-year entry level contract with the Washington Capitals.

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

On March 6, the Hockey Commissioners Association named  Cole Hutson as National Rookie of the Month for his performance in February, as he lead all rookies in goals, with five, and also added six assists for 11 points overall, which was just one behind the leader.

Hutson and his Terrier teammates had two regular season games remaining in March. The first was an 8-2 win over the Providence Friars on March 6. During a first-period power play, Hutson passed to Eiserman who then shot a one-timer for the Terriers’ first goal, putting them ahead 1-0 at 1:23.

On another first-period power play, after receiving a pass at the left circle, Hutson got the opposing goalie to go down just enough to zip a shot over his left shoulder for a goal at 5:07, which put the Terriers up 2-0.

He also assisted on the Terriers’ third goal at 5:56 of the first period.

Closing out the regular season, Boston University beat the Vermont Catamounts 6-1 on March 8. Hutson scored at 7:56 of the second period when he received a pass from his brother, Quinn, in a 4-on-4 situation and sent it past the goaltender at the right post, putting the Terriers up 3-0.

He also contributed two secondary assists in the game.

Once the regular season ended, Hutson received multiple awards from Hockey East. On March 10, Hockey East named him as one of the two Rookies of the Week. On March 12, Hockey East named him to the All-Rookie Team.

The Terriers then met the University of Massachusetts Minutemen on March 15 for the Hockey East Quarterfinals, beating them 3-2 in overtime and, thus, advanced to the Semifinals. Hutson had no goals or assists in that game.

On March 19, Hutson was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year, capping off a great rookie season.

On March 20, the Terriers faced the University of Connecticut Huskies in the Hockey East Semifinals and lost 5-2. Hutson assisted on the first goal of the game on a first period power play at 9:32. He stopped a clearing attempt and then passed to his brother, Quinn, who scored.

For March, Hutson played in four games, two at the end of the regular season and two in the postseason. He scored three goals and recorded five assists for 8 points. He had 11 shots on goal and blocked 6 shots. He took two minor penalties for 4 penalty minutes during March.

For the season, Hutson played in 35 games for Boston University. He scored 12 goals and recorded 28 assists. He made 97 shots on goal, blocked 36 shots, and was +2 in Plus/Minus. He had 62 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 23-13-2 and 14-8-2 in the Hockey East conference. They faced the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Toledo Regional in the NCAA tournament on Thursday, March 27, beating them 8-3. Hutson scored one goal and recorded three assists in the win. His goal was the Terriers’ eighth goal of the game.

The Terriers secured their berth in the Frozen Four by beating Cornell University 3-2 in Overtime. Hutson assisted on the Terriers’ first goal and scored their second goal. His goal came on a power play at 0:34 in the third period and staked the Terriers to a 2-1 lead.

The Terriers will face Penn State in the Frozen Four on April 10. This is their third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four.

 

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

Photo: Ohio State Hockey

Ohio State wrapped up their regular season in February; hence all games during the month of March were postseason play. They faced Wisconsin in the Quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament the weekend of March 7-9. They lost the series opener 4-1 on March 7 but Johnson scored the only goal for the Buckeyes at 4:19 during the third period which narrowed their deficit to 3-1.

The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin by the identical 3-2 scores on both March 8 and March 9 to advance to the Big Ten semifinals, the first win being in overtime. Johnson did not have any goals or assists in the two wins.

The Buckeyes then faced Penn State in the Big Ten Semifinals on March 15 and won 4-3 and advanced to the Big Ten finals. Johnson was kept off the scoresheet.

On March 22, the Ohio State Buckeyes met the Michigan State Spartans, the defending Big Ten champion, and lost 4-3 in double overtime. Johnson had no goals or assists in that game.

Johnson played in all six of his team’s games in March, all postseason games. He scored one goal and did not record an assist. He had 9 shots on goal and blocked 7 shots. He did not take any minor penalties during March.

Johnson played in 38 games during the regular season, scoring six goals and recording eight assists. He made 51 shots on goal, blocked 59 shots, and was -6. He served just two penalties this season. His goals and assists are career highs.

Ohio played Boston University at the Toledo Regional of the NCAA Men’s Hockey tournament and lost 8-3, ending their season.

Ohio State finished 24-14-2 for the season and 14-9-1 within the Big Ten conference.

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

Kempf 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.

Notre Dame then faced the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Quarterfinals of the Big 10 Tournament, played March 7-9, beating them on March 7 and in the rubber game on March 9 in a Best of Three series, advancing to the Semi-Final round. Kempf did not play in any of the games that round.

Notre Dame faced Michigan State in the Semi-Final game on March 15, but lost 1-0. This ended their 2024-25 season. Kempf did not play in that game.

Thus, Kempf played in just one game in March, the regular season finale on March 1 where he made 41 saves out of 45 shots in a 5-2 loss to Michigan State.

For the season, Kempf played in 13 games in the regular season, starting in 12 and playing in relief once, compiling 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. He played in a backup role as a freshman.

Notre Dame’s final record was 12-25-1 and a 4-19-1 record within the Big 10 Conference. It was a rough regular season, but their highlight was upsetting the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big 10 Conference Tournament Quarterfinals.

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

Photo: Northwestern University Hockey

During March, Lemay usually played on the second defense pairing for Northeastern which was true for the last few regular season games and for the postseason. He also is assigned power-play duty.

On March 1, in a 7-1 loss to the University of Connecticut Huskies, Lemay scored on the power play at 16:40 of the first period. He shot from the point after receiving a pass. It decreased their deficit to 2-1.

On March 6, Lemay recorded assists on both of Northeastern’s goals as they beat the Merrimack Warriors 2-1.  He made a pass on the power play which resulted in the team’s first goal at 12:33 of the first period and put the Huskies up 1-0.

The second assist came on another power-play goal that occurred at 11:51 of the third period and put the Huskies up 2-0 in a game they held on to win 2-1.

They faced Merrimack again in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament on March 12, beating them 3-2 in Overtime. After that, they faced the top-seeded Boston College Eagles on March 15, upsetting them 3-1 to advance to the Hockey East Semi-finals. Their season ended on March 20 when the University of Maine Black Bears beat them 4-3 in double overtime.

For March, Lemay played in three games to close out the regular season and three in the postseason. He scored one goal and had two assists. He took 3 shots on goal and blocked 16 shots during the month. He took one minor penalty for a total of 2 penalty minutes for the month.

He played in 30 games during the season as a junior, scoring three goals and recording nine assists. He also made 58 shots on goal and blocked 49 shots. He took 7 minor penalties and a major penalty/game misconduct for 29 penalty minutes. His Plus/Minus is -11.

The Northeastern Huskies closed out the 2024-25 with a record of 14-29-3 and a record of 7-14-3 for their conference.

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

Photo: Boston College Hockey

On March 1, Leonard had the secondary assist on the goal scored at of the third period in a 1-1 tie against the New Hampshire Wildcats. Boston College won in a shootout.

The Eagles closed out their regular season with a 6-0 win against the Merrimack Warriors on March 8. The Eagles’ regular season performance earned them the regular season championship for the Hockey East Conference.

Leonard scored the Eagles’ first goal at 7:45 during the first period with a wrist shot, putting the Eagles up 1-0.

While on a power play, Leonard passed to a wide-open Gabe Perreault at the circle who scored at 6:34 during the third period which put the Eagles up 4-0

The Eagles then played the Northeastern Huskies in the Hockey East quarterfinals and were upset 3-1. The Eagles fell behind 2-0 and could not mount a comeback. Leonard had the secondary assist on the Eagles’ goal at 17:26 of the third period, making the score 2-1.

Boston College was now out of the Hockey East tournament and would await the NCAA tournament.

Boston College opened the NCAA Mens’ Tournament against Bentley University Falcons on Friday March 28 in the Manchester Regionals, beating them 3-1 thanks to two goals in the final 1:17 of the game. Leonard scored an empty-net goal at 19:28 for the Eagles’ third goal. He assisted on Boston College’s first goal.

There were many honors for Leonard and his fellow Boston College teammates. On March 19, Leonard was named Hockey East Player of the Year and four Eagles were named as First Team All-Stars, including Leonard. That same day, Leonard was named as Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist.

On March 27, Leonard received the Walter Brown award for being the best American-born player in New England. On April 3, it was announced that Leonard was named a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist.

Leonard played in five games during March, scoring 1 goal and recording two assists. He made 26 shots on goal and took five minor penalties for ten penalty minutes.

Through the end of the regular season, Leonard played in 37 games. He scored 30 goals, recorded 19 assists for 40 points overall, and led all NCAA players in goals scored. He made 191 shots on goal and took 23 penalties for 46 penalty minutes.

Boston College finished 27-8-2 overall and 18-4-2 within the Hockey East Conference.

This set up their matchup with the Denver Pioneers on March 30, the same team that had beaten them in the NCAA finals in 2024. Unfortunately, Boston College lost 3-1, ending their season.

Leonard has signed a three-year entry level contract with the Capitals.

Previous Month’s College Summaries
Capitals College Credits – February, 2025: Boston Beanpot Heroics For Hutson and Leonard and Home Stretch of Regular Season
Capitals College Credits – January 2025: Hat Tricks for Leonard and Points on Defense for Cole Hutson, Ryan Chesley, and David Gucciardi
Capitals College Credits – December, 2024: Overtime Heroics From Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson, and Brent Johnson
Capitals College Credits – November, 2024: Ryan Leonard Compiles Goal Scoring Streak
Capitals College Credits – October 2024: Ryan Chesley Made Captain, Records Multi-Goal Game, Cole Hutson Begins Collegiate Scoring

By Diane Doyle

 





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