As 2025 rolls on, teams across the NHL and other sports have been creating their Quarter-Century Teams, a showcase of the best players to come through in the last 25 years for their respective organizations. Naturally, we wanted to bring this to Northeastern. We went through each team from 2000-2025 to make our determinations, factoring in individual and team success at Northeastern, individual accolades, as well as intangible impact on the program in making our final calls. We have designed each team to be 3 forwards, 2 defensemen, and 1 goaltender.
Quarter-Century First Team
Forward Adam Gaudette– The easiest selection for the team is the lone Hobey Baker winner in school history. Gaudette arrived to Northeastern with high expectations and he smashed every one of them from the onset of his career, scoring 30 points as a freshman, spurring the team to the 2016 Hockey East Championship, before scoring 52 points as a sophomore and capping his career with 60 points as a junior. He had his Hobey Baker moment in February 2018 when his hat trick propelled the Huskies to their first Beanpot championship since 1988. His junior year he was named assistant captain by his teammates, ahead of being named a First Team All-American, taking home Hockey East Player of the Year (3rd in Northeastern’s history), Hockey East scoring champion (second Northeastern player to do so), and winning the prestigious Walter Brown Award as the best American-born player in New England. In his three seasons, Gaudette’s 142 points sit 17th all-time in program scoring. It’s easy to say now that Adam Gaudette was special, but it’s true. Every time he touched the puck, you knew something good would happen for Northeastern. He was special from the moment he arrived, and arguably no one had more pride in wearing the Northeastern uniform. For my money, Gaudette is the greatest pure goal-scorer I’ve seen at Northeastern. He is currently in a resurgent year as a member of the Ottawa Senators in the NHL.
Forward Zach Aston-Reese– Gaudette’s running mate for two years, Aston-Reese arrived to Northeastern with considerably less fanfare but improved every year on Huntington Avenue before exploding as a senior to the tune of 63 points (31 goals). He was a Hobey Hat Trick finalist and still in our opinion rightly should have won. A two-time assistant captain, Aston-Reese scored the game-winning goal in the 2016 Hockey East Championship game, won Hockey East Player of the Year in 2017 and was a First Team All-American. He was named to the All-Hockey East team twice. His 148 points are 12th all-time at Northeastern. Aston-Reese played a much different game than the other forwards on these lists, owning the space between the faceoff dots and scoring his goals mostly off deflections, rebounds, and close-quarters combat with opposing goalies. Much like Mariano Rivera’s cutter in baseball, opponents knew what was coming, but they could not stop ZAR from dominating by the time his career was done. He was simply one of the greatest power forwards to play on Huntington Avenue. Aston-Reese made the NHL as an undrafted free agent and has developed a reputation as one of the best defensive forwards in the league. He is in his eighth NHL season, currently playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was the first Northeastern player to play for Columbus.
Forward Dylan Sikura– The final forward on our Quarter-Century First Team is a two-time All-American, a Hobey Baker finalist, was a member of the All-Hockey East Team twice, and scored 146 points in his four years at Northeastern, good for 14th-best all-time. Dylan Sikura was the 1B to Gaudette’s 1A for two seasons, and developed from an undersized healthy scratch as a freshman to one of the greatest playmakers that Northeastern has ever seen. An assistant captain as a senior and one-third of the best line in college hockey with Gaudette and Nolan Stevens, Sikura was a part of the 2018 Beanpot championship team as well as a fixture in the iconic 7-8-9 line in 2016 for the run to the Hockey East Championship, partnering with Gaudette and senior Mike McMurtry. Once called a “wind-up toy” by a commentator, Sikura’s puck-handling, vision, and smooth skating carved up opposing defenses both in transition and in the offensive zone. He created a home for himself along the right side half-wall on the powerplay, where he could pick corners himself or feed to his teammates on a lethal powerplay unit. Sikura would go on to play for three NHL teams and currently plays in the KHL in Russia.
Defenseman Jeremy Davies– The first defenseman on our list came to Northeastern in 2016 and was a member of a Hockey East championship team as well as back-to-back Beanpot championship teams. Wearing an A as an assistant captain his junior year, Jeremy Davies was a revelation on the back end, generating offense and pushing the pace of play in a style not seen on Huntington Avenue in nearly 20 years (more on that later). Davies was an offensive dynamo who tore up the USHL from the blue line and came in with high expectations, and did not disappoint. In four years he scored 94 points, good for 6th-best all-time in scoring for Huskies defensemen. He was a two-time All-American, two-time All-Hockey East Team selectee, and had a marquee moment when he scored the opening goal in Northeastern’s win over then-number one Massachusetts (featuring eventual Hobey Baker Award winner Cale Makar) at Matthews Arena. Davies made the NHL with Nashville and Buffalo and is currently playing in the Ottawa Senators organization.
Defenseman Jordan Harris– Overlapping with Davies by one year, Jordan Harris took over the mantle as the team’s puck-moving defenseman as a sophomore when Davies signed his pro contract. Harris made the rare jump to college hockey straight from prep school, and did not look out of place as a freshman. He took a leap in responsibility and production his second season, but arguably his biggest moment as a Husky does not show up in the record books officially as he scored the game-winning goal in double overtime in the 2020 Beanpot, after the game was officially deemed a tie by NCAA rules at the time after the first overtime. Harris was an assistant captain during the COVID-shortened season in 2020-21 and then captained the first Northeastern team to be Hockey East Regular Season Champions as a senior. He scored 73 points in his career, was a two-time member of the All-Hockey East Team, and as a senior in 2021-22 was an All-American, won the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman Award, the fourth Northeastern player to do so. Harris jumped straight from NCAA hockey to the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens and has been a fixture in the NHL his whole career. He currently plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Goaltender Devon Levi– The second-easiest player selected for this list after Gaudette, Devon Levi is the greatest goaltender in program history, not just the last 25 years. In his two seasons between the pipes, Levi re-wrote the Northeastern record books, and made his mark in the national picture as well. The only two-time Richter Award winner as the best goaltender in the nation, Levi’s sophomore year featured a .952 save percentage, the second-best mark in college hockey history, and a miniscule 1.54 goals-against-average. In that one season, he had 10 shutouts, obliterating the single-season mark at Northeastern. As a junior, he added 6 more to establish a new career record, and he finished 7th all-time in career wins (38), 1st in GAA (1.90) and save percentage (.942), and 10th in saves (2018). He also tied the Northeastern single-game save record with an absurd 60 saves against UConn in 2022.
He was a Hobey Hat Trick finalist in 2022 and should have won it, considering the award went to a different goalie but Levi went home with the Richter Award. Levi also won the Tim Taylor Award as the nation’s top rookie, the first Northeastern player to do so. Levi also was a two-time All-American, two-time All-Hockey East First Team member, two-time Hobey Baker Award Finalist, won two Beanpots including the first-ever Beanpot decided by a shootout where he saved all three shots he faced in said shootout, was the backstop to the 2022 Hockey East Regular Season Championship team that Harris captained, was part of the gold medal Canadian team at the 2023 World Junior Championships, and on top of all of these accolades, he was Northeastern’s first Men’s Hockey Olympian when he was named to Team Canada for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Levi was a goaltender that you knew every night you were watching greatness perform in front of you. The accolades speak for themselves- there has never been another Devon Levi at Northeastern, and there will not be another. He is currently playing in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres.
Quarter-Century Second Team
Forward Kevin Roy– The first member of our Second Team is the most recent Beanpot Hall of Fame inductee. Roy arrived to Huntington Avenue with significant hype and expectations and met them immediately, scoring goals in his first two collegiate games including in a 3-1 upset over defending national champions Boston College at Matthews Arena. Roy went on to captivate the hockey world with his hat trick in the first round of the Beanpot to defeat Boston University, and with two goals in the championship game was named Beanpot MVP despite the Northeastern loss. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, and in his four years compiled 150 points in 130 games, good for 11th all-time in program history. Roy captained the team his senior season and demonstrated his selflessness and leadership abilities as he came back from injury and accepted a role on the third line rather than his customary first line spot, putting the team above himself as they went on their unforgettable run to the Hockey East Championship, going unbeaten in 22 of their final 23 games. He was an All-American in 2015, a two-time member of the All-Hockey East team, and eventually made the NHL playing for the Anaheim Ducks. He is currently playing in Europe.
Forward Aidan McDonough– The final two spots on the Second Team had many nominees. On the heels of 124 points (66 goals, 13th all-time), two Beanpot titles, a Hockey East Tournament championship, and scoring the game-winning goal in the game that clinched the program’s first Regular Season championship, we voted McDonough for a place on this list. McDonough was a goal-scorer from the minute he stepped onto the ice at Matthews Arena, a powerplay weapon as a freshman with a pro-ready shot. He scored 45 goals his final two years at NU, ultimately earning All-American status in both 2022 and 2023. He was also a member of the All-Hockey East Team both seasons. A captain his senior year, McDonough also scored the only goal in the shootout win over Harvard in the 2023 Beanpot final to clinch the trophy for the Huskies, and to date is still the only shootout goal scored at the Beanpot. He made the NHL with Vancouver after his senior year, and is now playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the Florida Panthers organization.
Forward Jason Guerriero– One of two elder statesmen on this list, Guerriero played at Northeastern from 2001-2005, an era not known for much success on Huntington Avenue. Despite this, Guerriero poured on the scoring, totaling 147 points in 145 games, good for 13th all-time at Northeastern and has only been passed twice since by players on our First Team. Named team captain his senior year, his 48 points earned him All-American and All-Hockey East status, as well as becoming the first Northeastern player to be the Hockey East Scoring Champion. He was runner-up for the Walter Brown Award in 2005, and also won the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award, the second Husky to do so. He was named to the Hockey East 25th Anniversary All-Northeastern Team by the conference. He was inducted into the Northeastern Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2022. While his team success does not match up to the other forwards on these teams, Guerriero’s impact as an individual is nearly unrivaled in program history.
Defenseman Jim Fahey– As we switch to the blue line for the Second Team, our first player is someone who actually only played half his career at Northeastern in this century. Fahey started at Northeastern in 1998 but when the calendar turned to the new millennium, he unlocked a new part of his game, scoring a career high 27 points as a junior before exploding for 46 points as a senior, the high mark on the team and still the highest-scoring season by a defenseman in program history. A two-time captain from 2000-2002, Fahey earned All-American and All- Hockey East honors as a senior and won the Walter Brown Award as the best American player in New England, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, the second in program history and first since the award’s inception in 1981. Similar to Guerriero, Fahey’s teams did not see the championship success that other members of this list had, but he was one of the greatest puck-moving defensemen the program has ever seen. His two years in this century nearly outscored the four year careers of multiple honorable mentions below. Fahey made the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils and was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2012.
Defenseman Josh Manson– Our last skater on the Quarter-Century Team is, in my opinion, the greatest captain I’ve seen in my time watching Northeastern. Josh Manson played three years as a Husky and was the model of a defensive defenseman from the minute he showed up, scoring just 21 points but Manson commanded respect and was an imposing force on the ice every shift. Manson was part of a massive culture change at Northeastern, and helped progress Northeastern from the Greg Cronin era to the Jim Madigan era in terms of quality of play and quality of player wearing the Northeastern sweater. In the linked article, Madigan describes the impact Manson had in detail: “He got to a point that he was just sick and tired of losing…Manson focused on getting the guys to buy into what was needed to win at this level. And that’s when our program took off. He was intimidating. He was a monster in the weight room. He held them accountable. He gave us credibility.”
The first junior to be named captain since Tyler McNeely in 2009, Manson would go on to win the Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman Award in 2014 and be named to the All-Hockey East Team as he guided Northeastern to 19 wins, the program’s highest mark since 2008-09. He would sign with the Anaheim Ducks after the season and continues to play in the NHL. He won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022, becoming only the second Northeastern player to have their name engraved on the greatest trophy in sports.
Goaltender Cayden Primeau– Arguably our most heated debate for these lists was the second goaltender position. By the time he was done at Northeastern, Cayden Primeau seemingly had re-written the record books in ways no one thought would ever be matched. In two seasons, he backstopped the team to consecutive Beanpot championships (the first goaltender to do so since Bruce Racine in the late 1980s), a Hockey East Championship, won the Mike Richter Award as the nation’s best goalie in 2019 and was a finalist in 2018, was named an All-American in 2019, and was the Hockey East Goaltending Champion two years in a row, the second Northeastern goalie to win the award. Statistically, Primeau tied the single-season wins record (25), and set single season marks in save percentage (.933), goals-against-average (1.92 and 2.00) that have only be eclipsed by Devon Levi. He tied the freshman shutout record (4) and finished with 8 in his career, good for 4th all-time. His 44 career wins are tied for 5th all-time, his career GAA (2.00) and save percentage (.932) sit second all-time only to Levi’s marks. Primeau also played for Team USA at the 2019 World Junior Championships, the backbone of the American silver medal team. Primeau has been playing for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL since signing after his sophomore season.
Honorable Mentions
- Tyler Madden (Forward, 2019-2021): 65 points in 63 games. Hockey East All-Rookie Team. 1x Hockey East Champion. 2x Beanpot winner. All-American in 2020. All-Hockey East Team. Game-winning goal against #1 UMass-Amherst in OT in 2019.
- Nolan Stevens (Forward, 2014-2018): 118 points in 132 games. Captain in 2018. 1x Beanpot champion, 1x Hockey East champion. 2 seasons with 20 goals.
- Justin Hryckowian (Forward, 2021-2024): 101 points in 94 games. Captain in 2023-24. 2x Beanpot Champion. 1x Hockey East Regular Season champion. Hockey East All-Rookie Team. 2x Hockey East Best Defensive Forward Award (only player to win it twice). Made NHL with Dallas.
- Wade MacLeod (Forward, 2007-2011): 137 points in 149 games, assistant captain, All-Hockey East Team
- Ryan Shea (Defenseman, 2016-2020): 78 points in 149 games. Captain in 2019-20. 3x Beanpot champion. 1x Hockey East champion. All-Hockey East Team. Made NHL with Dallas, Pittsburgh.
- Matt Benning (Defenseman, 2013-2016): 60 points in 110 games. Assistant captain in 2015-16. 1x Hockey East champion. Made NHL with Edmonton, Nashville, San Jose.
- Brad Thiessen (Goaltender, 2006-2009): 4th-most games played (111), 2nd-most wins (52), 4th-most minutes (6661:23), 3rd-most saves (3166), 3rd-best GAA (2.40), 3rd-best save percentage (.922), 3rd-most shutouts (9). Single season record for wins (25, tied), single-season records for games (41), minutes (2495:44), saves (1195). T-most freshman shutouts (4). All-Hockey East Rookie Team. All-American, Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick Finalist. Made NHL with Pittsburgh.