As the college seasons approaches its final stretch, and playoffs less than a month away, let’s look into the Northeastern pipeline and see how the Huskies of the near and distant future are doing this season at various levels of junior and prep-level hockey. Keep in mind that the listed projected year of enrollment is exactly that- a projection, not fact set in stone. All statistics cited are as of February 20th and via Elite Prospects.
Forwards
2025
Grayson Badger– Badger has been committed the longest out of anyone in the pipeline, committing back in 2021. He turns 21 in May. Playing top line right wing for Alberni Valley in the BCHL, he is an assistant captain, and already has blown by his scoring output from last year. He has 47 points (20 goals) in just 35 games. His 47 points are tied for 11th in the BCHL, but his points-per-game sit 5th among players who have played at least half the season.
Amine Hajibi– The Quebec native plays for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL and is in the middle of his second full season in Iowa. He has been a point-per-game player with 42 points (13 goals) in 42 games, and is on pace to eclipse last year’s 46 points by a wide margin. He also is 7th in the league in shots on goal (124), which will be a welcome skill for the team next year to add a volume shooter to the mix. Hajibi has been playing top six wing minutes more this year but has played center as well, giving added flexibility to the coaches for lineup decisions next year and beyond.
Matthew Maltais– The latest addition to the pipeline, Maltais is currently the captain of Lincoln in the USHL and linemates with Jack Pechar. He currently has 32 points (14 goals) in 43 games playing top line wing minutes for the Stars. Similar to Hajibi he also has a bit of a quick trigger, with 114 shots on goal (16th in the USHL).
Giacomo Martino– An offensive dynamo from Toronto who has been committed to the Huskies since Christmas 2021, Martino is in his second season with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL and has exploded offensively this year. In 45 games he has 51 points (22 goals), the fourth-best point total in the USHL. His 29 assists are tied for 5th-most, and his 22 goals are tied for 4th-most. We’ve always known Martino had offensive ability, after he totaled 122 points in two OJHL seasons before making the jump to the USHL. After a modest 25 points last year, Martino looks primed to make the leap to college hockey with immediate impact.
Jacob Mathieu– The first player to commit to Northeastern out of the Canadian Hockey League, Mathieu is the captain of the Rimouski Oceanic. In his fifth year playing in the QMJHL, he has almost matched last year’s output with 61 points (38 goals) in just 50 games. He is 13th in the Q in scoring, tied for 4th in goals. Mathieu is the top line center for Rimouski and we expect he will immediately shoulder similar responsibilities when he arrives to Northeastern next season.
Jack Pechar– The top line center for Lincoln in the USHL, Pechar has 44 points in 39 games (17 goals), which ties him for 7th in USHL scoring this year. He and Martino are tied for 10th in points per game with 1.13, and he’s 9th in the league in assists. With multiple departures possible at the center position, expect Pechar to shoulder a heavy workload early in his Northeastern career similar to Mathieu.
2026
Eero Butella– A power forward with a good defensive game, Butella has been battling some injuries this year with the Fargo Force of the USHL while also playing top six right wing minutes when in the lineup. He has 22 points (10 goals) in 34 games. We expect Butella to repeat in the USHL next season.
Cam Caron– The Dracut, MA native has been playing top wing minutes for the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL after being a scratch for a while in the USHL for Muskegon. In 34 games he has 27 points (10 goals). Caron was a top prep player for New Hampton before making the leap to junior hockey, and was listed as one of the top ’07s in the region. A player with tons of upside, we would not be shocked if he upgrades in competition next year, either making his way back to the USHL next year or potentially dipping into the QMJHL.
Connor Davis– Davis is an interesting case in that he is currently playing his senior year at Salisbury Prep, when many other players his age and skill range may have jumped to junior hockey. Davis has already outproduced his junior year with 35 points (13 goals) in 26 games. He was drafted by Cedar Rapids in the 2023 USHL Draft and by Cape Brenton in the 2022 QMJHL Draft so he has options for his next step after he graduates Salisbury. Depending on how his development goes he could be moved into the Fall 2027, where he’d enroll at 20 years old similar to multiple players for next season.
Haeden Ellis– It’s been a bit of a tumultuous season for Ellis, who started the year with Cedar Rapids but then once CHL-NCAA eligibility changed he made the leap to the Ontario Hockey League to play for the Kitchener Rangers. He has been in and out of the lineup in the bottom six. He has 4 points (2 goals) in 25 OHL games and had 3 points (2 goals) in 12 USHL games. Depending on how his 2025 season goes, Ellis is another candidate for deferral to 2027.
Ben Miller– Tumultuous is a word that also well-describes Ben Miller’s recent years, as since he committed to the Huskies in 2022 he’s had significant injury issues that have limited his playing time. He started this year with Omaha in the USHL, arguably the most dysfunctional team in all of hockey based on what’s happened this season with their personnel, and he had 3 assists in 9 games playing middle six minutes. He then jumped to West Kelowna of the BCHL where he has 6 points (1 goal) in 12 games. Given his lack of playing time, we expect Miller will need a healthy rest of 2025 and full 2025-26 if he wants to stick with Fall 2026 arrival.
Tanner Morgan– Speaking of Omaha, that’s where Morgan has played the whole season after being a pleasant surprise making the team out of preseason camp. Morgan has 7 points (4 goals) in 32 minutes and leads the team in penalty minutes by a wide margin with 82 in 34 games; the next closest is 42. Morgan has played middle six minutes and hopefully he is back in the USHL next year, ideally with a more functional program to continue his development.
Defensemen
2025
Dylan Compton– Compton committed in late 2021 to Northeastern and will finally make his arrival in the Fall. He is playing for the Waterloo Blackhawks and his 31 points (2 goals) in 44 games is the third-best production by a USHL defenseman so far this year. His 29 assists are tied for 5th-best in the league with Hajibi and Martino. Compton has put up great offensive numbers at every stop in his journey and once acclimated to the D1 level we expect that to continue.
Noah Jones– Morgan and Miller’s teammate in Omaha, Jones has been skating this year on the top pair and assistant captain for the Lancers. A defensive defenseman who is more at home playing a physical game, Jones has 8 points (3 goals) in 43 games this season.
Owen Keefe– Similar to Jones’ mold, Keefe is a physical, defense-first player and is in his third USHL season, and first full season in Sioux City where he is teammates with Martino. He has 6 points (all assists) this season.
Michael Fisher– Fisher is a unique case in that he already has played one season with Northeastern, but after losing most of his draft year +1 season to a big knee injury, he struggled in his first year of college hockey. He left Northeastern to play this season with Penticton of the BCHL to further his development, where he has 14 points (2 goals) in 24 games. He has battled some injuries again this season but when healthy has played on the top pair, both on the left and the right side, for the Vees. We expect he will come back into college next year as a sophomore and slide into the lineup again.
2026
Sean Barnhill– A towering 6-foot-5 presence on the blue line, Barnhill is in his first full USHL season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. He has 7 points (4 goals) in 38 games. He has a mid-round grade by most analysts and rankers for the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft so we expect he will hear his name called at some point. Barnhill we expect will play one more USHL season before enrolling, where he will continue to grow.
Garrett Frazer– Frazer has bounced around a bit this year, starting the season with the Janesville Jets of the NAHL, then playing a handful of games with Victoria of the BCHL before finding a home with Erie of the OHL for the remainder of the season. In total he has put up 12 points (1 goal) in 36 junior hockey games this year, with 18 games and 3 points coming with Erie. He has progressively increased his level of competition this year, and is expected to play one more season in Erie.
2027
Nathan Birch– Three defensemen make up the currently class of 2027. Birch committed on the first day eligible in August, and plays for Bishop’s College School in the Canadian prep circuit. In 46 games this year per EP, he has totaled 27 points. He was a midround pick by both Cedar Rapids in the USHL Draft and Quebec in the QMJHL Draft so he has options for his next step.
Leo Laschon– Committing two days after Birch, Laschon is playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 16U team, the program he has been with his whole youth hockey career. He has 21 points (6 goals) in 31 games. He also has gotten 3 games in with the US National Team Development Program’s U17 team as a callup. He is a Waterloo USHL Draft pick.
Loic Nasreddine– Nasreddine has thrived with the Dallas Stars Elite 16U AAA team this year, to the tune of 41 points (5 goals) in 50 games. He also has taken strides to the next level of competition with 2 games for the Lone Star Brahmas of the NAHL, where he notched one assist, quite the feat for a 16 year old player. Nasreddine was drafted by Des Moines in the USHL Draft and Moncton in the QMJHL Draft.
Goaltender
2026
Louka Cloutier– The lone goaltender in the pipeline, Cloutier has been splitting time with Chicago of the USHL. He’s struggled in his second USHL season, with a 4.10 goals-against-average and .881 save percentage. The 2024 Colorado draft pick was projected to take the spot of current goaltender Cameron Whitehead after Whitehead’s projected departure after the 2025-26 season, meaning Cloutier will likely return to the USHL next year to continue his development.