BOSTON -- Ten current and former players from the Northeastern men's ice hockey team were invited to skate at NHL development camps across the United States and Canada this month, including eight from the 2017-18 roster. NHL teams put together a combination of on-ice and off-ice events throughout the week.
 
Rising junior Adam Gaudette stole the headlines at Vancouver's camp last week among a talented field of prospects. The Braintree, Mass. native led the NCAA and set the school record for power play goals in a season (16) as a sophomore in 2016-17, earning Hockey East Third Team honors in the process, and carried that success onto the ice at Rogers Arena last week.
 
"They (Canucks) fully support my decision to go back (to Northeastern in 2017-18) and develop and I'll be excited to get here eventually. I have to keep playing a 200-foot game and be physical and hard to play against. I definitely need to work on my skating and smooth it out a little more."


More Gaudette coverage: Scavenger Hunt | Five prospects to watch at Canucks camp | Gaudette steals the spotlight
 
Captain Nolan Stevens, a fifth round draft choice of the St. Louis Blues last year, is attending his second development camp with the organization in 2017. Stevens played in 17 games during an injury shortened junior season at Northeastern in 2016-17, finishing the year with 10 goals and 12 assists, with NU going 10-5-2 in games he played. Stevens' older brother and former Northeastern captain, John, participated in the New York Islanders camp after signing an entry level contract in late March.
 
Senior assistant captain Dylan Sikura and sophomore defenseman Ryan Shea will lace up their skates at Chicago's camp beginning on July 17. Sikura, a sixth round selection by Chicago in 2014, finished sixth in the nation in scoring with 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 2016-17 to earn Hockey East Second Team honors. The Hobey Baker Award candidate was also tied for ninth in the nation with five game-winning goals and had the most single-season assists for a Husky since 1993-94.
 
Shea (Milton, Mass.) played in all 38 games as a rookie last season, finishing with 14 points (one goal 13 assists). He was also seventh in the nation among freshmen with 69 blocked shots, and was named the Ed Arrington Memorial Co-Rookie of the Year as Northeastern's top freshman.
 
Shea shared co-rookie of the year honors with teammate Jeremy Davies, who is attending New Jersey's camp this week. Davies finished the year leading all NU rookies with 23 points on eight goals and 15 assists, tied for ninth among both blueliners and rookies in Hockey East, and was a consistent presence both on the power play and the penalty kill.
 
Fellow sophomore Matt Filipe, along with senior assistant captain Garret Cockerill, both headed to Raleigh for Carolina's development camp. Cockerill (Brighton, Mich.) finished 2016-17 ranked sixth in the nation and third in Hockey East in points per game among defensemen (0.87). He was also one of only 16 defensemen in the nation with at least 30 points this season, and had the most points for a Northeastern defenseman since Jim Fahey in 2001-02 with seven goals and 26 assists.
 
Filipe (Lynnfield, Mass.) logged 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 38 games during his rookie campaign. He became the highest Northeastern draft choice since 2011 when he was taken in the third round (67th overall) in 2016.
 
Incoming freshman goaltender Cayden Primeau got an early start to his season at Montreal's development camp during the first week in July. Primeau was a seventh round selection (199th overall) by Montreal in this year's NHL Draft, becoming 55th draft pick in Northeastern hockey history and only the third goaltender, joining Mike Veisor (St. Louis, 1991) and Tom Cole (Edmonton, 1988). The Voorhees, New Jersey native played the 2016-17 season with Lincoln (USHL), appearing in 30 games and going 14-11-4 with a 3.16 goals against average and .895 save percentage. His 14 victories were the third most among first-year USHL goaltenders, and he was also named to the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game this year.
 
2017 Hobey Hat Trick Finalist Zach Aston-Reese turned heads at Pittsburgh's camp at the end of June. Aston-Reese, who rewrote the Northeastern record books as a senior in 2016-17 and led the NCAA with 31 goals en route to Hockey East Player of the Year honors, signed a two-year entry-level deal with the organization in March. The Penguins ran a feature on the Staten Island, New York native ahead of the camp, which can be found here.
 
"The closer you make it to the NHL, the more difficult it gets and the more work you have to put in," said Aston-Reese during camp. "Guys are a lot older and stronger, and the puck transitions a lot quicker at this level. My goal for next year is to come in and prove that I belong up here."
 
"Zach, he's got to maybe work on his first three or four steps, but he's a man," said Mark Recchi, Pittsburgh assistant coach and 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. "He's ready. He's a big, strong guy, very high character guy that is going to be a good Penguin at some point."

The Huskies will open the season with an exhibition contest against Prince Edward Island on September 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Matthews Arena. Season tickets are currently on sale for Northeastern's 19 home games by clicking here.