kevin oklobuziya
All-league selections Carter Wilkie and Tommy Scarfone, who are key components of the Rochester Institute of Technology's Atlantic Hockey Championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament, will play elsewhere next season.
The RIT junior has entered the college hockey transfer portal with the aim of increasing his chances of signing an NHL contract in the future.
Wilkie still has one year of eligibility left, but was expected to leave due to interest from NHL teams. However, no notable offers materialized for the versatile centerman, so he opted to find a prime-time opportunity in one of college hockey's elite leagues.
But Scarfone's decision caught the RIT coaching staff by surprise. The All-AHA goaltender was expected to be the foundation of the team's defense next year.
“With 'Wilkes,' we were preparing and thought he was going to go pro. Tommy, that was a complete shock,'' Tigers coach Wayne Wilson said. “I wish I had had more conversations with (Scarphone).”
Wilkie was named Atlantic Hockey's Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 and Player of the Year in 2022-23, scoring 16 goals and sharing the team lead with linemate Cody Laskoski with 41 points. He was also selected as an All-League selection this year. He had attracted interest from NHL scouts since his freshman season, but apparently didn't do well enough this year to get the offer he was hoping for.
“We thought, rightly or wrongly, that he was probably going to get an NHL contract, so we're going to use another platform to give him more credibility,” said Steve Bartlett, Wilkie's family advisor. Told.
Mr Bartlett said the difficult decision would narrow down the list to “about 30 schools that have already expressed interest”.
Wilkie would have been a popular choice had he entered the transfer portal after last season, but he chose to remain loyal to RIT in pursuit of his goals of winning an AHA playoff title and earning an NCAA berth.
With those goals accomplished, he now turns his attention to doing whatever he can to convince NHL scouts that he can play at hockey's highest level.
“That's his dream and I support that,” Wilson said. “But if those two guys come back, we'll be able to take another step beyond just saying we should be in the NCAAs. Right now, our team is losing to every program in the country. The less the better.”
The Tigers lost 6-3 to Boston College in the regional semifinals, but the game could have been much different if the Tigers had taken advantage of early scoring opportunities and if Scarfone had saved two shots that probably should have been stopped. It might have been.
Entering the transfer portal does not prevent a player from returning to their current school. But Wilson said RIT's rules are clear: “Once you go into the portal, you don't come back.”
“The hard part is, you were one of us, and now you're not,” Wilson said. “You're not a Tiger anymore.”
Wilson said he understands why Wilkie and Scarfone would want to play elsewhere, but he doesn't necessarily believe playing in what is considered the best league in college hockey will lead to more individual success. No, he said.
“They've been great for us and I love them, but the onus is on the players to get that contract,” Wilson said.
RIT also lost four players to ineligibility: forwards Elijah Goncalves (currently playing in ECHL Cincinnati) and Caleb Moretz, and defensemen Gianfranco Cassaro and Ryan Nicholson.
The goalie duties will most likely go to a freshman, but Wilson said RIT is investigating whether Scarfone's backup, graduate student Luke Rush, will be granted another season of eligibility. .
