HabsWorld.net -- 

In somewhat of a surprising move, recently-acquired prospect forward Ty Smilanic has decided to change schools as he has entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal.

The 20-year old was acquired from Florida last month as part of the Ben Chiarot trade.  He recently wrapped up his sophomore year at Quinnipiac, posting 13 goals and 10 assists in 41 games, per-game rates that were slightly below that of his rookie campaign.  Once returning from the postponed World Juniors, Smilanic was injured and struggled to find his form for the rest of the season and it appears he feels that a change of scenery is needed.

It’s worth noting that entering the portal isn’t a 100% guarantee that Smilanic will ultimately move but it allows him to speak to other schools about opportunities.  While it used to be that a player had to sit a year when transferring, that’s no longer the case as each player can do a one-time transfer without having to sit.

A listing of the players that have transferred this year can be found here but Smilanic is the most notable NHL-drafted player so far that appears to be set to change schools for next season.  This transfer, should it go through, won’t have any effect on his signing deadline which remains August 15, 2024.