Seven Huskies attend NHL Development Camps

HOUGHTON – Michigan Tech had four current and three former players at NHL Development Camps over the last month. Jake Jackson attended San Jose camp for the fifth time while Thomas Beretta (Toronto), Jake Lucchini (Pittsburgh), and Cooper Watson (Dallas) were invites. Former defenseman Mark Auk signed with Minnesota Wild’s AHL affiliate after the 2017-18 season and is currently in St. Paul. Angus Redmond (Anaheim) and Mitch Reinke (St. Louis) were with the teams they signed with.

Mark Auk – Minnesota Wild
Auk is at the Minnesota Wild’s Development Camp from July 10-15 at the Xcel Energy Center. He is one of 43 players in attendance. Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild coaches and staff members will lead the on-ice sessions. Players will participate in daily skating, strength and conditioning sessions, as well as off-ice topics including sports psychology, social media training, and nutrition education.

Auk, a native of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, played four seasons for the Huskies, appearing in 150 games. He was fourth amongst all NCAA Division I defensemen with 84 career points on 21 goals and 63 assists. Auk was second on the team, fifth amongst WCHA defensemen, and 10th in the country amongst blueliners with 31 points in 2017-18. His 31 points, nine goals, and 22 assists were all career highs. Auk was named the MVP of the Ice Breaker Tournament after he tallied two goals and two assists to lead the Huskies to the title in their first-ever appearance. He was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Month for October and was twice named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.

Auk attended the Chicago Blackhawks Development Camp in 2016 and the Edmonton Oilers Camp in 2016 and 2017.

Thomas Beretta – Toronto Maple Leafs
Beretta was at the Toronto Maple Leafs Development Camp from June 25-30 at the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence. He was one of 46 players and 27 forwards in attendance.

Beretta appeared in 42-of-44 games for the Huskies during his sophomore season. He tallied 11 points with seven goals and four assists. The native of King City, Ontario, had three power-play goals and the game-winning goal at Alaska on November 25. He was a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and is a two-time WCHA All-Academic Team member. Beretta has played 82 career games for the Black and Gold and has 19 points.

Jake Jackson – San Jose Sharks
Jackson was at the San Jose Sharks Development Camp from July 3-6 at Solar4America Ice. Jackson was picked by the Sharks in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and was one of the 46 players at camp.

Jackson was third on the Huskies with 13 goals last season, tallying a career-high 26 points in 39 games. He was second with a plus-13 rating. He scored the Game 3 clinching overtime goal at Minnesota State to send the Huskies to the WCHA Championship Game and scored late against Notre Dame in the NCAA Regional Semifinal to send the game to the extra session. Jackson went on a nine-game point streak from November 17-January 1 when he had five goals and six assists. The Maplewood, Minnesota native enters his senior campaign with 91 games under his belt and 43 career points.

Jake Lucchini – Pittsburgh Penguins
Lucchini was at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry from June 27-29 for the Pittsburgh Penguins Annual Prospect Development Camp. Development camp featured a variety of off-ice activities focused on helping players transition to becoming a professional athlete. Lucchini was one of 38 players attending. The camp wrapped up with the annual 3-on-3 tournament where Lucchini and Team Murray won to capture the Michel Briere Cup.

Lucchini played in all 44 games for Tech in 2017-18 and led the Huskies in goals (16), assists (23), and total points (39), finishing seventh overall in the WCHA in points. He received the Merv Youngs Award as the team most valuable player and also the Gary Crosby Memorial Award while serving as an alternate captain. The Trail, British Columbia, native was named to the NCAA East Region All-Tournament Team, the WCHA Offensive Player of March, and a WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Feb. 5). He has 78 career points in 126 games, entering his senior campaign.

Lucchini attended the Edmonton Oilers Development Camp in 2016 and 2017.

Angus Redmond – Anaheim Ducks
Redmond was at Anaheim Ducks Development Camp for the second year in a row. It ran from June 28-July 1 at THE RINKS-Anaheim ICE. The four-day camp focused on both the on-ice and off-ice development of the organization’s top young prospects. In addition to on-ice skating sessions, each player received a personally tailored nutritional recommendation and test for strength thresholds, range of movement, and aerobic capacity.

Redmond signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Ducks in March 2017 after his freshman season at Tech. The native of Langley, British Columbia, appeared in 38 games for the Huskies in 2016-17, starting the final 37. He ranked third in the country, and second in the WCHA, with a 1.85 goals against average. He was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and his 22 wins set a Michigan Tech record for wins by a freshman goaltender.

Redmond appeared in 21 games between the pipes in his first pro season. After starting the 2017-18 season with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, he joined the Toledo Walleye (ECHL) in late February and had a .910 save percentage in three games.

Mitch Reinke – St. Louis Blues

Reinke was at St. Louis Blues Prospect Camp from June 26-29 at the Ice Zone at St. Louis Outlet Mall. The camp consisted of off-ice workouts, on-ice skill sessions, and scrimmages each day.

Reinke signed a two-year contract with the Blues on March 25, 2018, after wrapping us his sophomore season at Tech. He was named to the All-WCHA Third Team as a sophomore and to the WCHA All-Rookie Team as a freshman. The native of Stillwater, Minnesota was sixth in the WCHA in assists (21) and seventh in points (24) amongst defensemen despite missing nine games. He also led the team with 63 blocked shots to rank fifth in the WCHA and had a plus-8 rating. Reinke was named an alternate captain in only his second season and was named to the Great Lakes Invitational and Ice Vegas Invitational all-tournament teams, while also being named to the WCHA All-Academic Team.

Reinke was a candidate for the 2018 Hobey Baker Award and attended the NHL’s Nashville Predators Development Camp in June 2016 and the Calgary Flames Development Camp in July 2017. He made his NHL debut on March 31.

Cooper Watson – Dallas Stars
Watson attended Dallas Stars Development Camp from June 25-29 at StarCenter Frisco. He was one of 32 players and eight defensemen attending.

Watson received the Tech’s Elov Seger Memorial Award as the team’s most improved player. After playing in only one of the first 22 games, the defenseman from Appleton, Wisconsin played 21 of the final 22 contests, including all seven playoff games.