Cam Darcy Leaves Northeastern

Just nine games into the season, freshman forward Cam Darcy has made the decision to leave the hockey program at Northeastern University and pursue his career in hockey elsewhere. Darcy tallied 2 assists as a center before the news leaked that Muskegon (USHL) had added the South Boston native to its protected list of roster players, according to scout Matt Moran.

Of course the news comes as a complete surprise, and details on the matter have yet to be seen. Before attending Northeastern, Darcy played for the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) while committed to join head coach Greg Cronin at Northeastern afterward. Darcy withdrew from his commitment following Cronin’s departure, but re-committed following some convincing from the current coaching staff. Darcy’s limited role on the USNTDP team made it difficult for NHL teams to pull the trigger on him in the 2012 amateur draft, but Madigan and co. recognized Darcy’s ability, realizing how important it was to keep a centerman with solid potential close to the program.

Darcy started off his juncture at Northeastern with a showcase of solid playmaking ability and punishing physical play. Despite being shuffled throughout the lineup a bit, Darcy performed well for a freshman, more often than not. This leads us to wonder why, despite a losing skid since the very beginning of the year, Darcy would depart from the program? Sources have informed CHN’s Mike McMahon that Darcy plans to transfer to another school, which means Darcy is using the USHL to retain eligibility so he can play elsewhere in the NCAA next year.

What is suspect of course, is the timing of the situation. The list of personal and academic reasons could go on for a while: Maybe he doesn’t like Northeastern, maybe he doesn’t like school in general, maybe he struggled with classes, maybe he doesn’t think he’s ready for classes. A couple of these reasons contradict what was reported earlier about a transfer, but they are possibilities that have been discussed and considered to have validity today.

On the surface, we see a freshman receiving important playing time leaving a talented roster after 9 games, albeit the most

Forced to watch the celebration from the background…
Photo courtesy of Dave Luca

recent of them carrying great frustration. But for the average Husky fan, this happening has to hold some semblance to the exodus of Cronin players from the program throughout the past year, which is bizarre in this case when considering the timing. Had Cam Darcy already lost faith in his development as a hockey player at Northeastern?

In the end, Darcy is a Cronin recruit who decided to give the new regime a chance, but couldn’t see himself resolving issues that have risen during his stay at NU over time. Let’s just hope this is where that all too familiar damage ends, and loyal fans of the team have to hope that this issue is a just singular one with Cam Darcy and his own motivations, rather than a tributary to some deeper problems. His departure is a shame for a team with so much upside.