As juniors last season, Parker Ford (Wakefield, R.I.), Aidan McDonough (Milton, Mass.) and Wilmer Skoog were among the top players in Hockey East.
All three could have turned pro. All three could be skating in NHL training camps this week with money in their pockets and no classes to worry about.
But Ford (Providence College), McDonough (Northeastern) and Skoog (Boston University) opted to return for their senior years.
Here’s why they stayed in school.
Parker Ford
Ford, who was not drafted, took a hard look at signing an NHL free-agent deal last spring before informing Friar coach Nate Leaman that he would be back.
Having another season to work on his game and the opportunity to help the Friars get to the NCAA Tournament played a big role.
“It was definitely a tough decision because you want to be the best hockey player you can be and (turning pro) is the next step, that’s the goal. A lot of thought went into it. But I’m really happy with my decision and I think we have a great team this year, so I’m really excited,” said the 22-year-old center, who has drawn plenty of NHL attention the last couple of seasons.
After going to the Frozen Four in 2019, before Ford arrived, PC missed the tournament in 2021 and 2022 and it was canceled because of COVID in 2020.
“That’s a goal I’ve had for the last three years and I haven’t been able to do that. That was a big part of my decision. I felt like I had something more to give here at Providence.
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“That’s all we really think about, all of us. We definitely have the pieces this year but we’re still a long ways away. The mentality right now is take it day by day and just try to get better.”
Ford, who was a standout at Boston Bruins development camp in 2021, turned down invitations to NHL camps this summer after finishing third in scoring for PC with 13-14-27 in 38 games.
“The biggest thing was that the last couple of summers I haven’t really had to myself. I either had a development camp or world junior camp to get ready for. This summer I just wanted to focus on this upcoming season and (not risk) getting hurt. I thought it was the smart decision.
“I was here the whole summer and I feel like I got a lot better and a lot stronger.”
Ford, who is from Wakefield, R.I., will be one of PC’s captains this season.
“Growing up, I came to all these games. It’s a dream come true to even be here. Having the guys want me to be a leader is important to me.”
He is on track to earn his degree in finance next spring.
“I promised my parents I’d get my degree here. Even if I did leave last year, I was going to finish that up. Now that I’m back, it makes it a lot easier. It’s important. Hockey’s going to be over one day.”
Aidan McDonough
A combination of factors contributed to the decision by McDonough, drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh round in 2019, to play a fourth year on St. Botolph Street.
The bottom line was that he still has a lot to gain from another college season.
“Last year I took a good step in terms of my development, but I still think there’s a lot of room to grow,” said McDonough, who led Hockey East with 25 goals and finished second in scoring with 39 points in 38 games.
“The biggest thing is I just wanted to be physically ready for pro hockey when it comes. To do that I need to continue to be in the gym, get stronger. I still need to continue to get faster and work on my skating. I think that’s going to take some time.
“And the overall maturation process. I’ve talked to a lot of guys who stayed for their senior year and they talked about how much they grew in that last year, and being able to be the captain is a huge deal for me.”
Last but by no means least is his diploma. “That’s a huge, important piece that my parents are always on me about: education. To come back and graduate and get my degree from a great university,” he said.
The Huskies were very good last season and could have what it takes to be even better this year.
“Devon Levi and I talked for some time after the season. Jakub Novak had the opportunity to leave but he decided to come back for his fifth year. I knew about the freshman class coming in,” said McDonough, who is from Milton, Mass.
“The way it shook out, it looked like we were going to have a really strong team, and so that was really encouraging. Once you get your feet wet in college, you just want to win. Knowing that we have the opportunity to do that, that was a huge draw for Devon and myself.”
Northeastern won the Hockey East regular season title last year, but lost to UConn in the tournament semifinals, then lost to Western Michigan at the NCAA East Regional in Worcester.
“We were right where we wanted to be. But when we got to those big games we didn’t play the way that we wanted to, with maybe the exception of the second and third periods against Western Michigan.
“We didn’t play great in those games. For us, we’ve got to get to those games again, then have more of a focus on being comfortable in those games, knowing what it takes to win,” he said.
Wilmer Skoog
It doesn’t sound like Skoog, an undrafted center from Stockholm, Sweden, had any trouble deciding that another year as a Terrier was the right path.
“First of all, my time at BU has been really good. I’ve been enjoying every minute of it. I think the team is going to be really competitive this year, more competitive than the most recent seasons. I believe in the team, that we can accomplish a lot of things this year and I really want to be a part of that,” said Skoog, who scored the only two “Michigan” goals in Hockey East last season.
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“Secondly, for me individually, I can develop even more and I’m doing my best every day to improve. With the new coaching staff, there’s a lot of good opportunities to improve my game even more before turning pro.”
Ramping up his game will serve him well when he does sign at the end of the season.
“In my skating I’ve been working a lot on my quickness and my stride. I want to be a 200-foot player. I take a lot of pride in the neutral zone and in the defensive zone. I think I’ve proven that I can produce at this level and I want to continue doing that,” said Skoog, who was second in scoring for BU last season with 15-15-30 in 35 games.
“I want to improve my details in the game all over the ice and then around the net, where a lot of things happen. I’m usually around the net a lot, so improved puck touches around the net, tips and all that.”
Skoog, 23, went to Vegas Golden Knights development camp over the summer.
“It was a good experience. Good to see how everything works there, get to know the organization and the people around a little bit. It was good to get some insight into how everything works there,” he said.
Now it’s on to the college season.
“I love being here at BU. I know my time will come for (pro hockey), too. I’m really just happy for the opportunities I have here. We really have a good team and a great group of guys and staff to make the best out of everything.”
