University of Maine junior center and captain Devin Shore is leaving the team to begin his professional hockey career with the NHL’s Dallas Stars and is expected to report to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars, in Cedar Park, Texas.
Shore, a second team All-American last season, was a second-round draft pick of Dallas in 2012. He was the 61st overall pick.
Shore led the Black Bears in scoring all three years including this past season, which ended on Sunday in a 3-2 overtime loss in the deciding game in a best of three first-round Hockey East series at the University of Vermont.
He finished with 35 points on 14 goals and 21 assists in 39 games. He also led the team in game-winning goals with three and shots on goal with 133.
He averaged over a point per game in Maine’s 22 Hockey East regular season games with 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points.
Shore eclipsed the 100-point mark for his career as he finished his career with 104 in 112 games on 34 goals and 70 assists. He is tied for 51st on the all-time list with Joey Diamond and Robert Liscak.
Former Black Bear Matt Mangene is a defenseman for the Texas Stars, who begin a stretch of four home games in seven days against Lake Erie on Wednesday night.
Shore could not be reached for comment.
Maine coach Red Gendron said early Monday evening that Shore hadn’t contacted him about his decision so he preferred not to comment.
Gendron did say that when it comes to players signing contracts, he is “delighted” for them.
“It’s every player’s dream to play in the NHL and it is part of our job to do everything we can to help them make it to the NHL,” he said. “We want them to aspire to play in the NHL. But we also want them to get a degree because, someday, they’re going to need it.”
Junior defenseman Ben Hutton, a fifth-round draft pick of Vancouver and the 147th overall pick, said he hasn’t made a decision on his future yet.
Hutton has been Maine’s top scoring defenseman all three years and his 28 career goals leave him four behind the career high shared by Jack Capuano and the late Andre Aubut.
Hutton had nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 39 games and his nine goals tie him for fourth in the country among defensemen.
He led the country’s defensemen in goals (15) and power-play goals (9) a year ago and was the first Maine defenseman to ever lead the team in goals.
“Everything is up in the air,” said Hutton. “I haven’t decided anything yet.
“It’s my goal and everybody’s goal to go pro, whether I have the opportunity now or after next season,” said Hutton.
He said no matter what happens, he feels he will continue to develop.
“[Gendron] pushes us every day to get better. He doesn’t let us slack off even in the last five minutes of practice,” said Hutton. “He wants to make sure we continue to get better.”
Hutton said if he hears from the Canucks, he will discuss the decision with his family.
He expects next year’s Maine team to be good.
“We should have a very strong team,” said Hutton. “We will have some holes to fill. We didn’t perform as well as we should have this season. But we’ll work to get better throughout the summer and be ready to go out to try to win a national championship.”
He thought he and his mates played very well against Vermont and deserved a better fate.
“That’s the way hockey is sometimes. Unfortunately, the hockey gods weren’t with us this weekend. If we had played the way we did in Vermont throughout the whole season, we would have been sitting pretty heading into the playoffs,” he said.