Three Penguins prospects -- RPI defenseman Will Reilly, Nebraska-Omaha defenseman Ryan Jones, and Penn State forward Nikita Pavlychev had their collegiate careers come to an abrupt end when the NCAA cancelled its remaining tournaments due to coronavirus concerns.
Reilly, the Penguins' seventh-round pick in 2017, was expected to play in the ECAC playoffs, where RPI was the No. 4 seed and was set for a first-round matchup with Harvard. In each of Reilly's first three seasons, RPI was eliminated in the first round of the ECAC tournament.
Reilly posted on Instagram that he was "heartbroken" over the way his collegiate career ended, and posted this message on Twitter:
On behalf of @RPI_Hockey, I would like to thank our fans for the unbelievable support this season. This was not how we wanted our season to end but this was a special season for our program and we cannot thank everyone enough for your support #GoRed
— Will Reilly (@97WillReilly) March 12, 2020
Reilly scored 22 goals and 46 assists in 139 games at RPI, and captained the team as a senior.
Jones, the Penguins' fourth-round pick in 2016 was expected to play in the NCHC playoffs with Nebraska-Omaha, where they were the No. 6 seed and set for a first-round matchup with Denver. In each of Jones' first three collegiate seasons, Nebraska-Omaha was eliminated in the first round of the NCHC playoffs.
Jones, a shutdown defenseman, recorded a total of four goals and 38 assists in 141 games over his four collegiate seasons. He was an alternate captain in his senior season.
Pavlychev, the Penguins' 2015 seventh-round pick, and Penn State were Big Ten regular season champions this season. They were supposed to play in the single-elimination Big Ten semifinal round Saturday against Minnesota. Penn State won the Big Ten championship in Pavlychev's freshman year, lost in the semifinal round his sophomore year, and lost in the championship game last season.
Pavlychev posted a lengthy message to Penn State fans on his Instagram.
"Tough to find the right words to describe my feelings and emotions as our season and college careers had to end unexpectedly," Pavlychev wrote. "Will always be wondering what this group of guys could have accomplished. This reminds me to never take good things for granted, as you never know what tomorrow will bring. With that being said I’m excited to see where the future takes me, my senior peers and Penn State’s hockey program. It has been my pleasure and honor to wear blue and white for the past four years and represent the greatest school in the world with my hockey brothers. I want to say special thank you to all the fans in Hockey Valley. Penn State will forever hold a special place in my heart."
Pavlychev finishes his collegiate career with 36 goals and 34 assists in 137 games.
