Former Hockey Stars Maki, Grumet-Morris Ink Deals With Nashville

Two former players on the Harvard men’s hockey team, Ryan Maki ’07 and Dov Grumet-Morris ’05, each signed contracts with the Nashville Predators last week, bringing them that much closer to their ultimate goals of careers in the National Hockey League.

After scoring 12 goals and notching 11 assists in 32 games with the Crimson during his senior season, Maki began playing at right wing for the Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators’ top American Hockey League affiliate, where he recorded one assist in four games.

Originally drafted by Nashville in 2005 as the 176th overall pick in the sixth round, Nashville owned Maki’s rights for the final two years of his college career. His recently-signed two-year contract gives him $40,000 annually at the minor league level and $475,000 a season if he makes the Predators’ top squad.

“We thought he showed a tough side from the time he was with the U.S. [Hockey National Team] Development Program, and we didn’t know if his foot speed was good enough,” said Predators Assistant General Manager Paul Fenton. “We saw he had greatly improved. There was never a question about his work ethic, character and attitude. He’s a tremendous kid with the kind of character and size we’re looking for on the walls.”

It’s a given that the average minor league hockey player is faster, stronger, and more skilled than the average competitor in the college ranks. Thanks to his speedy entry into the AHL, Maki realizes that his staying power in the world of professional hockey hinges on the ability to expand his hockey intelligence.

“Guys at the next level know the game a lot better and are smarter on the ice,” Maki said. “Understanding how the strategy and thinking plays out in your head was the biggest thing for me. I kind of took a look at the veterans and took their lead.”

Dov Grumet-Morris enters the Music City with two years of professional experience, including stints at both the AA and AAA levels. Originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fifth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, the goalie signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes upon graduation.

However, as a minor-league journeyman splitting his time among AHL teams in Portland, Hamilton, and Manitoba during the 2006-2007 campaign, Grumet-Morris first attracted the attention of the Predators thanks to his .926 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average in 17 AHL contests.

“At this point in my career, I’m not a rookie,” he said. “That definitely helps in terms of understanding how to approach the game from the mental aspect as well as away from the rink, meaning good nutrition, sleeping habits, and general life habits. That was possibly an attractive quality. They also got to see me play in many different situations with different quality defenses.

“That helps a player learn how to move in and out of lineups and shows mental toughness,” he said.

A 2005 All-American selection after posting a Harvard record 1.64 goals-against average during his senior season, Grumet-Morris will make $475,000 at the NHL level and $60,000 per year in the minors. Since the organization will carry four goalies between the Predators and the Admirals, Grumet-Morris finds himself in a favorable situation, looking ready to get significant playing time on the AAA squad at the very least.

“He’s a good prospect that has an awful lot of intelligence but competitive in nature,” Fenton said. “He’s worth the investment and we look forward to seeing if our goaltending coach can make him into an NHL goalie.”

Both players credit the presence of Crimson coach Ted Donato’91 as a reminder of how far Harvard players can go in the world of professional hockey. Thanks to the guidance of the 13-year NHL veteran, players can rely on someone who knows how to jump from college hockey to the next level.

In Grumet-Morris’ case, Donato, in his first year at the helm, was adjusting to life behind the bench as the senior goaltender was starting to prepare himself mentally and physically to compete in the pros.

“[Donato] was essential in the way that he related to the players and helped us understand the mentality that we would need to have going into the off-season and the pros,” Grumet-Morris said. “In the transition period, he bridged that gap by telling us what it is that players and management are looking for in younger guys at the next level.”

Though only in their seventh season of existence in the NHL, the Predators are one of the hottest teams in the league after a franchise-best record of 51-23-8 (110 points) that earned them their third consecutive playoff appearance in 2007.

Though both players will begin Nashville’s training camp in September unsure of where they will begin in the player development system, the AHL Milwaukee Admirals seem like the most likely place where both will land come the start of the regular season.

DYLAN DILIGENT

Meanwhile, former captain Dylan Reese ‘07 remains in contact negotiations with the New York Rangers after playing in ten regular season games and two playoff contests with the Hartford Wolf Pack, New York’s top minor league club.

“I’m not happy about their most recent offer, and they know that I’m unhappy,” said the former Crimson captain.

If both parties fail to come to terms before Aug. 15, Reese could test the waters of free agency. Whatever the outcome of his contract talks, Reese plans to cut ten pounds, work on his explosive step, and adapt to a less-scrappy style of defense to better suit his 5’11 frame.

The Rangers’ system remains chock full of competition for Reese, as the Rangers have recently placed more emphasis on internal player development as opposed to big-name free agent signings.

“The Rangers have a deep system and a lot of young defensemen and some highly-touted guys coming out of the Canadian league,” Reese said. “You really have to outplay a lot of other guys.”

As the future of Harvard’s best talent continues to evolve in professional hockey, the success of these three can serve notice that Harvard hockey is routinely capable of molding promising freshmen into players with the skills and mental agility to follow Donato’s professional example.

—Staff writer Robert T. Hamlin can be reached at rhamlin@fas.harvard.edu.