Jimmy Vesey Named ECAC Player of the Year

In Jimmy Vesey's freshman season, he saw the Crimson rank last in goals in the ECAC. The next year, Harvard jumped only one spot.

That changed this season in dramatic fashion, in large part due to the efforts of the junior forward. Those outside of Cambridge have taken notice.

Before taking the ice for the ECAC Men’s Hockey Tournament semifinal matchup against No. 7/7 Quinnipiac, Vesey was named the ECAC Media Association Player of the Year.

The Nashville Predators’ draft pick has been the moving force for the No. 18/- Crimson offense this season. The junior has accounted for 28 goals and 26 assists through the first period of the team’s semifinal matchup against the Bobcats, leading the conference in goals and points. The output of the first-line—which matched him with junior co-captain Kyle Criscuolo and, when healthy, sophomore Alexander Kerfoot—is a large reason why Harvard boasts the highest-scoring offense in the conference with an average of more than three-and-a-quarter goals per contest.

The forward started off the year with a 21-game point streak, which was only broken when the Crimson was shut out in its third matchup against No. 19/- Yale. He registered a point in all but three games this season.

Vesey’s output was not only large in quantity, but also timely, providing clutch goals for his team. He notched both game-winners in the ECAC quarterfinals against Yale, including the game-deciding goal in double overtime of the rubber match that sent the Crimson to Lake Placid. He also added six points in the two-game sweep of Brown in the first-round series.

This year’s campaign for the North Reading, Mass. native came after he was named to the All-Ivy League second team his sophomore season where he registered 13 goals and nine assists.

Vesey was earlier named Ivy League Player of the Year and to the All-Ivy first team for his efforts this season.

Vesey was not the only member of the Crimson to garner accolades. Fellow classmates and linemate Kyle Criscuolo was named Student-Athlete of the Year, recognizing his off-the-ice accomplishments in conjunction with his performance on the ice. The co-captain ranks fifth in goals in the conference and third in assists, many of which led to Vesey goals.

Despite his prolonged absence during the season, junior defenseman Patrick McNally was named to the second All-ECAC team for the second consecutive season. The Milton Academy graduate has averaged exactly a point per game in the 18 contests for which he has dressed this year.

—Staff writer Kurt T. Bullard can be reached at kurtbullard@college.harvard.edu.