UConn lands Clarkson goalie Ethan Haider
The Huskies find their replacement for Logan Terness and add competition for Arsenii Sergeev.
UConn men’s hockey shored up the most position on the ice, adding former Clarkson goalie Ethan Haider, one of the top net-minders in the transfer portal.
A fifth round pick (148th overall) of the Nashville Predators in 2019 NHL Draft, Haider catches with his left hand, is listed at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds and hails from Maple Grove, Minnesota.
He owned a 2.51 goals against average and .906 save percentage in 35 starts with the Golden Knights this past year. The rising senior finished with a 16-16-3 record and recorded three shutouts for a Clarkson team that ended the season 31st in Pairwise.
In his career, Haider owns a 2.36 GAA and .910 save percentage in 80 games. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining (his senior year plus the COVID year).
After Logan Terness entered the transfer portal in early April (and eventually landed at Ohio State), UConn began scouring the market for a goaltender that could compete with returning sophomore Arsenii Sergeev for the starting job. The Huskies believe they’ve found that in Haider.
“It's always prudent to have two goaltenders,” head coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “It's a very risky proposition and go through an entire year with one goaltender and I don't think it's healthy. I think competition is healthy… it's just too taxing a position to expect your goaltender to play every game.”
In addition to Haider and Sergeev, senior Matt Pasquale will round out the goaltender position. While UConn carried four goalies on its roster over the last three and a half seasons, it’ll stick with just three net-minders this year.
Now that Haider is now in the mix, the Huskies fixed the only glaring hole remaining on their roster. UConn could still add more pieces, but it has a strong core if nothing materializes.