Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jake Massie has switched his commitment from UMass-Amherst to Vermont, the defenseman announced Thursday on Twitter.
Massie’s change in commitment is likely due to a coaching change. UMass fired head coach John Micheletto on March 6 after four seasons. Micheletto compiled a 39-88-13 record with a 8-24-4 mark in 2015-16. Greg Carvel was named the Minutemen’s head coach on March 29.
Massie,19, scored four goals with six assists in 44 games for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL this season. He was drafted by Omaha with the 27th overall pick in the second round of the 2015 USHL Draft.
Vermont went 15-22-3 overall with a 6-13-3 record in the Hockey East last season. The Catamounts’ last apparence in the NCAA national tournament was 2014. They haven’t made the Frozen Four since 2009.
The Blackhawks acquired the left-handed shooting defenseman as part of the offseason trade that sent Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 6-foot-1, 179-pound blue liner was selected with the 156th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by Carolina.