After a 5-4 overtime loss to Boston College in the NCAA Regional Final on March 31, Quinnipiac’s hopes for back-to-back national titles were gone. The 2023-2024 season was a roller-coaster, with the Bobcats ranked as high as No. 2 in the Pairwise, before ultimately finishing No. 9 in the country.
Though the season might be over for Quinnipiac, stay here for all Bobcats transfer portal news.
Going Pro:
Jacob Quillan – Signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs (116 games played, 38 goals, 55 assists, 93 points)
Quillan signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 1, 2024.
The deal has an annual average value of $875,000, beginning in the 2024-25 season. Quillan will report to the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL team, the Toronto Marlies, on an amateur tryout (ATO) for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
He wrapped up his Quinnipiac career best known for scoring the game-winning goal over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the 2023 NCAA Division I National Championship Game and was named the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player.
Outside of the national tournament, Quillan won plenty of awards during his career. This past season, he won the Gladiator Best Defensive Forward, an award that was won the previous year by former Quinnipiac teammate Skylar Brinda’mour.
The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native was the faceoff man, winning approximately 56% of his faceoffs since joining the Bobcats in the 2021-22 season. In his third and final season, Quillan was named an alternate captain along with teammates Collin Graf, Iivari Räsӓnen with captain Jayden Lee rounding out the leadership squad.
Collin Graf– signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Shark (75 games played, 43 goals, 65 assists, 108 points)
Graf signed a standard entry-level deal with the San Jose Sharks on April 4, 2024.
Graf stood out on a talented Quinnipiac team for two seasons, earning honors such as ECAC Player of the Year, Finished in the Hobey Baker Top 10, ECAC First Team all-conference, and tied the program’s Division I record with 59 points in the 2022-2023 season.
A transfer from Union College ahead of the 2022 season, Graf’s most memorable moment at Quinnipiac was tying the 2023 NCAA Division I Championship game in the 57th minute (Quillan later went on to win the game for the Bobcats in overtime).
Graf’s 2023 season was also one for the history books. He amassed 49 points in 34 games and helped lead the Bobcats to the NCAA Regional Final in Providence last weekend. Graf was named an alternate captain for the 2023 season.
“Graf has excelled at the collegiate level, finishing as a Hobey Baker Top-10 finalist for the last two seasons,” said Sharks general manager Mike Grier. “His on-ice awareness allows him to process the game at a high level and is a unique player with a quality 200-foot game who excels in the offensive zone. We are excited to have him join the organization.”
Graf made his NHL debut on Saturday, April 6, and got his first NHL point with an assist on April 7.
Sam Lipkin – Signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes (78 games played, 29 goals, 49 assists, 78 points)
Lipkin signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes on April 4, 2024.
Lipkin joined the Quinnipiac Bobcats as a freshman in 2022-23, making an instant impact. In 2023, he led the Bobcats to its first national championship in program history. Lipkin joins fellow first-liners Jacob Quillan and Collin Graf, nicknamed the York Hill boys, who recently signed professional contracts with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Jose Sharks, respectively.
Lipkin will start immediately and report to Tuscon as a member of the Roadrunners (AHL).
Zach Tupker– Signing with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL (39 games played, six goals, 15 assists, 21 points)
Tupker joined the Bobcats as a graduate transfer last spring from the Cornell Big Red and was a core part of Quinnipiac’s offense this season. According to Elite Prospects, Tupker is confirmed to be signing with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.
Vinny Duplessis – Signed with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), on April 11, 2024
In his senior season at Quinnipiac, Duplessis went 21-7-2 with a 2.02 GAA and .914 SV%, plus 3 shutouts in 30 games played in between the pipes.
Duplessis transferred to Quinnipiac before the 2023-24 season, after spending the previous three seasons with Boston University. Duplessis primarily served as a backup goalie, making 40 appearances.
Duplessis stepped into a significant role in October 2023, becoming the “replacement” for star goaltender Yaniv Perets, who helped lead Quinnipiac to its first national title in program history last April. Duplessis initially split time with first-year Slovakian goaltender Matej Marinov until the Quebec native began to stand out and outperform the rookie.
Duplessis’ biggest games came in the clutch. His two biggest games were his first and last as a Bobcat, both against Hockey East foe and national championship favorite Boston College. He made countless saves (15 in the first period on March 31) against arguably one of the best college offenses in NCAA history, not to mention being led by primarily freshmen.
Duplessis had one year of eligibility left due to COVID-19, but the 25-year-old decided to forgo his graduate season with Quinnipiac to go pro. Head coach Rand Pecknold now has three goaltenders for the upcoming 2024-25 season with the departure of Duplessis: Matej Marinov, Noah Altman, and incoming first-year Dylan Silverstein.
Joining:
Jack Ricketts – Transfer, College of the Holy Cross (120 Games Played, 46 goals, 41 Assists, 87 Points)
Ricketts will join the Bobcats for the 2024-25 season after spending the previous four seasons at Holy Cross (MA). He committed to Quinnipiac on March 31, 2024, ahead of the Providence Regional Final.
In his final season with the Crusaders, Ricketts wore the captain’s “C” and finished second on the team in points with 35 points behind Liam McLinskey, former Quinnipiac transfer and Hobey Baker Finalist, with 47 points.
Aaron Bohlinger – Transfer, University of Massachusetts (65 Games Played, 3 Goals, 12 Assists, 15 Points)
Bohlinger, a Walden, N.Y. native, will join the Bobcats for the 2024-25 season as a graduate transfer after spending three seasons at the University of Massachusetts. Bohlinger was a member of the 2021 National Championship team.
In his recent season with the Minutemen, he wore the “C” and scored two goals. The Bobcats are getting a national champion and a veteran player on the blue line. Quinnipiac needs that experience and expertise, as more than half of the Quinnipiac 2023-24 defensemen have either graduated or entered the transfer portal.
Charlie Leddy – Transfer, Boston College (72 Games Played, 2 Goals, 13 Assists, 15 Points)
Leddy, a New Jersey Devils fourth-rounder from Fairfield, Conn. is a defenseman who will fit right into the Pecknold defense. The 2022 Devils draft pick will be one of four transfer blueliners and one of two sophomores.
Before his college career, Leddy spent two years with the United States National Development Program (USHL) and collected 17 assists in 55 games (+33) in the 2021-22 season.
Leddy has not seen too much time in a critical role so far in the NCAA, but his transfer to Quinnipiac could change that as he will have two more years of eligibility remaining.
Nate Benoit – Transfer, North Dakota (20 Games Played, 1 Assist),
Benoit, a Bow, NH native, will be the second North Dakota transfer to Quinnipiac in the past two seasons (Cooper Moore – Spring 2023). The 2021 Minnesota Wild sixth-rounder played about eight minutes per game in his 20 appearances in Grand Forks.
Before college, he played for the Tri-City Storm, Omaha Lancers and the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL). He collected seven goals, and 28 assists in his USHL career (120 games).
Benoit will have three years remaining of NCAA eligibility.
Jeremy Wilmer – Transfer, Boston University (76 Games Played, 15 Goals, 52 Assists, 67 Points)
Wilmer, a sophomore forward from Rockville Centre, N.Y., will join the Bobcats for his junior season starting in the 2024-25 season.
Wilmer finished this season third in assists and points on the Terriers, a team that finished second in the nation and made it to the Frozen Four. Despite his triumphs, he was scratched during the 2024 Frozen Four, which began speculation as the reason for entering the transfer portal.
His first goal of the season was in Boston University’s 3-2 win over Quinnipiac on Nov. 22.
Wilmer will join Quinnipiac as a junior with two years of eligibility left.
Departing:
Christophe Fillion – Entered the transfer portal on April 1, 2024 (124 games played, 25 goals, 29 assists, 54 points)
After losing the 2024 Providence Regional Final against Boston College 5-4, Fillion was the first Bobcat to enter the transfer portal on April 1.
The Sherbrooke, Quebec native spent four years at Quinnipiac, only tallying 54 points. Known as a solid bottom-six skater, Fillion made his presence felt in the 2023 and 2024 national tournaments, scoring five points in six tournament games.
Fillion has since committed to the Miami University of Ohio.
Cristophe Tellier – Entered the transfer portal on April 2, 2024 (89 games played, 15 goals, 36 assists, 51 points)
The other half of the Sherbrooke boys entered the portal on April 2, and eventually landed at Northeastern University. Tellier posted 26 points in 39 games this season, being a consistent part of Quinnipiac’s offense for three seasons.
Timothy Heinke – Entered the transfer portal on April 2, 2024 (17 games played, three points)
Heinke, a sophomore who played 17 games for the Bobcats over two years, will be joining the Holy Cross Crusaders next season.
Nick Wallace – Entered the transfer portal on April 2, 2024 (two games played)
Jake Martin – Entered the transfer portal on April 3, 2024 (27 games played, 1 assist)
Last updated 5/21/2024, 1:30 pm.
