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St. Andrew’s College hockey players drafted into the NHL 

July 14, 2022   ·   0 Comments

St. Andrew’s College saw two players from their first team taken in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft last week. 

Defenceman Matthew Morden was selected in the fifth round, #131 by the Arizona Coyotes and centre Luke Devlin, was drafted in the sixth-round, #182 by the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Both players are coming off exceptional seasons under Saints head coach David Manning. This is the sixth consecutive year St. Andrew’s College players have been drafted directly into the NHL and the fourth time where multiple players have been selected during that span. 

Morden, is a 6-foot-5 defenceman who recorded eight goals and 27 assists last season with the Saints. 

The Burlington native came through the Toronto Titans AAA system. Throughout that time in 2019/2020, he made one appearance for the Burlington Cougars in the OJHL, recording one assist. 

In 2020, he joined St. Andrew’s and this past year, he made appearances for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL and Canada’s U18 national team. 

“Matthew was our top d-man. He’s a big kid and was learning how to be that big defenceman. He had a chance to play for Canada U18 in the spring, which I think was an amazing experience for him. Probably solidified his status in the NHL draft. But the ceiling is really, really high for Matthew [and] I think there is so much potential there,” Manning said. 

“Matthew’s…got good feet, he’s probably from the teams we’ve played this year one of the best managers of the puck in terms of when he gets the puck on his stick he’s going to make a pass or a play with it. I think as he grows into his identity of that big smothering defender, I think they have a really good prospect on their hands.” 

Morden has committed to Harvard University this upcoming year and he will be playing hockey in the Ivy League this fall. 

As for Devlin, the 6-foot-3 centre is coming off a great season as well, having recorded 19 goals and 28 assists in 44 games in the CAHS. 

Throughout his time in St. Andrew’s, Devlin also made six appearances for the Des Moines Buccaneers and two appearances for the USNTDP Juniors in the USHL. He also appeared for the U.S. National U17 Team. 

“He was our captain, so obviously his teammates think quite highly of him and his leadership abilities. He was pretty consistent all year. He’s an honest player who plays really hard, plays the right way and plays with a lot of intensity. He has all of those intangibles you look for in any player and he brings it on a consistent basis,” Manning said. 

“He was our leading scorer…I just think he’s an honest player that brings the same consistency, the same work ethic, day in and day out and I think all of those things speak well to his ability to needing some time to continue to grow and mature as a player.” 

Born in Memphis, Tenn., Devlin moved to Canada and currently holds dual citizenship. He is the son of Toronto Raptors broadcaster Matt Devlin. 

He played for the Toronto Titans U15AAA and the Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA in the GTHL, before attending St. Andrew’s College in 2020. 

Devlin has recently committed to Cornell University located in Ithaca, NY. He will join the Big Red this fall in the ECAC – which is one of the six divisions that hosts division one hockey in the United States. 

By Robert Belardi



         

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