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When the Huskies open their season against Stonehill College at 7 p.m. Saturday at Matthews Arena, they’ll be seeking to set a defensive tone around Whitehead — a sophomore who plays like a veteran.
Northeastern men’s hockey coach Jerry Keefe could see the improvement in his freshman goalie throughout last season.
“He came in quiet,” Keefe says of Cameron Whitehead. “It took him a little bit of time to get that swagger. But when he got it, he was great.”
Four months into his college career, Whitehead earned the Eberly Award as the Beanpot’s top goalie while helping lead the Huskies through a pair of overtime victories. The freshman was crucial to Northeastern’s fifth Beanpot title in six tournaments.
Whitehead’s .917 save percentage ranked No. 15 nationally to go with four shutouts (fourth-best in the NCAA) and a Hockey East-leading 684 saves. He started all but one game for the Huskies (17-16-3).
“It was his ability to keep getting better — week to week, you could see it,” Keefe says. “Coming into this year, he’s a huge strength for us. Anytime you can get off the bus knowing that your goaltender can be the best player on the ice is a big thing.”
“It’s all about the team having confidence in him and knowing that he’s got their backs,” Keefe says. “Even if maybe you start out slow in a game, you know you’ve got a goaltender that’s going to give you a chance to win every night.”
The Huskies focused on Whitehead, a 6-foot-3 Canadian, during his two seasons (2021-23) with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars in Nebraska. Whitehead, a 2022 fourth-round NHL draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights (No. 128 overall), had an .899 save percentage with a breakout 30-save shutout in the 2022 USHL Fall Classic.
“Northeastern was the first school to offer me a scholarship,” says Whitehead, who was intrigued by the Huskies’ recent history of NHL goalies — Cayden Primeau (Montreal Canadiens) and Devon Levi (Buffalo Sabres).
“He’s putting himself in that group with those guys,” Keefe says.
“It motivates me to be better, seeing the bar that these guys have set for goaltending here at Northeastern,” Whitehead says. “I just want to add on to the history of goaltending here.”
After the Huskies endured a rough start last season, Whitehead helped drive their surge back into Hockey East contention. With the help of goaltender coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson, Whitehead believed he had adjusted to the speed, force and structure of college hockey when the Beanpot arrived.
“Definitely there were some nerves going in,” Whitehead says. “I made the first save — it was a bad rebound — and I was like, ‘I’m good.’”
He quickly found a rhythm. “And then it’s like any game, honestly,” he says. “You make the first save and you’re in, you can do it.”
Whitehead stopped 54 of 59 shots in two Beanpot games — including 33 saves in the final against favored Boston University, a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory. Instead of being intimidated, the TD Garden environment of the Beanpot inspired him.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed of playing in the NHL, it’s always been my plan A,” Whitehead says. “That’s where I want to be. It’s where I’ve dreamed of being. I’ve seen it in my head. I’ve imagined it. I’ve visualized it a lot. And when I was playing [in the Beanpot] I was like, this could be an every-time thing for me. So it just gave me that confidence and it was a surreal experience.”
The Huskies enter this season with no seniors and 15 newcomers, including nine freshmen. Defense promises to be a strength around Whitehead.
“It always starts with your goaltending if you want to win championships, so obviously we feel really good about that,” Keefe says. “I just think we’re a deeper team this year overall. We can play a lot of different ways, which excites me because in Hockey East we play against so many different types of opponents. We’ve got a lot of leaders and a ton of character in that room.”
Whitehead views the team’s ongoing Beanpot dynasty as a springboard to this season, which includes Oct. 18-19 games at defending national champion University of Denver.
“Winning a Beanpot is awesome, but I think our bar is set higher than that,” Whitehead says. “We want to win a Hockey East championship. We want to win a national championship. And I know that’s where my eyes are set on.”