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4 NEW YORK HOCKEY JOURNAL April 2020 Subscribe today at NYHockeyJournal.com/subscribe AROUND THE REGION AROUND THE REGION BU's Zegras, Harvard's Badini sign pro deals B oston University freshman cen- ter Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) and Harvard junior center Jack Badini (Old Greenwich, Conn.) signed entry-level pro contracts at the end of March, forgoing their final seasons of college eligibility. Zegras signed a three-year, entry-lev- el contract with the Anaheim Ducks after getting selected by them with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. A Mid Fairfield Junior Rangers and Avon Old Farms product, Zegras recorded 11 goals and 25 assists in 33 games at BU. Badini opted to forgo his senior sea- son at Harvard, signing a two-year, en- try-level contract with the Ducks. He had six goals and eight assists in 31 games as a junior. Over his first two seasons, he had 18 goals and 19 assists. Galajda, Knight are Richter finalists The five finalists for the Mike Richter Award, given to the outstanding goalie in Division 1 hockey, were announced on March 30, a group that includes Cor- nell junior Matthew Galajda and Bos- ton College freshman Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.). Galajda's 1.56 goals-against average was tops among all ECAC goaltenders and second in the nation, and three of his five shutouts came in what ultimately would be the last four games of the season. Knight ranked fifth nationally in win- ning percentage (.727) with a 23-8-2 re- cord and was ninth in both GAA (1.97) and save percentage (.931). He closed his first collegiate season riding a personal nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1). Michigan junior Strauss Mann, Min- nesota State sophomore Dryden McKay and Maine junior Jeremy Swayman are the other finalists for the award, which will be announced on April 10. Bruins owner draws fire Delaware North, the Buffalo-based company chaired by Boston Bruins own- er Jeremy Jacobs (East Aurora, N.Y.) an- nounced last month that 150 members of the NHL team and employees at TD Gar- den in Boston will be placed on tempo- rary leave or have their salaries reduced. The company also announced it's lay- ing off the bulk of its full-time staff in re- sponse to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The Bruins were roundly criticized for being the last team in the NHL to set up a fund to help part-time gameday employees who lost work because of the pandemic — and then only if postponed games aren't made up. The Bruins are owned by Jacobs, chairman of the NHL board of gover- nors and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. According to Forbes Magazine, the Jacobs family is worth $3.3 billion. QUICKER. FASTER. EFFICIENT. LAURA STAMM I N T E R N A T I O N A L POWER SKATING SYSTEM S I N C E 1 9 7 1 REGISTER ONLINE laurastamm.com OR CALL 1.800.750.3502. POWER SKATING @lspowerskating N ew York Gov� Andrew M� Cuomo announced March 27 in his coronavirus briefing that "non-essential construction will be stopped," in- cluding work on the Islanders' arena at Belmont Park� But according to a report by Jim Baumbach of Newsday, the planned fall 2021 opening is not currently in jeopardy� "If construction restarts within a reasonable period, we expect to maintain our schedule and for the arena to be open for the 2021-22 NHL season," Richard Browne, managing partner of Sterling Project Development, told Newsday� "We support Governor Cuomo's efforts to eliminate the COVID-19 virus� He has been the driv- ing force behind the construction of Belmont Park Arena," said Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello� "The progress that has been made since the groundbreaking is truly incredible and is a credit to all of the construction workers that have been there every day� Those workers are all a part of our community and we want them safe and healthy�" The Islanders, who have split home games between Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center since last season, are scheduled to play in their new home in the 2021-22 season� The project broke ground on the Belmont Park site in East Elmont, N�Y, on Sept� 23, 2019� ISLES GM CONFIDENT OF FALL 2021 ARENA OPENING