by Bill Keefe

 Luke Curadi, a mammoth blueliner from Cheshire, Conn., may get picked in June’s NHL Entry Draft. He may not.

In the final rankings of North American skaters from NHL’s Central Scouting Service, Curadi was No. 125. This is the second go-round with the draft hoopla for the 19-year-old Curadi. Last year, he was No. 173 in the final rankings.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Curadi doesn’t hide the fact that his preference would be to hear his name called sometime on June 25 or 26 in Los Angeles. But he has a mature, positive and grounded perspective about the whole process, and realizes his hockey career – and life – will go on. Part of that has to come from having a father who has been a helicopter pilot in the National Guard for 25 years, and who just returned from his third tour of duty in the Middle East.

Just two years ago, Curadi was an unknown -- albeit a big unknown -- in big-time hockey circles as he was finishing up his junior season of Connecticut high school hockey for Notre Dame of West Haven. He had some Division 1 football interest, but hockey was always first with him.

Now, he has two years of junior hockey under his belt, a Division 1 scholarship in his pocket and a deal in place to play in the USHL next season. Drafted or not drafted, he is an NHL prospect.

 “He’s only going to get better,” said Jim Montgomery, who will coach Curadi on the expansion Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL next year and previously landed Curadi as a recruit for RPI. “He should be someone an NHL team should take in this draft. If he continues to progress the way he has over the past 18 months, it’s scary where he could be after the next 18 months.”

Curadi’s journey in the hockey fast lane started after his junior year at Notre Dame. Curadi attended summer camp with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Rough Riders. He then decided not to play for Notre Dame as a senior and signed on with the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League.

Early in the season, the big defenseman with the raw talent was making college and pro scouts take notice. He landed on the Central Scouting “Player to Watch” list. He also made a commitment to the University of Massachusetts.

Curadi finished the year with the Wolf Pack with seven goals and 12 assists and 167 PIMs in 39 games. Along the way, he decommitted from UMass.

“UMass was the first school that came after me,” Curadi said. “I went on my visit and they did a great job of showing the love. I committed, and then I realized – nothing against UMass – I realized I could have kept my options open.”

Last spring, Curadi was a 16^th-round pick of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. The Stars didn’t offer much in the way of interest or opportunity, but the Penticton Vees of the Canadian Junior A British Columbia Hockey League did. Vees coach and GM Fred Harbinson wanted Curadi and contacted him to make a visit. Curadi liked what he saw and across the continent he went.

“It was quite an adjustment period,” Curadi said. “I fit in well as the season went on and had fun playing and just kept developing. … I always thought of myself as a good skater, but there were some fast kids there.”

As Curadi established himself early in the season, Montgomery, the RPI assistant and former Maine star, came back into the picture. The Engineers had made contact while Curadi was with the Wolf Pack, but now the interest picked up. Curadi made a visit and ultimately committed.

“It was a combination of everything,” he said. “It’s 2½ hours from my house. My whole family is from New York. It felt like a place I could call home for four years. The team is all blue-collar guys. Coach (Seth Appert) is great and he has big expectations for the team in coming years, and I want to be a part of that.”

The expansion Dubuque club named Montgomery its head coach in April and one of the first two players he signed was Curadi.

“I’ve watched him over last two years,” Montgomery said. “What struck me right away is his mobility and size. What’s really progressed is how he has evolved as a hockey player and understood the role of a defenseman and just the game better. His instincts and hockey sense have improved by leaps and bounds.

“His puck skills and skating skills were always high end. He handles the puck well and has an absolute bomb. He is mature for his age, has a good work ethic and good character. He has a clear understanding of what he wants to do in his life.

“And then you add the physical element to his game. A lot of people have that size and you hear, ‘I wish he would use it.’ You don’t have to worry about Luke using his size. He relishes putting people in the wall. He relishes clearing the net and he defends his teammates, which is a little bit of a lost art today.”

Curadi helped the Vees tie their team record for points in a season with 100 with a 48-8-4 record, which was good for second overall in the league and second in the Interior Conference behind Vernon. The Vees also finished second in the league with 143 goals against. Curadi had 7-10-17 numbers with 98 PIMs in 58 regular-season games. Penticton won its first two playoff series before losing to Vernon in six games in the conference final.

Fourteen of Curadi’s teammates have made Division 1 commitments and three others were ranked by Central Scouting, including at No. 32 Beau Bennett, who will play for Denver University next season.

“There were scouts all over the place” because of Bennett, Curadi said. “Teams did interviews with me during the season and got to know me. It would be an honor to get drafted. I was more into it last year than this year. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to get drafted, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. Maybe down the road I sign a free agent contract.”

Bill Keefe can be reached at feedback@hockeyjournal.com.

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the May 2010 issue of New England Hockey Journal.

(photo: Ryan Pinder)