Curry College hockey goalie Reid Cooper signs amateur tryout agreement with Capitals
Reid Cooper is going straight from Milton to the NHL.
Cooper, a Curry College men's ice hockey graduate goaltender from Saskatchewan, signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Washington Capitals and dressed as the backup for Thursday night's season finale against the New Jersey Devils, a game won by New Jersey, 5-4, in overtime.
"It is an absolute dream come true," Cooper said in a statement released by Curry. "I cannot thank the Washington Capitals organization enough for this opportunity. I'm so proud to be representing Curry and am going to soak up every single second of it."
Cooper posted a 20-6-1 record in 27 games for the Colonels this season with a .922 save percentage and a 1.92 goals-against average. He was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference's Goaltender and Co-Player of the Year, and was named to the CCC All-Conference First Team. He was named CCC Goaltender of the Week on two occasions. He was named an American Hockey Coaches Association East All-America Second Team selection.
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Cooper's efforts this season helped Curry climb as high as fifth in the USCHO.com Division III poll during the season, the highest national ranking in program history, and helped the team advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III tournament.
"This is an unbelievable opportunity for Reid," Curry coach Peter Roundy said in the school's release. "He has worked extremely hard to put himself in this position. We are so grateful for his impact on our program and we are thrilled for him and his family to be realizing a lifelong dream of playing in the National Hockey League."
Cooper is slated to graduate from Curry in May with an MBA.
Thursday night's game between the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils is a 7 p.m. start at Washington's Capital One Arena. The game can be watched on ESPN+.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Curry College hockey goalie Reid Cooper signs amateur tryout agreement with Capitals
