Wahsontiio Stacey, Vermont’s leading scorer, will not finish his senior season with the Catamounts as the Burlington Free Press reported today he has quit the hockey program.
“Wahs has informed the coaches (Tuesday) afternoon that he was quitting the team,” Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon told the paper. “He spoke with the team right before practice to let them know.”
Stacey, who has nine goals this year and 31 in his career, had been suspended indefinitely prior to last weekend’s two-game series at Northeastern. Sneddon said the suspension had been imposed because Stacey had missed several mandatory team functions.
“According to Wahs, he wants to stay in school, focus on his academics and graduate, which is a good a thing,” Sneddon added. “He’s not focused on trying to leave school and go to play minor league pro hockey some place. He’s focused at least on the right thing if he’s not going to be with the team.”
Stacey is the second player to either leave or be cut from the Catamounts this year and the fifth in two seasons. Sophomore forward David Pacan was dismissed from the team right before the start of the season. Last year, Josh Franklin, Chris Atkinson and Justin Milo left during the season for various reasons. Milo, like Stacey, was the team’s leading goal-scorer at the time.
