According to the Mining Journal, Northern Michigan junior goaltender Jared Coreau will not be back for his senior season, choosing instead to sign an NHL free-agent contract with the Detroit Red Wings after tentatively agreeing to terms this week.
This was confirmed by the Red Wings on April 3.
Coreau reportedly had six other teams asking about his services.
“Really it just comes down to where I will get an opportunity to play and I’ll take it from there,” Coreau said in the report. “There is no certainty yet where it could be. It’s exciting. I’m kind of nervous.
“I want to have a chance and know what I have to do in terms of work and everything. I’d like to hear that the NHL teams and representatives are in the AHL, they are involved a lot with the AHL team and at games watching you develop.”
Coreau started all 38 games for NMU this season and finished with a 15-19-4 record, a 2.70 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
“It’s sad,” Coreau said last week about leaving school. “There are great guys here. It’s too bad because I think next year is going to be a big year for Northern. We’ll be going into a league that we should be top three.”
“To me, if he was back, he could be an All-American,” added Wildcats’ coach Walt Kyle. “He’s made a great step and great progress.”
