Maple Leafs prospect may have been kicked off of Harvard’s hockey team

Monday night, Joe Meloni of College Hockey News reported that four players have been removed from the roster of the Harvard Crimson, including Toronto Maple Leafs seventh rounder from 2011 Max Everson. This is likely due to a cheating scandal. There isn’t any official word out of Harvard as to the exact nature of the infraction, but in the Harvard Crimson Monday morning, goaltender Raphael Girard was apparently quoted as saying “Some guys had to take a year absent. I won’t say any names, but like any other team, we might have some problems with the academic scandal.”

So where will Everson end up? He’s eligible for major junior as a 1993-born player, but it appears he’ll spend a year with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL before returning to Harvard. Justin brought up that possibility last week, although noted that he found a single record of Everson’s “defection”.

A “scandal” of this type tends to have details leak out throughout the season, but it seems as if Everson will be allowed to return and play next year. Here’s a Twitter thread with Guy Flaming, Dean Millard and Joe Meloni, who are releasing as many details as they’re allowed to, all in the know:

Everson is listed on the Tri-City Americans’ prospect list. They appear to have his WHL rights, but won’t be allowed to exercise them. Everson can play in the USHL and maintain his NCAA eligibility. He can’t do that if he goes to major junior or turns pro. Since he’s only 19, the decision to return to Omaha is the path of least resistance.

Anyhow, this tweet from Matt Moran is less lonely this week, yet still just as mysterious. Usually, it’s easy to tell what’s happening after a guy suits up and plays a couple of games. Due to budgetary constraints, the Leafs Nation had to shut down our Nebraskan bureau last month, but we’ll continue to monitor this story and wait for details to leak out.

Everson had a single assist in seven games played this season with Harvard, although he is a defenceman.