Sachem Alum Kinkaid Agrees to Deal with Devils

Sachem East alum Keith Kinkaid agreed on an entry-level contract Monday with the New Jersey Devils, according to club.

Sachem Patch originally broke the news Friday on confirmation from Kinkaid and multiple well wishes on his personal Facebook page.

“It was a tough decision to make but a great opportunity presented itself and I decided to take advantage of it,” said Kinkaid, 21, in a statement through the college. “Although my time at Union was not as long as planned, these past two years have been two of the best of my life and I owe it to my coaches and teammates for all the success we have had. There's not a better group of guys and coaches that I could say I've been a part of. I wish everyone at Union all the best.”

The Union College sophomore was one of the hottest NCAA Division I goalies in the country this past season and earned First Team All-America honors.

A Farmingville native and 2008 Sachem East graduate, he finished the year with a 25-10-3 record, compiling a save percentage of .920 and a school-record goals-against average of 1.99, which was fourth best in the nation, according to Union College.

Kinkaid’s final game for Union was a first round NCAA tournament loss to eventual NCAA Champion Minnesota-Duluth. He earned the Ken Dryden Award as ECAC Hockey's Goaltender of the Year and was named ECAC Hockey's Goaltender of the Week three times this season.

“I would like to congratulate Keith on signing an NHL contract with the New Jersey Devils,” said Union coach Nate Leaman in a statement. “In his two years at Union, Keith developed into one of the top goaltenders in the nation, leading the team to our first Cleary Cup and NCAA Tournament appearance.  We wish him the best in his future as he will always be part of the Union College hockey family.”

The Devils, who recently earned the fourth pick in this year's NHL draft, have been led by future hall of fame goaltender Martin Brodeur since 1991. There might not be a better situation for a young freshly signed goalie. Backup Johan Hedberg, 37, is in the twilight of his career, as is Brodeur, 38.

Kinkaid, who grew up an Islanders fan, participated in various NHL prospect development camps last summer where he surely caught the eye of the Devils. It's unclear how long his initial contract will be, or what kind of dialogue the organization has had with him about his future role with the club.

Prior to his Union days, he played for the St. Louis Bandits of the North America Hockey League where he was NAHL MVP, Goaltender of the Year and a First Team All-Star.

He becomes the third Sachem alum to be linked with an NHL team. Al Hoges played at the University of Michigan and was drafted by the Devils and Greg Mischler, who played at Northeastern, was with the San Jose Sharks. 

Sachem Alums in the Pros