Jon Gillies, one of the top goaltending prospects in this summer’s NHL draft, will play for Providence next season, according to multiple reports. Gillies had originally committed to Northeastern, but he chose to decommit earlier this spring when Chris Rawlings elected to stay for his senior season.

Gillies narrowed his choices down to Providence, Notre Dame and the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Andrew Weiss of Future Considerations reported over the weekend that Gillies had eliminated Notre Dame from consideration. Gillies’ pick of Providence over Quebec was reported by both Weiss and Nathan Fournier of the Maine Hockey Journal. He told Weiss that he picked Providence because it allowed him “more time to develop if needed.”

Gillies, a native of South Portland, Maine, played for the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League this past season. The 6-foot-5 netminder led the league with 31 wins and ranked fourth with a .915 save percentage. Gillies was recently ranked sixth among North American goalies in NHL Central Scouting’s final draft rankings.

The Friars now have four goalies lined up for next year’s roster — Gillies, senior Russ Stein, sophomore Julien Laplante and incoming freshman Dylan Wells. Gillies adds to an already-impressive recruiting class for second-year coach Nate Leaman. He joins, among others, fellow NHL draft hopefuls Mark Jankowski and Paul DeJersey, both of whom were ranked among Central Scouting’s top 100 North American skaters.

Monday, May 21st, 2012 - 5:22 pm | Blogs, Hockey East