Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

While out on the golf course at Shaker Ridge Country Club for the RPI Mens' Hockey tournament, my cell phone started blowing up somewhere around the 6th or 7th hole - word had come down that Jerry D'Amigo had signed or was about to sign a professional contract. As of now, nothing is official, and there's still a lot of questions left to be answered. But signs for the most part point to Jerry's departure from Troy after one phenomenal year in which he won the ECAC's Rookie of the Year award and brought home a gold medal in the World Junior Championships.

As the initial Yahoo! Canada article said, D'Amigo is likely to sign a contract, possibly tomorrow. But that article, which makes it sound like his signing is a fait accompli, seems to jump the gun slightly, as Jerry told the Waterloo Record last night,"If I do sign, it’s to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs." That's an indication that he would prefer to stay in Troy than sign and end up in Kitchener of the OHL. That makes sense for his current position. RPI is closer to home, already familiar, and offers more in the way of training and development than major junior can with its hectic and constant game schedule.

But let's get one thing straight - Jerry D'Amigo can make the Toronto Maple Leafs right now. We knew before anyone that the Leafs got a ridiculous steal in getting Jerry in the sixth round. Then he was a key element of the World Junior team last season, and the buzz started reaching a fever pitch in Toronto. The final key may have been his offseason - last week at the Junior Evaluation Camp, Jerry was listed 20 pounds bulkier than he was by RPI at the beginning of his freshman campaign. I have it on good authority that he's gained 15 pounds of muscle hitting the gym this summer. That's commitment. He has the size. He has the speed. He has the scoring touch. Toronto needs all of it. There's no reason to suspect that he isn't ready for the AHL right now, even after just one season at RPI. That's a testament to the RPI coaching staff and to Jerry's drive to be the best.

Further, it sounds like D'Amigo may be in a position to get offered well more money than practically any sixth rounder should ever expect to get. No one, and I mean no one, should blame him for signing a contract that will give him that kind of financial security.

Reactions have been largely positive. D'Amigo's departure would be a blow for the Engineers, but most RPI fans thus far, especially those which were in attendance at Shaker Ridge, have been expressing excitement over the situation as the primary emotion, myself included. What Jerry D'Amigo did in just a year in the cherry and white will echo for years - he and Brandon Pirri made Troy a destination for the development of top players again simply by showing up and doing what they did over this past year. The effect this will have on recruiting in the near future, especially if he lives up to the lofty expectations that Maple Leafs fans are placing on him, will only help the program moving forward. It will be an amazing thrill to watch Jerry play in the NHL - no question.

Our friends at Union Hockey Blog are somehow spinning a D'Amigo departure as a win for Union, a touch confusing because the Dutchmen only play RPI three times a season, but the heated rivalry aspect might be playing a role in the more perverse joy in Schenectady. But honestly, worrying about players who may or may not leave early is a good problem for a team to have. Riley Nash and Louis Leblanc being gone from Cornell and Harvard may make it easier to play those two teams, but I wouldn't necessarily describe those events as "good news" for RPI fans. Their signings represent recruitment victories for both programs. Their departure, along with D'Amigo's if it happens, does make the ECAC as a conference worse for the wear. But such is the reality in the current professional hockey atmosphere with the current collective bargaining agreement, as we touched upon last week.

And fret not, Engineer faithful. Jerry D'Amigo is one of the stars of this team, but let's not forget about the rest of the collection of talented scorers we've got. Brandon Pirri - who Ed Weaver said needed a new wardrobe after the weight he added this summer - is still an Engineer, we've got a Hobey Baker candidate returning in Chase Polacek, Patrick Cullen just had a monster camp with the Washington Capitals despite not being one of their draft picks, and we've got a new injection of talent with guys like Brock Higgs and Johnny Rogic coming in. We've got, by the numbers, the top returning goaltender in the ECAC (he putts well too, for what it's worth). We've got a blueline anchored by stalwart guys like Jeff Foss, Mike Bergin, and John Kennedy and we're adding a tremendous talent there in Nick Bailen and a slew of freshmen with size.

It's going to be a great season. The opportunity to watch one of our own skate for one of the most hallowed franchises in the sport just made it that much more exciting.

Jerry D'Amigo - Pride of the Engineers