Northeastern captain Manson forgoes senior season to sign with Anaheim

Northeastern captain Josh Manson is following his father’s footsteps as he signed his first NHL contract March 25 with the Anaheim Ducks (photo: Melissa Wade).

Northeastern junior defenseman and captain Josh Manson has agreed to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

Manson was drafted in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2011 NHL draft by Anaheim and is the son of Dave Manson, who played in the NHL for 17 seasons with seven organizations.

“Josh Manson changed the culture of our hockey program and had a lot to do with the success of Northeastern hockey,” said Huskies’ coach Jim Madigan in a statement. “It’s a bittersweet moment where we’re losing a fine young man, a very good student and a very good hockey player, but I know that he’s ready for the next challenge. I wish him all the best as he pursues his lifelong dream of playing in the National Hockey League and I thank Josh for his commitment to Northeastern University.”

Manson played in 33 games in the 2013-14 season and tallied three goals and seven assists for 10 points along with a team-best plus-12 rating.

He was named the Old Time Hockey best defensive defenseman by Hockey East last week, becoming the first Husky since 2009 to take home the accolade. He was also named a Hockey East Second Team All-Star.

In 99 games at Northeastern, Manson recorded six goals and 15 assists for 21 points with 158 penalty minutes and 93 blocked shots.