There was a day in the not-too-distant past when June meant news was scarce from the Niagara University men’s hockey team.

Those lazy spring days have gone.

With a number of recently graduated players vying for jobs, keeping track of the Purple Eagles is harder than ever.

Two-time all-College Hockey America goalie Juliano Pagliero has been invited to the Chicago Blackhawks developmental camp. Vince Rocco could pop up in camps for San Jose and Columbus. Dan Sullivan is hoping to finalize a deal with an Italian pro team. Ted Cook is close to signing with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades.

And former captain Matt Caruana is waiting to see if he can get an extension on the one-year minor league deal he had with the Anaheim Ducks. If not, Caruana will become a free agent on July 1 and can start negotiating with any team.

“To have options for all of these guys, it just goes to show you what a special group they were,” NU coach Dave Burkholder said. “It didn’t end the way we hoped, but still, what a group.”

Pagliero’s summer plans should come as no surprise. Rick Dudley, the former Sabres coach and current Blackhawks assistant general manager, has popped into Dwyer Arena from time to time, which is just a short skip from his Lewiston home.

Seeing Pagliero as the cornerstone of a program that reached back-to-back CHA finals was probably enough for Dudley to extend an invite.

Rocco, meanwhile, opened plenty of eyes during a nine-game stint with Reading of the East Coast Hockey League after Niagara’s season concluded. Rocco said he, too, has offers from different European clubs, but wants to see if he can latch on with a club on this side of the pond first. His point-per-game production in his first stint as a pro didn’t hurt his cause.

“I think I opened some eyes,” Rocco said. “I really had no expectations and just wanted to get my feet wet. But now I’ve got offers from overseas and it’s pretty enticing. I’ve got a couple big decisions ahead of me in the future.”

Rocco said he’d entertain a two-way American Hockey League contract — which pays one rate if a player stays in the AHL, and another if they drop to the ECHL — but only in the right situation.

“I’ve seen other guys who signed and didn’t get a sniff of the AHL,” Rocco said. “It’s got to be something when I think I’d get a chance to play in the AHL.”

Others who’ll stay busy this summer include Egor Mironov, who still has a year of eligibility left at Niagara. Mironov is expected to take part in the Toronto Maple Leafs camp, and it’s possible that could pair him up with former teammates Kyle Rogers and Scott Langdon. Rogers already has a two-way AHL contract with the Leafs while Langdon could re-sign with Reading, the team’s ECHL affiliate.

Meanwhile, Sean Bentivoglio is hoping to expand on his single game with the New York Islanders as he enters the final year of his three-year contract with the club.

That’s not to mention former CHA co-rookie of the year Les Reaney, who is back in Niagara Falls from his Saskatchewan home working out at a local gym.

All of it makes the off-season a little more interesting for NU fans trying to keep dibs on their favorite players.

“It’s gotten to be commonplace,” Niagara assistant coach Greg Gardner said. “You graduate, you play somewhere. It’s now the expectation.”

Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.