Hagens Brothers Commit to BC

BC pulled off a massive recruiting coup this evening, landing James and Michael Hagens, out of Hauppauge, NY. The Hagens brothers were recruited by all of the big schools but BC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Providence were the finalists. The older brother, Michael, was committed to Harvard up until about a month ago. I am hearing that there were a few factors that went into this commitment- first, BC is within driving distance of the Hagens home in New York- that mattered. Secondly (and perhaps most importantly), BC was able to present a compelling NIL offer to James. Up to this point, I am not sure how much of a role NIL has played in BC's recruiting but make no mistake, this was a recruitment where NIL was a major player and for BC to be able to step up in that regard is very encouraging. 

James is the headliner as he is projected to be a top two pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Last season, James recorded 66 points in 43 games for the USNTDP U17 team, before being bumped up to the U18 team, where he posted 19 points in 17 games (as the youngest player on the team). Before making the USNTDP, James played at Mount Saint Charles Academy in Rhode Island, where he netted 115 points in 54 games during the 2021-2022 season. At the U17 World Championships, James set the tournament record for points with 21 in 7 games. James joined a plethora of his future teammates at the World Jr Summer Showcase a few months back. Scott Wheeler, who writes about hockey prospects for The Athletic, projected James to be the second line center for the United States team at this winter's event. As the youngest guy on the team, that would be impressive. As things stand, I would not be surprised if we see six Eagles at the WJC- Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, Jacob Fowler, Cutter Gauthier, and James Hagens. 

In a November 2022 article, Corey Pronman, also of The Athletic, listed Hagens as the number one prospect on his 2025 NHL Draft "big board". Pronman describes Hagens as "a dynamic forward...he is an excellent skater with dangerous speed and edge work...he has outstanding individual skill and playmaking ability and all those attributes lead to him being able to break open a shift at any given point." 

The older brother, Michael, is a good prospect in his own right. It is worth noting that Michael is the first non-graduate transfer defensive recruit under Greg Brown. The senior Hagens brother is a 6'0 blue liner who recorded 26 points in 60 games for the Chicago Steel last season, where he played with current Eagle, Nolan Joyce. He will play for the Steel again this season. In 2023, Michael was named to the USHL All-Rookie Second Team and played for the United States in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer. 

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this is one of BC's best recruiting wins in recent memory. In terms of hype before they came to BC (in the past 15 years)- I would put James Hagens on a list with Smith, Gauthier, Hanifin, and Kreider. 

I hope BC fans appreciate just how lucky they are to have this type of talent coming to The Heights over the next two years. Gauthier, Smith, Leonard, Perreault, and Hagens (not to mention a half dozen other players) are exceptionally talented skaters who will hopefully get this program moving in the right direction. Obviously, there are those who want BC to avoid recruiting the high end players for fear that they will leave but I think that's frankly baloney. Think of it this way- if all of these guys were headed to BU, would everyone be totally fine with that? Don't think so. When you can recruit high end talent like BC has the ability to, you should do everything possible to get these players on your campus. Not only do they have these high end studs headlining their classes, but they have more than enough recruits who they think will be very good three/four year players. Now, with that said, when you have this star power, you have to get it done. We've seen far too many "super teams" fall short in college hockey over the past ten years- BC in 2016, BU in 2017, BC in 2021, Michigan in 2022, and Minnesota last year. BC's rosters both this year and next will be just as good, if not better, than those teams. They have to find a way to break through. 

As of now, BC's 2024 class looks like this- James Hagens, Michael Hagens, Teddy Stiga, Matthew Frost, Tobias Pitka, Justin Solovey, Landan Resendes, and Jake Sondreal. Michael Hagens is the only defenseman in that group- I think they will go to the portal this offseason to make another addition on the blue line. Without James Hagens, I thought that was a good group that was maybe lacking a headliner. With today's news, BC will (barring any setbacks) have the #1 recruiting class in the country for a second straight season. Obviously, the staff could push players back a year if they feel like there is numbers crunch, but as of now, I think they're hopeful that the "big three" will be at BC for two seasons. I know they've made a major effort to overhaul how they evaluate when players are going to leave and what to do in the interim. The addition of the transfer portal definitely gives them more room to maneuver if they're caught off-guard by an early departure. 

That is all I have for now. In the coming days, I will have a season preview article complete with quotes from Coach Brown, who kindly took some time to chat with me last week.

Go Eagles

Notes

As we get closer to the season, I wanted to touch on a few quick notes. 

First off, August 1st was the first day for 2007 (and late 2006) birthdates to commit. Compared to last year, the pace of commitments has been very slow. Very few top prospects have announced their college intentions whereas by this time a year ago, virtually all of the top players had announced their destinations. 

BC has had two commitments since my last post- one was prior to August 1st, while the other took place this past Saturday. Gavin Cornforth, a late 2006 birthdate, committed to BC a few weeks ago. Cornforth accelerated his studies, making him eligible to commit before August 1st. As the youngest player in the USHL last season, Cornforth, a Boston native, recorded 18 points in 49 games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Neutral Zone ranks Cornforth as the 21st best player in the 2006 class and they describe him as someone who "has separational speed- he can pull away from defenders in the neutral zone and likes to attack defenders 1v1 with his speed". Cornforth played prep hockey at Thayer Academy, where he posted 30 points in 22 games during the 2022 season. Cornforth is slated to arrive at BC in 2025 with another highly touted prospect who played prep hockey. 

On Saturday, St. Sebastian's forward Teddy Mutryn announced that he will be arriving on campus in the fall of 2025. Neutral Zone ranks Mutryn as the 8th best player in the 2007 age group. Last season, Mutryn recorded 34 points in 26 games for the Arrows. Mutryn joins an illustrious list of former St. Sebastian's players to go to BC, including Will Smith, Noah Hanifin, Brian Boyle, Joe Rooney, and obviously, Mike Mullowney.  Neutral Zone describes Mutryn as a player who "has the size, strength and power game to play at the next level...and has a style of play that allows him to fill any role on a team from the penalty kill to the power play". Mutryn also had interest from Harvard, UConn and Providence. Mutryn comes from a big BC family- his dad, Scott, was the quarterback on the football team in the late 1990's. It is also worth pointing out that Mutryn's brother, Casey (who also plays for St. Sebastian's), is perhaps the top prospect in Massachusetts for next year's recruiting class. 

We will keep an eye out for more BC recruiting news. The two names we are watching are Ryker Lee and James Hagens. Lee, a late 2006 from Illinois, posted 123 points at Shattuck St. Mary's last season and recently played at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Hagens is the top prospect on the market- every big school is on him as he is projected to be the top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

Changing gears, BC published their roster today. There were just a few things that caught my eye. First of all, Matt Argentina was not on there. I reported that Argentina would be part of the cuts that took place during the spring, but we have not seen any confirmation as to where he will end up. My guess is that he goes back to Waterloo (USHL). Argentina was not in the transfer portal. 

As for the freshman class, there were no curveballs. There was some question as to whether Tim Delay would come to BC, but he was included in the class. Delay has a pretty serious injury and will miss a good chunk of the season, from what I am told. 

That's all I have for now. It has been a pretty slow summer- which is wonderful compared to the Bracco and Milano years, where we were posting every night about whether or not they were going to come to BC. In the coming weeks, I plan to have a comprehensive season preview ready to go. I will not be posting many (if any) blog articles this fall/winter (purely a time crunch thing), but will still keep the Twitter account active as always. Needless to say, I am very excited about this season. 

Until next time. Go Eagles. 

Recruits to Watch on August 1st

In tonight’s post, I wanted to take a look at the upcoming recruiting period. Starting on August 1st, 2007 (I feel very old) birthdates can start committing to college programs. This is a pivotal time for the coaching staff as they look to lock in some high-end future Eagles before the end of the summer. 

Let’s set the table before getting into specific names. First of all, we know that by the time the 2007 age group arrives on campus, the majority of the incoming recruiting class will be gone from Chestnut Hill. The odds that Will Smith, Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard stay more than two years are slim to none- if they get two years out of any of those guys, it will be considered a victory. With that being the case, BC will need to replenish their talent pool. Right now, they have six forwards set to arrive on campus in 2024- Teddy Stiga, Jake Sondreal, Matthew Frost, Tobias Pitka, Justin Solovey and Landan Resendes. The staff is clearly preparing for the possibility that they’re going to have some major holes to fill. Obviously, they have been burned in the past when it comes to early departures (2016), but I think there are two differences between now and then. One, BC has a pretty strong recruiting class set to come in 2024. It is not a star-studded class, but Stiga, Sondreal, Frost and Resendes are all thought of as players who can produce. Secondly, if you experience unexpected departures, you can build up through the transfer portal. Is that ideal? No, but it was not an option in 2016. Truth be told, Neutral Zone has BC’s 2024 recruiting class ranked as #2 in the country, but people I spoke to offered a wide variety of opinions on the class- spanning from not up to BC’s standards to worthy of that ranking. Of course, only time will tell how that class shakes up. 

The bottom line is that BC needs to add some talent in their 2025 class (the 07 age group). Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to the best of starts as Conrad Fondrk, one of the top 2007s in the country out of Mt. Saint Charles (RI) committed to Boston University today. I am not totally sure how Fondrk was able to announce his commitment before August 1st, but that is a minor point. Fondrk was rumored to be headed to BU for months and BC was never in the mix. From people I have spoken to, BU may have the upper hand for many of the top 2007 prospects. The Terriers already landed the first punch with Fondrk’s commitment today. 

Here is a list of players I am keeping an eye on for the upcoming recruiting period. 

James Hagens- The top prospect on the market, Hagens could be the #1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. BC is one of the finalist for Hagens, but all signs point to him committing to Harvard, where his brother is slated to start this fall. 

Teddy Mutryn- Neutral Zone’s 8th ranked prospect, I have long thought Mutryn, a St. Sebastian’s product, was a shoe-in for BC given the connections his family has to the school. However, from what I am hearing, Harvard and UConn are going to be serious players in this recruitment. This is definitely one to watch. 

Richard Gallant- He will be on the USNTDP U17 team next fall and had a very strong season for St. Mark’s (ISL) before getting hurt towards the end of the year. A Concord, MA native, this will be an important recruiting battle between BC and BU. Some I have talked to believe the Terriers may be tough to beat out here. 

Matthew Grimes- a 5’11 puck moving defenseman out of Mt. Saint Charles, Grimes is one of the top prospects in the Northeast. 

Haeden Ellis- Neutral Zone’s 33rd ranked prospect, Ellis is a 5’7 forward out of Buffalo. He recently lit up the Select 16’s camp in New York with 8 points in 4 games. Michigan is a factor here, according to people I have talked to. 

Niles Benson- Another Buffalo Jr. Sabres prospect, Benson was a fourth round pick in this year’s USHL Draft. He put up 21 points in 16 games last year and is ranked 48th by Neutral Zone. 

Dylan Krayer- A linemate of the aforementioned Fondrk, Krayer, from Concord, MA, had 68 points in 55 games this year. He is rated as a 3.75 star recruit by Neutral Zone. 

This is just a short list of names- obviously, there are more players who the staff will be in on. We will see how things transpire over the next few weeks- hopefully they will be able to add some talented future Eagles. 

Until next time. Go Eagles. 

Draft and New Assistant Notes

Tonight was a historic night for the BC hockey program as three incoming freshmen were drafted in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Will Smith became the highest drafted Eagle ever, going fourth to the San Jose Sharks. Smith's future will now be in the hands of two Boston University alums- Mike Grier and David Quinn. As an aside, it is pretty crazy that despite all of the good players BC has had in their 100 plus years of hockey, it wasn't until 2023 when they had a pick inside of the top five. 

Four picks later, Smith's linemate, Ryan Leonard, went eighth overall to the Washington Capitals. Leonard is the first Eagle to be selected by Washington since Zach Sanford in 2013. 

The third part of the "BC Three", Gabriel Perreault, dropped a few slots, going at 23 to the New York Rangers. Like Smith, Perreault was also picked by a BU guy- Rangers GM Chris Drury. Most of the mock drafts I read had Perreault going around 10th, so I was surprised to see him go in the later part of the round. Obviously, the Rangers have a pretty solid history when it comes to drafting BC guys in the first round, so they're hoping history repeats itself. 

I expect that at least three Eagles- Aram Minnetian, Drew Fortescue and Jacob Fowler- will be picked in the early rounds tomorrow. I also think there is an outside chance you will see Will Vote get selected. 

One last bit of news- I am hearing that BC will be hiring a third assistant within the next few days. Under a new NCAA rule, programs can have an additional paid assistant starting this fall. According to my sources, BC will be hiring Brent Darnell, who was most recently the NTDP assistant director of player personnel. Darnell recently selected the most recent crop of 2007 birthdates to the National Program and is a Michigan State alum. With Brendan Buckley staying put after going through the process at Bentley, BC now has their full coaching staff in place for the upcoming season. 

Until next time. Go Eagles. 

Updates

It has been a while since we had some updates, so I wanted to do a quick run through of some on the recent developments. 

First, BC is going to be adding two more transfers to their roster next season. Cornell graduate transfer Jack Malone and BU graduate transfer Jamie Armstrong will join the Eagles next year. Malone, a sixth-round pick of Vancouver, recorded 17 points in 34 games last season for the Big Red. Malone can play either center or wing and will be one of BC's top nine forwards. Armstrong played for BC's archrival last season and posted 13 points in 29 games- he will likely be on BC's fourth line with Posma and Joyce. 

That should conclude BC's portal additions- in sum, they added three guys- Armstrong, Malone and Jacob Bengtsson, a defenseman from Lake Superior State. I believe BC's roster for next season is almost set, with one major question mark looming (I will get to that below). They're going to have some tough decisions to make in terms of top six minutes because there will be a lot of competition between returning players and the highly rated freshman class. 

BC's projected starter in net next season, Jacob Fowler, backstopped the Youngstown Phantoms to their first Clark Cup (USHL title) last week with a shutout victory over the Fargo Force. Fowler went 8-1 in the playoffs with 1.36 goals against average and .952 save percentage. Fowler's draft stock has skyrocketed as of late and I wouldn't be shocked if he is picked in the first two rounds. 

Over in Finland, Cutter Gauthier is holding his own with the big boys at the World Championships- he has 14 points in 7 games and is on pace for the most goals for a U20 player in the tournament since a guy named Crosby. With Gauthier playing so well, you have to wonder if BC is slightly concerned that he may sign. From what I have gathered, I wouldn't be shell shocked if Gauthier is playing in orange and black next year, not maroon and gold. The odds favor him coming back, but signing is still a possibility. 

Here is another story to keep an eye on- BC assistant coach Brendan Buckley is one of the leading contenders to land the Bentley head coaching job. Buckley, who joined BC's staff in the summer of 2018, is hoping to replace Ryan Soderquist, who parted ways with Bentley a little over a month ago. Per sources, Coach York has been pushing Buckley's candidacy with Bentley athletic director Vaughn Williams, who worked at BC from 2017-2020. As of earlier this week, Buckley had not interviewed with Bentley, but the school got a late start on its search after just hiring a firm a few weeks ago. That said, I think there is a decent chance Buckley gets the job. Obviously, if that happens, then BC will have to hire a new assistant coach on relatively short notice and in the midst of recruiting season. We will discuss more names if in fact Buckley does get the job, but one I would keep an eye on is former Eagle Jeff Giuliano, who currently works at UNH. 

Last but not least, the schedule for next year. BC does not release their schedule until right before the season starts, but from what I have heard, they have a very tough non-conference slate. They will open the season at Quinnipiac (for their banner night), host Michigan State at home from two in late October, travel to Notre Dame for two over Thanksgiving, host Denver for one game and likely get return games from Sacred Heart and Dartmouth. I also wouldn't be surprised if they played at Harvard. 

That is all I have for now. Go Eagles. 

Notes

Alright, we are back with a few quick notes as the offseason gets underway. There have been a few changes since our last post, so I am going to briefly touch on various topics here. 

First, BC has seen four non-seniors enter the transfer portal- Henry Wilder, Cade Alami, Jack Dempsey and Paul Davey. This comes off the heels of the BC coaching staff making a few roster adjustments after the conclusion of the season. I would not be surprised if one more forward entered the portal within the next few days- one who will not play much next season if he opts to stay at BC. 

The one surprise entry into the portal was Marshall Warren. By surprise, I do not mean that there was any expectation that Warren would be back at BC next season. Both he and the coaching staff had the understanding that he would play hockey somewhere other than BC next season. I just figured he would sign an ATO deal with an NHL team over the summer, but going to another school will definitely give him a fresh start. I would be very surprised if Warren doesn't end up at a Big Ten school- he has been a great Eagle and I wish him nothing but the best in whatever comes next in his hockey career. 

Let's touch on BC's blue line for a second. It looks to me like they are set- Nolan Joyce will round out their recruiting class in the fall. Here is how I see things shaking out- (don't put much stock in the pairings, it is March) 

Bengtsson-Powell

Gustafsson-Hreschuk

Fortescue-Minnetian/Leddy

Joyce/S.Powell

As of now, no more BC defensemen have entered the transfer portal, but I would not be stunned if another guy put his name in at some point. As you can see, there is clearly a logjam. 

The biggest news of the week was Cutter Gauthier opting to return to school for one more season. We wrote last week that this was a strong possibility, but to see Gauthier himself confirm it was awesome. He was one of the best freshmen I've seen in my time watching BC hockey, so to get another year out of him, purely from a fan's prespective, is pretty cool. 

On top of that, Colby Ambrosio announced that he was also returning for his senior season. I wasn't stunned at this move- I thought it was 50/50 as to whether he would come back, but he certainly will give them some speed on the wing. 

The last domino to fall is Trevor Kuntar. Every source that I have talked to says Kuntar will sign with the Bruins at some point soon. There is one catch- the Bruins currently have 49 contracts on the books and no NHL team is allowed more than 50. Obviously, you would have to think that Boston will be looking to sign Ohio State defenseman Mason Lohrei in the very near future, which will put them at 50 contracts. That said, I expect the Bruins to work something out to sign Kuntar. 

With Gauthier and Ambrosio coming back, let's take a look at where BC stands up front. Again, this is March (i.e. almost golf season) so this is an extremely rough estimate. 

Gasseau-Gauthier-Ambrosio

Perreault-Smith-Leonard

Jellvik-???-Vote

Posma-Joyce-Traeger/Shamburger/Argentina/???

So, here is what we know. BC is loaded with high-end talent- they will have four first round picks. I don't want to spend all night getting everyone excited about their lineup, but let me just say that they're going to be really, really good. That said, they have some holes to fill. 

Right now, I have Colby Ambrosio playing on the top line with Gasseau and Gauthier, but I am not convinced that will be the case come October. If they can land another high-end forward in the portal to put with their two star sophomores, I think they will do so. There will be more options in the portal- just because it is relatively thin right now does not mean that will be the case in the next month.

They will likely need another depth forward to slide into that third line center role. Obviously, they went to the portal to address their third line this past season, with mixed results. This year, they'll have a bit more skill on the wings with Jellvik and Vote, but in an ideal world they can bring in an experienced center who will give them some goal scoring capabilities. 

Joyce and Posma will obviously be in the opening night lineup, but after that it is anyone's guess. I would not be shocked if one of those three- Traeger, Shamburger or Argentina hits the portal within the next few days. 

As for the goalies, they got another commit today as Alex Musielak, a 6'4 netminder from the Kemptville 73's (CCHL) announced his intentions to play at BC next season. Musielak will come in as the third player on their goalie depth chart, behind Fowler and Korec. Musielak, a 2003 birthdate, currently has a .905 save percentage and a 3.68 GAA this season. This does not change their goalie situation much- either Fowler or Korec will be the opening night starter in October. 

Lastly, BC got a commitment from forward Jake Sondreal of Dubuque (USHL) last night. I incorrectly tweeted that Sondreal was expected to come in next year- look for him to arrive in 2024. Sondreal is a good player, posting 11 goals and 23 assists (50 GP) in his first USHL season. Neutral Zone rates Sondreal as a 3.75 star prospect and describes him as someone who "plays with pace and creates chances. Keeps his feet moving and cuts to open ice." The BC coaching staff was in Dubuque this past weekend watching Sondreal compete against the USNTDP U17 team. Scouts I have talked to really like Sondreal's game and think that he could be a solid second or third line player for BC down the road- he will come to campus with Teddy Stiga, Tobias Pitka, Matthew Frost and Justin Solovey. 

That is all I have for now. Between the transfer portal and the upcoming recruiting period for 2007's, the coaches must be pretty exhausted having to keep up with all this. Things have certainly changed in college hockey with the advent of the portal. 

Until next time- Go Eagles (and Gophers). 

Quick Thoughts on Impending Roster Changes

For the second straight year, BC did not have its name called on Selection Sunday as the sixteen-team field was announced earlier this afternoon. Even though the Eagles will not be playing actual hockey this weekend, this will be a pivotal week for the program as the coaching staff embarks on its plan to remake a large chunk of the roster. 

As we reported yesterday, BC has cut around half a dozen players from this year's team. At this time, I am not going to report which players were cut out of fairness for them and their families. With the transfer portal opening up tomorrow for non-seniors, you will see a few of those names in there. 

Here is how I understand the situation- Coach Brown wants to retool the roster with his own fingerprints, which he has every right to do. He did not recruit any of the players on this year's team, besides the three graduate transfers. BC has a handful of players on scholarship that they want to move on from. A new coach has the ability to revoke a scholarship for a player, but the player can still get his education paid for by the school if the institution signs off on it. Each of the released players has the option of staying at BC, but most of them will enter the transfer portal and look to continue their hockey careers elsewhere. BC has already had two seniors- Liam Izyk and Mitch Andres- enter the portal, but that number will grow this week. 

As of now, there aren't any surprises as to who will enter the portal. If you follow the team closely, I am sure you could probably guess many of the names- they were not players who featured very prominently on the scoresheet for the Eagles this year. That said, there is one name I am keeping an eye on- Colby Ambrosio. As of now, it looks like Colorado does not want to sign him, but it isn't a sure thing that he plays hockey in Chestnut Hill next year. I don't want to speculate, but I think there is a higher than 50% chance Ambrosio plays elsewhere next year. 

There are two other names I am watching- Cutter Gauthier and Trevor Kuntar. I feel confident in writing that Kuntar will sign with the Boston Bruins soon, perhaps this week. BC will need to add a center in the transfer portal to replace him- there will be some big names from other Hockey East schools to watch. 

Gauthier is still a bit of an unknown, but the odds favor him returning. Like I said last week, there is a lot of turmoil in Philadelphia right now, so it may take some time for that all to be worked out. If I were a betting man, I would bet on Gauthier playing one more season at BC, but it is not set in stone. 

I have a few thoughts on all of this. Let me first say that these situations absolutely stink- no one wants to be cut and no one wants to be the one to deliver the news. These players have worked very hard over their careers to be able to play their favorite sport at a place like BC and for that to end in this fashion is regrettable for everyone involved. This goes without saying, but I wish each player the best of luck in whatever comes next.

That said, this is high-level collegiate athletics. Coach Brown came to BC with a goal of righting a ship that had lost its way over the past few years. He has to have the ability to shape the roster in a way that he sees fit- a third straight year of missing the NCAA's next year would be nothing short of a disaster. The coaches would not be doing their jobs if they weren't using all the tools available to them when it comes to ensuring that BC is putting out a team that can compete for a spot in the NCAA's each and every year. Those scholarships that they just opened up can now be used to assemble a team that is deeper and not just a one-line show. Obviously, if Gauthier stays, BC is going to have a pretty unbelievable top of the lineup- Gauthier, Gasseau, Smith, Perreault, and Leonard is almost as good as it gets. That said, when Kuntar signs, they will need to bring in another player who can produce for them on a pretty consistent basis. 

Outside of the NTDP forwards, they really don't have much on the way in when it comes to the forward group. Will Vote will slot in on the third or fourth line, but they will need to replace Burke, O'Neill, Izyk and at least one other third/fourth liner who will enter the portal tomorrow. They would not be making these cuts if they didn't believe that they could make some major upgrades to their third line, which was a bit of a disappointment when it came to the goal scoring category this year.

On defense, they are bringing in Jacob Bengtsson- a transfer from Lake Superior State. Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal first reported this news. Bengtsson is a 6'3 blue liner who recorded 23 points for the Lakers last season. He was also one of their Hobey Baker nominees. So, as of now, here is how BC will look on the back end next year-

Powell-Bengtsson

Gustafsson-Minnetian

Fortescue-Hreschuk

Leddy

I think you will see at least one, likely two, defensemen (not counting Andres) enter the transfer portal or head back to the USHL. 

In net, they are bringing in two freshmen who will compete for the starting spot next season. Obviously, Benson is graduating, but I wouldn't be shocked if another goaltender departs via the portal this week. 

So, that is where we are. There is a lot to look out for over these next couple of weeks- they will have to bring in a couple of players to fill out their bottom six and once Kuntar leaves, an open top six center spot. It seems that they are confident that Gauthier will come back and when you add in the freshmen they're bringing in, that is a great place to start, but they need more scoring depth. Right now, you have Jellvik and Vote as players who can play on that third line, but ideally you add one or two more guys who can bring you some offensive juice in the fall. 

That is all I have for now. Until next time. 

Go Eagles