Got to Find a Way

If you didn't watch the the All-American prospects game tonight, the best way for me to sum it up is by saying two things. Number one, the future of American hockey is in bright hands because there were some absolute studs out there tonight. Whether it's Eichel, Hanifin, Wierenski, White, Bracco, or Greenway, there is potential for some guys not just to change the impact of some lucky NHL franchises, but a chance to change the course of American hockey.

Secondly, I don't care if they want me to move to Ann Arbor and camp out in front of NTDP headquarters, the staff has to find a way to get Jeremy Bracco to campus. I don't know the kid at all but he seems like he's got "it". What do I mean by that? It's not just his sensational speed and skill, it's the fact that he looks like he LOVES being on that ice and scoring goals. A big emphasis of Coach York's is being excited about wins and being excited about scoring goals. I have never been to a hockey practice where the whole team literally goes crazy after a goal in a drill or ever seen bench that stands up for the whole game, patting each other on the back and pointing to the guy that made the play, not just the goal scorer. You see the way Jeremy Bracco points right at his teammate after a goal? See the way he gets all pumped up? See the way he skates with his head up when he has the puck? Remind you of anyone from Carney's Point, NJ? Is he going to end up here? I don't know, only he really knows that, but he looks like the kid that we want representing not just the school, but the program as a whole, you want kids that would run through a brick wall to put on the maroon and gold. Having his skill helps to.

Go Eagles

Lineup Talk

I'm not ready to give out some lineup predictions because I believe the staff is still trying to insert certain guys at different positions. I am however ready to start talking about expectations for the guys on this team. Remember, the team goals never change. 1. Beat BU 2. Win the Beanpot 3. Win a National Title but the goals for each member of the team changes from year to year. Let's take a look at some lineup talk.

Let me start out by saying that this could be, talent wise, the staff's best recruiting class and the nicest part about it is that all three guys are a little bit different. Zachary Sanford is the first big time recruit that they had play one extra year in the USHL, which allowed him to gain another year of experience, work on his skills, and most importantly, add some age to what will be a very young forward core. Alex Tuch is a 6'3 giant that is one of the smartest players, hockey IQ wise, the staff has brought in since, well, a long time. He will undoubtedly play a role on either one of the top two lines and the second power play unit (maybe first if he really stands out early). I don't need to talk about Noah Hanifin, you know how I feel about him.

If we are comparing this group of forwards to years past, especially 2010, 2011, or 2012, then of course, it is a very shallow group with not much veteran experience on the top end. On the other hand, the 2010 team had a  couple of fourth line seniors that were the hardest working players on the ice game in and game out, making life miserable for an opponent's first line and power play units. I'm not expecting Quinn Smith, Danny Linell, and Mike Sit to go out and suddenly become Brian Gionta, Johnny G, and Nathan Gerbe overnight but there is no reason why they shouldn't contribute in a big way each and every way. When I say "big way" I don't necessarily mean averaging a goal per game (although it would be huge if they could find a way to score every 3.5/4 periods), I mean being one of the top penalty killing units in Hockey East and one of the toughest, grittiest lines that no one wants to play against. If the staff plays them against the Devin Shore's and Jack Eichel's of the world, they're going to give up some points but if they can make each shift the hardest shift of the game for the opposition's top guns, we got a shot.

Obviously the sophomore class is the big key up front. Who was the best player in that class last year (offensively)? Fitzgerald. Who was the most consistent player in that class last year(offensively)? First half it was Cangelosi, second half it was Gilmour. Who made the biggest jump from October to April? Calnan. As you can see, there are a lot of positives to take out of everyones season in 2013-14. It was the #1 ranked class in college hockey for two reasons. First, it was loaded with talent, second it was loaded with depth, something that this year's class doesn't have. A lot of people are betting on Ryan Fitzgerald as BC's "go to" guy this year. I don't think there will be any such thing. I expect Fitz, Gilmour, Cangelosi, and Tuch to be in the 35-40 point range but I don't expect any of them to go north of say, 66 points. I love the fact that no one is talking about Sanford because I think he's got a shot to sneak up and surprise a lot of us. I think it's going to take him a little bit of time to get used to the speed, such as it did in the USHL, but by Beanpot time, he's going to be big weapon.

I think this defense is as good as any defensive core we have seen, not just @ BC, but in college hockey over the past six or seven years (BU's 2009 D core was scary, unfortunately). Obviously, at certain points over his first two years @ BC, Mike Matheson wasn't exceptional in his own end but one of the reasons he wasn't so good in that area is because he isn't a "defensive" defenseman. Is he bad in his own end? No, not at all but he isn't McCoshen or certainly not Santini. That right there is why this team could be so good, each defenseman has qualities the other may not possess. In 2013, we needed Matheson out there literally every shift and in the end, he got tired and wore down. In 2014, McCoshen got banged up and wasn't playing at his highest level, forcing Matheson to play a lot of minutes in March and April, once again wearing him down.

Insert Noah Hanifin.

We've got two predominately offensive defensemen in Savage and Doherty, both of which are more than capable of playing second power play and possibly second penalty killing units, Santini and McCoshen (on a lesser extent) are two guys you can put out there against the best forwards in the country and expect to slow them down, Matheson is a tad bit better in the offensive end but isn't a liability in his own end, and Hanifin is basically a combination of everything you want in a defenseman, I'm not kidding. To be honest, I like Travis Jeke as the 8th guy because two years ago he had to play top five minutes in big times games such as the Hockey East playoffs and NCAA tournament and he basically wasn't ready. Fast forward two years and he's proven both in real games (Pittsburgh tournament) and practice that he can go out there and play minimal minutes.

I have to tell you, I like this team but then again, I like every BC Hockey team. Sure, the names on the back no longer read "Johnny G", "Hayes", or "Arnold" but the lettering on the front is the same as it was when those guys left. It doesn't matter if you're a walk on or a highly touted recruit, when you put on those colors, you're expected to contribute to this program both on the ice and off it. I'm telling you, it's going to be a little bit different, it's probably not going to be six or seven goals per game like we saw at times last year but the only thing that matters at the end of the day is what the scoreboard says. I think this club has a chance to win a lot of hockey games this season if they grow sooner rather than later.

Go Eagles.

Central Scouting Preseason Rankings Released

NHL Central Scouting released their 2015 draft preseason grades this afternoon, a list that ranks skaters with an "A", "B", or "C" grade. Here is how the future/current Eagles faired.

A Skaters- 

Noah Hanifin (Defenseman, Boston College) 

Colin White (Forward, USNTDP) 

B Skaters- 

Jeremy Bracco (Forward, USNTDP) 

Chris Birdsall (Goalie, Youngstown Phantoms) 

Casey Fitzgerald (Defenseman, USTNDP) 

C Skaters- 

David Cotton (Forward, Cushing Academy) 

Hockey East Media Poll Released

With tomorrows Hockey East media day (wow the season is really here), numerous members of the BC hate club, also known as the Hockey East media, released their rankings and preseason first team this afternoon. Here are the results.

1. Providence

2. Boston College

3. Boston University

4. Northeastern

5. UMass Lowell

6. Maine

7. Notre Dame (tie)

7. Vermont (tie)

9. UNH

10. Merrimack

11. UMass

12. UConn

First team- Devin Shore (Maine), Kevin Roy (NU), Ross Mauermann (PC), Ben Hutton (Maine), Michael Matheson (Boston College), John Gilles (PC)

I didn't vote but here is how I would have voted, not that it means anything.

1. PC, 2. BC, 3. BU, 4. NU, 5. Notre Dame, 6. Maine, 7. UNH, 8. Lowell, 9. Vermont, 10. Merrimack, 11. UConn, 12. UMass

My first team would have been Shore, Roy, Lucia, Hanifin, Matheson, Gilles.

Go Eagles.

A New Hope Arises

I'll be the first one to admit it, I probably underrate some recruits and overrate others, mainly because of the amount of time I have watched some and not others. I live in Chestnut Hill, so I don't get a chance to watch recruits out in Ann Arbor (I'm not that crazy, I don't fly out to Michigan to watch recruits), but I always try and get to any local games that involves any potential recruits. Don't get me wrong, I watched Noah Hanifin a lot while he played @ St.Sebastian's, heck I probably went to every game over the course of his sophomore season but like I've said in past posts, it is getting difficult to measure the quality of players in the ISL mainly because the product of the league has gone so far down due to the rise of the USHL/EJHL/BCHL etc.

Listen, I watched Noah twice this summer and I left the rink thinking he was by far and away the best player on the ice but like anyone else would, I've always been curious as to how his talent would translate onto the ice @ Kelly Rink. I saw him practice for the first time yesterday and I know it's just a one hour session with no real flow to it yet but I'm telling you right now, you won't believe how good this kid is. I'm sure Jack Eichel is a tremendous hockey player and he will do great things down the street but the amount of attention he receives compared to Noah is just typical Hockey East media bias towards BC.

I'm not going to go out and say Noah's going to be the next Bobby Orr or Nick Lidstrom but there is one thing I can say with very little hesitance, he will be one of, if not the best, defensemen in Hockey East this year. Everyone always talks about an "adjusting period" for freshmen and I think both Sanford and Tuch will have a little bit of that, but Noah? Not so much. He looked like a man playing with kids during some of those drills. When was the last time you saw a defensemen that was 6'3, 200 pounds, and was without a doubt one of the best skaters on the ice?

I know we are all worried about the lack of scoring up front and trust me, I can understand why but adding this kid to what was already the best returning D core of the Coach York era is a huge boost for the team's chances at a National Title. Again, I know he hasn't even played a game yet and I just watched about thirty minutes of practice but a freshman doesn't show up on day one @ this program and look like the best player out there unless he is something totally unique. I don't know how long he will be at BC, getting him for more than a year would be icing on the cake but I'm telling you right now, this kid is going to have as big an impact on this program as anyone that has ever put on that uniform. Trust me.

Oh and he is the youngest player in the history of the program. Go figure.

Go Eagles.

Recruiting Notes

Lot of homework tonight so just a quick little run through.

- Late 1997 D Jacob Bryson visited BC a few days ago, he is a defenseman that will play at Loomis  this fall. Played with Connor Moore on the Neponset River Rats this summer and impressed the staff @ the Labor Day tournament in Marlboro. Other schools that are in the hunt for Bryson include Providence and Northeastern. Lots of upside. Downside is his size, only 5'9


- Speaking of that Labor Day tournament, the US Hockey Report came out with their player rankings. In the U16 division, 2016 recruit David Cotton struggled and was given a "B" rating. I was out there for one of his games and he just looked flat out tired. He didn't have a great summer so hopefully he picks it up @ Cushing this fall.    

- Luke McInnis was given an "A" rating for that tournament, he plays for former Eagle Andrew Orpik and a loaded Cape Cod Whalers U18 squad that includes Lincoln Griffin, Ryan Shea, Billy Sweezy, and Will D'Orsi. Connor Moore looks like he has improved tremendously since the last time I saw him play in December. He was also given an "A" rating.

That's all I got. Go Eagles.

Top 5 Position Battles Heading Into "Preseason"

Coaches and players hit the ice today for the first time @ Kelly Rink and a new season of Eagle Hockey is set to begin. This year, perhaps more so than other in the past five years, is full of question marks, especially up front. The Eagles return star goaltender Thatcher Demko as well as the nation's best D core but with the loss of the big three plus the last minute ditch by he who shall not be named, the forward depth is average at best.

I'll do more previews and stuff as the season gets even closer but I kind of like the fact that there are so many unknowns. Everyone looks at that as a bad thing but why not give guys like Tuch, Sanford, and Calnan a chance to step up and play big time minutes? A summer full of training plus more experience plus more playing time with higher quality players plus an "average" Hockey East could make for a nice jump in points for some guys. The bottom line is that certain guys, especially Calnan, Gilmour (not as much), and Spiro will need to step up and play consistently solid hockey.

Here are some questions.

1. Final forward spots. Like I said, we are not very deep this season but our talent level on the front end ranks in the top three of the league along with BU and Providence. I'm not going to get into positions now because the staff still has to try and figure out what guys are going to move and so fourth so bear with me.

Locks- Tuch, Sanford, Gilmour, Calnan, Cangelosi, Fitzgerald, Linell, Smith, Silk, Gaudreau

Bubble- Straight, Spiro, McMullen

This year, more than any other, I expect the staff to constantly roll three lines, especially when we play teams like Minnesota, Denver, and Providence.

2. First power play unit. Fitzgerald, Gilmour, and Cangelosi will be the first forward unit, to start. Matheson will be on one point but the question is who will be on the other. They have two good options, Scotty Savage and Noah Hanifin. I think they will start with Savage on the first unit meaning the second unit will be Tuch, Sanford, Calnan, Hanifin, and McCoshen. Not bad.

3. Who will be first line right wing, Calnan or Cangelosi? Of the top six forwards, all of whom could be moved to any position, I would think they will have to put both of these guys at right wing because I don't think either could play center very well. Cangelosi could probably adjust on the fly but they like Calnan's play on the boards. Hopefully he improves his skating and produces. Cangelosi first line, Calnan second....to start.

4. Out of Smith, Sit, Spiro, Linell, Straight, and Silk, who will get the most playing time? Because of the lack of depth, one (maybe two) of these guys is going to have to play a lot more minutes than he did last season. I really liked the way Silk progressed in his sophomore year but he's not the most skilled guy on the ice. Personally, I've always been a big fan of Cam Spiro, he had like 30 goals in his senior season @ Tabor and he has manifested his speed and skill during practice and the few games he's had a chance to play in.

5. How much will the style of play change this year? Not really a position question but I think the staff is going to change the way this team plays hockey. A year from now, we will be stacked and play that open, fast paced, north/south style we love to play. This year, I think it's going to be more defensive, a little bit more passive forecheck, and much less goals/shot totals. As long as they win, I could care less if they score one goal and then throw the puck around the rest of the game. Whatever gets more goals on the board than the opponent.


Ryan Shea committed to Northeastern yesterday. Would have been nice to see him go to BC but really wasn't going to work out, unfortunately. Anyways, that's all on the recruiting front.

Go Eagles.

A Hero That Needs To Be Honored

There are certain dates that everyone, no matter how they old they were at the time, remembers exactly where they were, who they were with, and most importantly, the impact the event had on their life. September 11th, 2001 is without any doubt the worst day in the history of our country and perhaps the worst day this world has ever seen. Nearly 3,000 men, women, and children will always be remembered for the sacrifices they gave to our country. The Boston College community lost 22 distinguished alumni but the story of Welles Crowther, class of 1999, is one of the most well known 9/11 stories ever documented. If you don't know the entire story, please take ten minutes out of your day and watch this video. It will forever change your view on that day and will perhaps inspire you to remember this man and what he did. 

For those of you that do know the story, it goes without saying that this man is the type of individual that each parent should try and mold their kids to be like. Welles Crowther could have just left the south tower of the World Trade Center with the rest of his coworkers. Instead, he went back and without his heroic acts, 7 or 8 more individuals would have lost their lives on that dreadful day. 

One of the main hallmarks of the Jesuits and their mission is to be a "man/woman for others". If you can find a better example of any person being a man for others than Welles Crowther, please feel free to email me. I'm not an administrator, admissions director, or teacher but if we could get just a couple of graduates each year to be like Welles Crowther, then there is no reason why Boston College cannot be the best university in the world. That man epitomizes everything that a BC graduate should be and for that reason, this university should do something to let every student, fan, alumni, visitor, etc know who he is and what he did on September 11th, 2001. 

Now, there are numerous ways the school can honor Welles, whether it be a statue, a section of Conte Forum dedicated to him, a banner, a building bearing his name, or as one twitter follower suggested, an honorary degree in his name for the service of others. While I think a degree would be awesome, there needs to be something that every single person who visits campus can see and learn about this remarkable story. Maybe they could even paint a red bandana on the ice and leave it there from here on out? 

This university has had a lot of notable graduates that have been recognized in some way, shape of form (Tip O'Neil, Snooks Kelly, Doug Flutie) but in my opinion, no Boston College graduate deserves more recognition than Welles Crowther. 

Go Eagles and Rest in Peace, Welles. 

Top 5 Recruiting Targets

As you all know, the college hockey season is just around the corner but the drop of the puck @ Conte Forum also marks the start of another year of recruiting for the staff. Last year was without a doubt one of the best years in BC Hockey recruiting history as they gained commitments from Jeremy Bracco, Zachary Walker, Luke McInnis, Graham McPhee, Chris Brown, Connor Moore, David Cotton, and of course,  Miles Wood. It is quite amazing how much better these next three recruiting classes will be (talent wise) compared to the past four we have had. Outside of last years freshmen class, we only brought in two NHL draft picks, combined, in the 2012 and 2013 freshmen classes (G and Matheson). For comparisons sake, there were 6 in the 2014 freshmen class, and two of the three guys coming in this year are already draft picks, the other will be a top five pick this summer. Here is the simple form.

2012 freshmen class- 1 NHL draft pick (G)

2013 freshmen class- 1 NHL draft pick (Matheson)

2014 freshmen class- 6 NHL draft picks

2015 freshmen class- 2 NHL draft picks (will be 3 in June)

2016 freshmen class- 3 NHL draft picks already (Bracco and White not eligible until this summer, will be 5)


So as you can clearly see, the staff has really ramped up their recruiting efforts over the course of the past couple of seasons. Detractors love to talk about BC's "shady" recruiting tactics but the numbers and draft picks clearly show that no other school in the country, outside of maybe Minnesota, recruits as well as BC does. For all the talk about how intense the BC-BU rivalry is on the ice, the most intriguing aspect of the rivalry is on the recruiting trail. In the 2010 documentary "The Battle of Comm Ave" Jack Parker was the first to point out that the rivalry off the ice is five times more competitive than the one on it. We win some (Wood, White) and they win some (Eichel) but a new hockey season only means another installment of colligate athletics' greatest rivalry, off the ice.

Anyways, I went out and tried to gather some information regarding a couple of top targets for the staff this season. A lot can happen over the course of a long hockey season so things will change but right now, I think this would be a pretty accurate list. It's not in any particular order but Krys is #1.

1. Chad Krys- The 5'11 defenseman from Ridgefield, CT is the #2 ranked uncommitted prospect on Over the Boards and it is widely known that his final two choices are BC and BU. The issue for the Eagles is that both of Krys' parents attended BU and his father was the captain of the hockey team. On the plus side, he hasn't committed to BU yet and a lot of people believe that BC has a legitimate shot to land him. If they did, what an upset that would be.

2. Jacob Bryson- A 5'8 defenseman from London, ON will enroll @ Loomis and Chaffee this fall. Played for the Labor Day Tournament winning team in Marlboro, Neponset River Rats alongside BC commit Connor Moore. 22 points in 32 games played last season for the London Jr Knights. Providence and Northeastern are also in the mix, among others.

3. Auston Matthews- 6'0 forward from Arizona, currently plays for the USNTDP U18 team,  recorded 12 goals and 21 assists last season for the U17 squad. Supposedly was very impressive at World Jr Camp in Lake Placid earlier this summer. He is a draft pick of the Everett Silvetips (WHL) but has spoken with a bunch of colleges. If in fact he does go the college route, it would be a big time pick up for the staff.

4. Jake Wise- There was White, Eichel, and Hanifin, and now there is Wise. The North Andover native is only a 2000 (!!!!!!) birthday but completely outclassed the 15,16,and 17 year olds he played against last weekend in the New England Fall Prep league up in Salem, NH. He even gets that comparison that drives me insane every time I hear it...."he is the next Sidney Crosby". BC and BU again.

5. Ryan Shea- 5'11 defenseman out of Milton and BC High.  Father Danny is certainly one of the top 10-15 forwards ever to play @ BC, certainly top 5 of the non-Coach York era. Look, I think the kid is certainly good enough to come in and play here, Over the Boards has him ranked #3 in their uncommitted list but I don't think the staff is going to get him and isn't because he doesn't want to go to BC. Who knows, maybe things will change and they will get him but as of now, it doesn't look good. Don't be surprised if he winds up you know where.

Have a good weekend. Go Eagles.