Pat Wey Retires

Per Mike Vogel, a senior writer for the Washington Capitals, current Cap and former Eagle Patrick Wey has retired after suffering back to back concussions and will pursue other educational interest. I've seen a lot of guys come and go through this program and don't get me wrong, a very large majority of them are terrific kids who will go on/have gone on to do fantastic things both in and out of hockey but I can say without any doubts that Pat Wey was one of the best people ever to don the maroon and gold. He treated everybody with respect, he was extremely popular amongst his teammates, and certainly performed admirably on the ice as he helped BC to 4 Beanpots, 3 Hockey East titles, and 2 National Titles. He battled through multiple setbacks including concussions and mono during his time here but always seemed to find a way to take his game to the next level in big moments, particularly in his own end where the staff often had him out against other teams' top lines. Pat Wey was the type of guy that I think Coach York and his crew strive to mold every BC player into, he was a genius in the classroom, a dependable player on the ice, and a gracious person off of it.

I wish Pat all the best in whatever lies ahead, once and Eagle, always an Eagle.

Go Eagles.

Bracco Picked But It Looks Bad

Freshman Jeremy Bracco was selected 61st overall this morning by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL draft. However, it has become more and more likely that he will ditch BC for the Kitchener Rangers (OHL). I am not sure how much the Maple Leafs will influence his decision but I do know that Brendan Shanahan has been at a handful of BC's games in the past so he knows what the program is about.

Obviously, we went through this last year but this time around, I think everyone should be prepared for what is coming. I would say there is a 5% chance he ends up at BC next season. Obviously, it would be a total bummer but maybe the kid will step back and think about all the positives of playing college hockey and at BC in particular. In the end, no matter where he plays, we all want him to achieve his goal of donning that blue and white sweater in the near future.

As for what the staff will do to fill the spot (if and when it opens up), it appears that they have a plan to bring in someone to help out next years squad, should their top rated recruit bolt for Canada.

Go Eagles

Hanifin Goes To Carolina, White to Ottawa, and Finger Crossing Time

Tonight, Noah Hanifin became just the second Eagle ever taken in the top 5 of the NHL draft along with long time NHLer Bill Guerin. About an hour later, freshman Colin White was selected by the Ottawa Senators as the 21st overall pick, becoming the first Eagle to be drafted by the red and black since Patrick Eaves.

As you probably know, I say some stuff on this blog and on the Twitter waves that probably don't resonate too well with some people, including some of BC's own players but when it comes to Noah Hanifin, I've never had a player treat me with kindness and respect quite like he has. Sure, it's a really small thing but the kid goes out of his way to treat me well and for that, he will always be a top my list of favorite Eagles, along with G of course. I know how hard he has worked to get his named called this evening and no one deserves it more than that kid. He always talks about how he wants to improve his shot before he gets to the show. A lot of people just talk about that stuff but I can't tell you how many times he has stayed after practice working on his one timer with Coach Brown while everyone else heads to the locker room. Carolina is not just getting a special hockey player, they're getting one heck of a kid who represents Boston College unbelievably well. As for what happens now, I was always in the camp of thinking he would return but it doesn't look good (click link), However,  Here is a link of Carolina's GM saying the organization is certainly open to him coming back to BC.

When it comes to Colin White, I thought he was going to end up with Boston or Detroit (my favorite team) but he ended up sliding down to Ottawa, where a lot of pundits had him. Obviously, a terrific night for him and his family but this tweet below got me thinking again. Immediately after it was posted I talked with a person inside the program and he said there was "no way" White would ever bolt. From everyone I have talked to, it seems like he is excited to get here and contribute, even telling a local paper last week that he wanted to be a "point per game player @ BC". It is probably nothing but here it is.......

Tomorrow we will see Jeremy Bracco, Casey Fitzgerald, and David Cotton get drafted. See you then. 

Go Eagles

UPDATE********- As of Saturday morning, that tweeted from Lafortune has been deleted.

Draft Notes, Staff Announces Freshmen Class, and Other Notes

Tomorrow marks one of the most exciting days in the offseason as the NHL draft commences in Sunrise, Florida. Like usual, many Eagles are projected to be picked over the course of the next few days but of course, no one stands out more so than Noah Hanifin who is slated to go #3 overall in tomorrows first round. The question is where will Noah and a handful of other Eagles take the next steps in their hockey careers after leaving Boston College?

I'm not going to sit here and try to make it seem like I know where these guys are going to end up but I think a good idea would be to give you a few different mock drafts so you can try to see for yourself where the BC guys will end up. For the record, I think Hanifin will go #3 but I think it will be to Columbus rather than Phoenix. I was surprised at how low some experts had Colin White because I think he will go #13 to Los Angeles and I also wouldn't be blown away if Jeremy Bracco makes it a trio of Eagles in the first round due to his vision and play making abilities. So, here are the different mock drafts I came across.

USA Today 

SB Nation 

My NHL

Mike Morreale's final mock draft (this guy knows what he is talking about)

Adam Kimelman's final mock draft 

Yahoo Sports

Sports Net 

Blue Jackets Blog "The Cannon"

Here is a good trivia question....who is BC's highest first round draft pick all time and what number was he?

When the draft is all said and done, I expect Hanifin, White, Bracco, David Cotton (3rd round), Casey Fitzgerald (6th or 7th round) to all get drafted. So, if that does indeed take place, BC will have 15 NHL draft picks on it's team next year. Think we're going to be pretty good? Ya, pretty, pretty, pretty, good.

The staff officially finished announcing the incoming class today so here are the freshmen numbers.

Jeremy Bracco- 17
Colin White-18
Miles Wood- 28
Chris Shero-23
Chris Birdsall-1
Casey Fitzgerald-5
Josh Couturier- 22
Chris Brown-10
Joey Dudek-15

Before I go, I want to share a tweet I saw yesterday but because it has become such a controversial topic that I have touched on time and time again, I will avoid comment.

Also, I have updated the schedule with three more games, including the two vs archrival Boston University.

Good luck to all the guys down in Florida, Go Eagles!

Offseason Questions

It's been a little while since we discussed the offseason and what could possibly lie ahead for this team next fall. As you probably know, I'm quite excited about the team BC could possibly have next season but there is a still a couple of questions as to who shows up in September. 

1. Will Noah Hanifin stay? 

Obviously, this is the #1 question in every player, coach, and fan's mind, will BC's top player return for another year on the Heights? First of all, I think it says a lot about Hanifin and Jack Eichel that they're taking their respective commitments to BC and BU so seriously, that is something we don't really see these days. It is clear that these two prospects, perhaps the most highly touted in college hockey since Toews and Kessel, enjoyed their seasons and it's quite amazing that they're even considering coming back. My take on Hanifin is probably the same as anyone else's, I think it's 50-50 as to whether he stays or goes because it depends so much on who drafts him although I do think there is a better chance of him staying than people think. Is BC screwed if he leaves? No, they still have four very solid guys coming back on the blue line with two young but talented freshmen in Couturier and Fitzgerald. If you really want me to say what I think, and I am very biased, yes, I do think he will stay. 

2. Will Jeremy Bracco show? 

Unfortunately, I feel like this one is more up in the air than the Hanifin question. The good news is that its been about a month since the close of the NTDP season and Bracco has yet to sign anywhere, unlike some other guys on his team such as Tkachuk and Max Jones (U17). The bad news is that in speaking with people around the program, it is clear that they are not 100% sure that he will arrive in the fall. We all know what happened with Sonny Milano and that was arguably the worst thing that could have happened to the team last year. Bracco signing with Kitchner wouldn't be as big a blow as Milano but I am one of many who believe he could be the leading scorer on this team next season because he always seems to have a knack for putting points on the board, something BC desperately needs. I would like to think that he will be in the opening night lineup at Army but there is only one person that really knows the answer to whether or not that will come to fruition. 

3. Is the staff done recruiting for the year?

With 7 seniors and Mike Matheson gone, many believe that the staff has some left over scholarship money to spend for next season. Unlike BU, Coach York and his crew are pretty conservative when it comes to throwing around scholarship money. Here is what I think, if Bracco does in fact sign with Kitchner, then BC will certainly bring in another guy, I believe they have a plan in case that happens. But, if he does end up coming to BC, I don't think they will sign anyone else, and unlike others, I don't think they necessarily need to. All those BU clowns keep talking about how we won't be deep next season but when you look closely, BC won't just be deep next year, they will have "role" players who are experienced and most importantly, skilled. Here is just a quick projected forward lineup for next year....not much thought went into this.

Sanford-Gilmour-Tuch

Fitz- White-Bracco 

Wood-Cangelosi-Calnan

Gaudreau-Brown-Silk/Dudek 

That is as deep a lineup as Coach York has ever had, at least skill wise. I think you could certainly switch some guys around like White and Cangelosi, Calnan, Bracco, and Tuch can be arraigned literally anyway they want, and I'm not sure if they're going to keep that first line together again after they struggled in the postseason. Again, just a quick run through, we will do more of these as October gets closer but it sure is fun when you have a lot of options.

4. How is Demko doing? 

From all I have gathered, it seems as if Thatcher Demko is recovering well from his hip surgery earlier this spring. Obviously, we still have a ways to go until October 9th but I think there is a solid chance he is ready to go and if not then, certainly in the first couple weeks of the season. I do not think he will play nearly as much as he did a season ago because I think the staff has some confidence in Birdsall's abilities along with the fact that BC should be the highest scoring team in the nation. For example, will he really need to play @ Army, vs Wisconsin, or RIT? Why not give the freshman some valuable experience early on. It can't hurt in the long run. 

5. I've gotten about 1500 emails about BU's recent recruiting run and how we should be concerned, should we? 

Remember what Aaron Rodgers said after the Packers went 1-2 to start the year? "RELAX". Obviously, the staff is confident that a lot of guys will stay following this season because they have not committed much scholarship money to high end guys that are coming in the fall of 2016. BU on the other hand will lose guys like Oksanen, O'Regan, Grzelyck, Lane, and perhaps Hickey after this season. Tuch is certainly here for just two years, but I wouldn't say it is a forgone conclusion that guys like Santini, Gilmour, and Calnan leave after their junior seasons.....but that is a long ways off. The point is, don't worry, we will be fine. No one will question recruiting this year, trust me, not even this guy. 

6. Is this the most talented team Coach York has ever had, outside of maybe 2011? (If Bracco and Hanifin come/stay) 

......................................................Yes.

Go Eagles!

One week until Chambers Bay, come on Phil!

Support A Terrific Cause

Former Eagle captain Pat Mullane and his classmates joined forces with a couple of counterparts from the down the street to develop the Comm Ave Charity Classic to be played on Friday, July 10th at BU's Walter Brown Arena. The game will pit former Eagles including Brian Leetch, Cam Atkinson, Chris Kreider, Brian Dumoulin, and G vs former Terriers such as Scott Young, Jay Pandolfo, and Charlie Coyle. The proceeds for the game will go straight to research for ALS.

I'm certainly impressed with the work Pat has put in to help bring this game to fruition as I know he was very close with Dick Kelly during his time at Boston College. Of course, the news of Pete Frates' diagnosis a couple of years back and the subsequent "Ice Bucket Challenge" last summer provided even more initiative for Pat and his crew to get this thing together. I know we like to give them a hard time when it comes to the hockey and recruiting but hats off to the former Terriers for playing a big role in what will certainly be a terrific event next month.

Here is the website if you want more information. Hopefully we can see the good guys take home another victory over the scarlet and white.

Go Eagles!

Updates

As we learned the hard way last August, no news can usually be perceived as good news and that is exactly what has taken place so far this summer in BC Hockey world. I don't have much to report on but here are some quick points.

It appears Thatcher Demko's recovery from hip surgery is going quite well. By all accounts, there is a solid chance he is good to go for Army on October 9th but I would expect that he sits 7-9 times this year. He simply ran out of gas last season but the good news is he should have a high powered offense to support him.

Forward Brendan Silk is still recovering from a concussion and was cleared to begin working out just a couple of weeks ago. Still not a sure thing he will be ready to go for the season opener.

As far as recruiting goes, nothing much to report. Over the course of the past three weeks, we have seen numerous CHL teams announce signing of American prospects but thankfully, none of those have been Jeremy Bracco who still seems set on attending BC in September.

In the schedule page, we've got pretty much all of the non-conference games set in stone with the exception of RIT. No conference games have been announced but we host Notre Dame and travel to Vermont.

Other than that, enjoy the summer and get ready for Phil at Chambers Bay!

Go Eagles