Solidify the Future and Name Greg Brown Head Coach in Waiting

Whenever I run into other fans at games, around campus, on the golf course or wherever, by far and away the most asked question is always "who will be the next head coach?". It is a topic that everyone has different opinions on and with the success Coach York has had the past fifteen plus years, it is without a doubt the best job in college hockey. I have no clue how long Coach York will be around, I sure as heck hope it is for another 6 of 7 years and his contract does run through the 2019-20 season. I think being a coach at any major D1 school is tough, let alone at BC but if there is any 70 something that has the motor to keep on going, it is Coach York. Ask anyone that plays for him or coaches with him, he is always the most energetic guy on the ice every single day and I am certain that will continue for the next couple years, coinciding  with what should be a fantastic next few seasons for the maroon and gold, especially if they can keep this recruiting momentum going.

We all know that the most important thing in this business is recruiting and with archrival Boston University back from the dead, Providence winning a National Title, and Cav revamping UConn, winning the top end guys is as tough as it has ever been. The way recruiting has evolved in this sport, the staff has to start getting commitments from guys that wouldn't be here for another three, four, or even five years, a time period in which no one really knows where the program will be at. That is why I think AD Brad Bates should name associate head coach Greg Brown the head coach in waiting as soon as possible, because it would give the program an enormous amount of stability going forward. When they bring these extremely young kids in for visits, they can say unequivocally that if Coach York isn't here when you get to campus, Coach Brown and hopefully Coach Ayers will be there to insure that the operation is the same as it was when Coach York was here. Kids are not going to want to commit to a program and then have the whole thing change when a coach from the outside gets brought in because it totally changes everything that led them to the school.

Naysayers will say "Bates should go through the whole process and hire the best candidate" and point to Coach Brown's lack of head coaching experience but I think that whole argument is highly overrated. Does it really make a difference if he is a head coach between now and when Coach York retires? He is still going to recruit the same amount that he already does, he will have to implement a X's and O's strategy for whatever team he were to go to (something he already does at BC), what difference does it make? Mike Cavanaugh had no head coaching experience in college hockey, neither did Dave Hakstol, David Quinn, or Dick Umile and last time I checked, all of those guys are doing okay at their respective locations.

Coach Brown represents everything that is right with Boston College and it's hockey program. We can't afford to lose him and that is why he should be our head coach in waiting.

Go Eagles

Tortora Joins NTDP

 Jacob Tortora (Victor, NY) has joined the National Development Program as he was officially added to the roster this afternoon. Tortora, who is scheduled to arrive in the fall of 2017, is one of the staff's best recruits in the pipeline. He was slated to play in Youngstown (USHL) this upcoming season. As of now, he is the only future Eagle on the U17 team but the U18 squad has Graham McPhee, Joseph Woll, Zach Walker, and Michael Campoli.

Go Eagles. 

Locked And Loaded

Earlier this afternoon Columbus Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Potzline reported that Jeremy Bracco had decommited from Boston College and would sign with the Kitchener Rangers. However, no more than an hour later, Bracco himself refuted the report with this tweet.....

Since this unique turn of events, I have been able to confirm with very reliable sources that Bracco, along with his parents, called Coach York today and informed him that Jeremy would 100% be attending Boston College in the fall. From what I am told, Jeremy and his family are excited to become part of the BC community and all the noise about what he is going to do has just been greatly exaggerated because Kitchener has not stopped trying to get ahold of him over the course of the past several weeks. Everyone out there is talking about Milano and how Bracco could just be following in his steps but Milano didn't call Coach York and reaffirm his commitment, he didn't confirm anything on Twitter which everyone in the world sees these days, and Toronto is totally different organization than Columbus.

Let's take a couple minutes here and talk about this recruiting win for the staff. Like usual, the college hockey media machine made it seem like there was no way he would end up here but Coach York and his crew went out there and landed the most talented freshman in the country. Awesome work by Coach Brown and Coach Ayers. I know he is young and maybe isn't the biggest guy but I think this kid has a chance to win Hockey East player of the year next year and maybe even the Hobey Baker because of how many points he gets on a nightly basis. I think he will love it here at BC because if you ask me, it's the best school in the world and Coach York's track record with younger forwards speaks for itself.

Now let's look at this from a hockey perspective and how it affects BC's lineup. They're going to be very deep and talented at pretty much every position, especially on the wings. I don't know if they're going to keep last years top line together but I think they probably should just to start things out. However, the power play is going to be a huge question mark because they have so many first unit type guys but you can only put 5 out there obviously. I think Tuch and Bracco would be a deadly combination but I also love Sanford and Gilmour on that top line because they're probably better in the defensive end than any of BC's other top 9 forwards with the exception of maybe Cangelosi. Whatever the staff decides to do, they will have three lines that will probably be better than anyone else's first line. Here is just a random guess....

Sanford-Gilmour-Tuch

Fitz-White-Bracco

Wood-Cangelosi-Calnan

Gaudreau-Brown-Dudek/Silk

I think that is probably the third or fourth best forward lineup of the Coach York era with the potential to be the best if everyone pans out. You all know how good I think this team can be so I won't repeat it but they have a chance to do things no college hockey team has ever done, they're that good. 

In other, unrelated news, Thatcher Demko hit the ice today for the first time since his surgery which just goes to show how hard he has worked to get back because he wasn't expected to be ready for the season opener. 

What a day in BC Hockey world, now all we need to close out the summer is a Phil win @ Whistling Straits. 

GO EAGLES !!!!!

Report: Bracco Gone

Well, this stings. I'll have more later. Tough news in BC Hockey world.

Lamoriello New Toronto GM, Could This Help?

In a shocking turn of events this afternoon, longtime New Jersey Devils president and Providence College hockey alumnus Lou Lamoriello was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs to be their next general manager. In his 28 years at the helm, the Devils captured 3 Stanley Cups and made the playoffs 21 times. Immediately after the news broke, I began to think about how this could possibly affect BC and their push to get top recruit Jeremy Bracco to campus. Truth be told, I have no idea if this will have any impact on Bracco's decision but under Lamoriello's leadership, the Devils have drafted as many BC players as any franchise in the NHL, with the exception of maybe Pittsburgh. Stephen Gionta, Peter Harrold, Scott Clemmensen, and Cory Schneider are just a couple of the more recent examples of BC grads to wear the red and black. Recently, New Jersey has zoomed in on future/current Eagles, taking Steve Santini, Miles Wood, and Joey Dudek in the 2013 draft.

You don't need to look far to see that Lamoriello obviously has a huge amount of respect for the program Coach York has built here and the job he has done getting guys ready for the NHL, particularly the ones that maybe aren't the most physically gifted of the pack. I have heard numerous times over the past week that Toronto has been pushing for Bracco to play at BC this fall and maybe it is because they have known for a period of time that Lamoriello would be running the ship. There have been numerous rumors swirling around about what will actually happen and of course, you have a lot of people out there that say he is 100% gone but I'm not sure about that. There will be a final decision in the next couple of days but until then we will just have to sit around and take in the different leads.

Go Eagles

BC vs North Dakota @ MSG, Other Notes

Apologies for the lateness in the updates, I was on vacation this week and have been glued to my TV watching Phil battle for another Claret Jug.

According to Brad Schlossmann of the Grand Forks Harold, Boston College will face rival North Dakota at The Worlds Most Famous Arena on December 2, 2016. These rumors have been swirling for years as there was one last year pertaining to a possible BC vs Qunnipiac game but that obviously never came to fruition. So with this news, the two best programs in college hockey will add another chapter to their history next season but we have a long way to go until then so let's focus on the current stuff.

No news on Jeremy Bracco but of course, the college hockey media machine is making it seem like there is absolutely no chance he ends up at BC. From what I am hearing, Toronto is very aware of BC's history with smaller players and thus could be pushing Bracco to attend college this fall. Obviously the rest of the country wants to see him bolt for the CHL so of course they're saying he is going to leave. My guess at this time yesterday was that he was 100% gone but after what I heard today, I am feeling confident about his arrival. I keep getting these messages about how the staff should stop recruiting "mercenaries" (other peoples words). Let's get two things perfectly clear. Neither Noah Hanifin nor Jeremy Bracco is a "mercenary", they're just trying to do what is best for their hockey careers. Of course I want Jeremy to play at BC but the kid's dream is to play in the NHL and whatever path he feels is best for him is the way he should go but don't count BC out just yet. The other complaint I have gotten is about the staff's recruiting strategy when it comes to these "mercenaries". That is ridiculous, they're working as hard as ever this summer after a somewhat disappointing season last year. I have a ton of confidence they will find a way to get Jeremy to campus but if they don't, it isn't the end of the world.

Go Eagles

Hanifin Signs With Carolina

First off, really happy for Noah and his family. He is a tremendous kid who will without a doubt be a star in the NHL someday. He has all the tools to become one of the best defensemen in the game, he is big, he can fly, he has a shot that is improving, he has a high hockey IQ, and is getting better in his own end day by day. I think he will help lead that franchise to a lot wins over the next 15 years.

As for BC, not really sure what to say, obviously it is a huge loss. I can't speak for everyone but personally, I was always under the impression that he was going to stay two years but how the heck can are you supposed to turn down that kind of money? Our D situation is fine but it is young and probably not as deep as the staff would like. I think McCoshen is the best returning D in the league and we all know what Santini is capable of when healthy. Doherty is going to be his usual, offensive minded/gritty self that the team can rely on in a lot of situations. Savage will hopefully get back to the way he was playing freshman year but we can only wonder about how the two rookies, Casey Fitzgerald and Josh Couturier, will perform.

I suppose that with Noah's scholarship opening up, the staff could use it to try and lure another defenseman (or forward) for this years squad. I am not sure of Chad Krys' or Dante Fabbro's academic situations but if there was any chance that they could gain admissions this late in the cycle and enroll in September, then that would be the best case scenario. Sure, it stings a bit right now but I have total faith that this staff will get things situated before the season begins.

Congrats Noah, Go Eagles!

Development Camp Notes

Here is where the following Eagles are attending NHL development camps over the next two weeks.

New Jersey Devils- Miles Wood, JD Dudek, Casey Fitzgerald*, Matt Gaudreau*, Steve Santini, Josh Couturier

Toronto Maple Leafs- Jeremy Bracco

Ottawa Senators- Colin White

Buffalo Sabres- Chris Brown

New York Islanders- Teddy Doherty*, Austin Cangelosi*

Minnesota Wild- Alex Tuch

Washington Capitals- Zach Sanford

Columbus Blue Jackets- Scott Savage

Chicago Blackhawks- Chris Calnan

Florida Panthers- Ian McCoshen

Boston Bruins- Ryan Fitzgerald

Carolina Hurricanes- Noah Hanifin

Vancouver Canucks- Thatcher Demko (not playing, still recovering from surgery)

That is 18 guys....has to be some sort of record. * means they were not drafted by the club

Adam Gilmour is not at Wild camp, not sure why, believe because of summer classes.

Go Eagles.

Notes

First off, hope you all had a great Fourth with your friends and family. As we get back into the swing of things, this week may be the biggest of the offseason as we should know more about the decisions of Noah Hanifin and Jeremy Bracco. Yesterday, Hanifin told the Carolina media that he has not made a decision on whether or not he will return to BC but he added that he didn't want to hurt BC in any way by telling them late in the summer which is a classy move on his part. As for Bracco, some Toronto reporters have tweeted that they expect to know today what his plans are for next season. Surprisingly, I have heard some positive news concerning BC's top incoming recruit as of late but I guess there is only one person who really knows where Jeremy Bracco is going to play hockey next season.

On Friday, BC and BU alums will face off in the Comm Ave Charity Classic to help benefit victims of ALS. The game will feature Johnny G, Bill Arnold, Brian Gibbons, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, and Coach Brown among others.

Nothing new on the scheduling front except for the two Vermont games.

On the recruiting side of things, BC will be in the hunt for two guys with former Maine connections. Late last week, Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reported that top 2000 Oliver Wahlstrom, a former Maine commit, is now reopening his commitment and I have since confirmed that BC will be one of the teams in on him. Even though every big name program in the country will be after him, I think BC has a good shot of landing this kid because apparently, he is best friends with TJ Walsh, another top 2000 that BC landed last summer. Walsh had a pretty good year for Shattuck St Mary's last year, recording 136 points in 66 games.

The other recruiting news I've got is that BC is one of the finalist for ex-Black Bear Liam Pecararo who left the university a couple of weeks ago. Truth be told, he had a bit of a tough freshman season under Red Gendron but there is no doubt that the talent is there for him to be a terrific player in this league. Pecararo recorded 61 points in 54 games two years ago in the USHL. The other suitors for Pecararo are North Dakota and Denver, among others.

If anything happens today with Bracco, I'll be sure to have a post on it. Say your prayers.

Go Eagles

Notes

These next two to three weeks can be some of the most stressful for the staff as they will try to get a firm grip on next year's roster but unfortunately, things may be falling out of their hands. Let's take a look at what is going on.

Yesterday, a Carolina Hurricanes PR guy tweeted out Noah's number (#5) which led to rampant speculation that the 18 year old defenseman had signed with them but there has been no official word and from what I have heard, he has not made up his mind. From a pure outsiders prospective, it appears that the staff has been under the thinking that Noah would return for one more season but ever since the draft, numerous videos and quotes have been presented that would point in the other direction. In the end, I think there is a better chance than people think of him coming back but based on everything that was said at that draft, and let me be clear, just based on that, I think he will leave but hopefully Coach York can create some magic and get him to return.

The other issue  is the ongoing debate over what Jeremy Bracco is going to do next year. Multiple college hockey reporters have come out and said they think there is a 0% chance Bracco ends up on campus in October and I think everyone at BC was taken aback by his quote at the draft when he basically said he would let the Leafs decide what his path was, although he was careful to say "the focus is on BC". Of course, we all know what happened last year with Milano and how much that desecrated our club. If Bracco is going to bolt, which I am convinced he will because of all the swirling rumors, then hopefully he tells the staff in the next couple days instead of waiting until late August so they can try and bring in a replacement, which I have been told they will do if worst comes to worst.


No truth to the rumor that the fireworks you may have heard today after Eichel announced he was leaving came from Chestnut Hill but in all seriousness, that kid is the most NHL ready hockey player I have ever seen. I think he is going to be an all star and get that team to the playoffs next season, he is that good. I wish him nothing but the very best although I sure am happy he won't be skating against BC any time soon.