I was as shocked as anyone else when Coach York announced he was stepping down yesterday. In fact, I think my co-worker was about to call MGH after I fell out of my chair in the state of shock. Walking out of Matthews Arena a month ago, I never in a million years thought that would be Coach York's last game at BC. Looking back on it now, it is almost surreal that it ended the way it did. The question of who would take over for Coach York has dominated our family gatherings for my entire life- I think I've been asked who will take over more than I've been asked what my name is. Now, that question becomes reality.
For me, yesterday was a sad day. My fondest sports memories will always emanate from BC hockey- I've traveled all over the country watching Coach York's teams. If you ask me, the national titles, Beanpots, and Hockey East championships were all well and good, but the single best moment of the York era was the 5-0 win over BU in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. It was truly one of the great beatdowns in program history. I think people take for granted just how bad BC was when Coach York took over- between Mike Milbury being head coach for about 15 seconds, Steve Cedorchuk's teams winning 13 games in two years, and an absolute trainwreck of a scholarship situation, BC hockey was in a horrible spot when Coach York came home. Fast forward 28 years and we could not have been more spoiled as a fanbase. 4 national titles, 9 Beanpots, 9 Hockey East tournament titles, some great wins over BU, and countless NHL stars highlighted what was maybe the best run in college hockey history from the late 1990s up until 2016.
On a personal note, I will always be thankful for how Coach York treated me when I was writing this blog and when I was a student manager for two years. I was a little bit nervous going into my freshman year at BC- after all, I had written some not-so-nice words about some of players and coaches that were already on that team. Coach York went out of his way to make me feel like I was a part of that team and it made my transition to college that much smoother. I wish Coach absolutely nothing but the best in his next chapter- the membership at Oakley CC better watch out when the club championship comes around this summer.
So, what is next? Well, I have a list here of potential candidates listed in order, from who I think the favorite is (first listed name) to some more longshot candidates (last names listed). Think of this as like a list of odds, with the favorite being at the top and the under dog being at the bottom. I will also create a poll to try to get a sense of who the fanbase wants to see as the next leader of the Eagles. On my Twitter handle, I will publish any and all news I have. Please feel free to shoot me a Twitter DM if you have any comments.
Greg Brown
The longtime BC assistant is, along with Mike Cavanaugh, undoubtedly one of the first names that will come up during this search. Brown, currently the head coach of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, was at BC for fourteen seasons, helping the Eagles to three national titles. Brown also had a three-year stint with the New York Rangers as an assistant to David Quinn. To me, Brown has all the qualities needed to be the next head coach at Boston College. He has a stellar resume- highlighted by the fact that his Dubuque team has already won thirteen more games this season than they did a season ago- he is probably more familiar with the program than any other candidate on this list, he was one of the best defensemen in BC history, and he has shown that he can recruit at a high level. Brown was primarily responsible for recruiting and developing some of BC's best defensemen- including Mike Matheson, Brian Dumoulin, Noah Hanifin, and Ian McCoshen. Brown has to be one of, if not the first, phone call Pat Kraft makes.
Mike Cavanaugh
I would call Cavanaugh and Brown "co-favorites". Like Brown, Cavanaugh has a long track record- he was an assistant at BC from 1995 until 2013, having a hand in all four of BC's titles under York. In fact, since Cavanaugh's departure in 2013, the Eagles have been unable to get back to the mountaintop. As you likely know, Cavanaugh is now the head coach at Connecticut. In my mind, Cav has done a pretty remarkable job at UConn. Remember, this was a bottom tier Atlantic Hockey program when he took over. Unlike BC, hockey is an afterthought at UConn and not having a dedicated home rink (until next year) certainly hasn't helped his cause. To me, the most impressive thing Cav has done is how he's upgraded UConn's recruiting prowess. The Huskies have had more than their share of high-end players over the last couple of years- in fact, I'd argue that this year's version of the Huskies was more talented than almost every other team in Hockey East, including BC. Next year, UConn has one of the top recruits in the country committed in Matthew Wood (an 05 birthdate who is reportedly accelerating). There were numerous rumors floating around yesterday indicating that Cavanaugh already had the job locked up- I have confirmed with sources that this is false, but he will get a long look. Despite UConn getting their new facility next fall, I would be surprised if Cav turned down the BC job to stay at UConn. BC is one of the top jobs in the sport and as well as he has done at UConn, the facilities and recruiting base at BC dwarf those at Connecticut.
Mark Dennehy
I would have Dennehy just a notch below Brown and Cavanaugh in terms of odds to get the job. From sources I have talked to, Dennehy has already begun reaching out to BC hockey alums in an attempt to garner support for his candidacy. I have also talked to some regional scouts who have maintained for a few years now that Dennehy would be the most logical replacement. Shortly after he was fired at Merrimack, Dennehy was very close to taking over for Greg Brown as BC's top assistant, but a deal eventually fell through. There are two sides to Dennehy's candidacy- on the one hand, he was fired at Merrimack after a few down years, but on the other hand (and I am much more sympathetic to this view) he built that program up for essentially nothing and brought them to the point where they were one of the best teams in the nation in 2011. Mike McMahon had an interesting tweet yesterday detailing just how much of a mess Merrimack was when Dennehy took over- the program was almost shut down. Dennehy, currently the Chief Amateur Scout for the New Jersey Devils, played at Boston College from 1987-1991.
Let's pause there. I would be SHOCKED if BC hired someone other than one of these three. I think they are by far and away the favorites for the job, based on their longtime ties to BC and their outstanding resumes.
For my next bucket, I am going to look at current Hockey East coaches who could (and should) get a look.
Greg Carvel
You all know this name by now. Carvel has been responsible for the most incredible turnaround I have seen in my life- if you remember, BC beat UMass 8-0 in 2016 for Coach York's 1,000th win. The score could well have been 18-0 if BC hadn't taken their foot off the gas. Fast forward to 2022 and Carvel has won a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP at UMASS- it still blows my mind just typing- not to mention the numerous other NCAA appearances and Hockey East titles. As for whether he would leave Amherst, I have to think he would at least give it some thought. The bottom line is, it is a lot easier to recruit and sustain success at BC than it is at UMass. Would Carvel want to jump the mighty ship that he built up? I am not sure, but he did leave his alma mater, St. Lawrence, for UMass a few years ago, so the precedent is there. Carvel currently makes $500,000 at UMass and if he were to leave for another college job, he would owe UMass $500,000 in buyout money. If you combine his salary, the buyout, and the salaries for new assistants, you are looking at a steep price, but that is what it would take to bring in the best coach in college hockey (besides maybe Scott Sandelin). This would obviously thrill the entire fanbase, but I just don't see it happening.
Norm Bazin
Another coach who has worked miracles at his institution. Bazin's resume is every bit as good as Carvel's, sans the national championship. I am a bit bewildered as to why Bazin is still at Lowell- I know he tried to get the Denver job a few years ago- and I would be very surprised if BC hired him, but he obviously knows how to build a winning program. Kraft would be foolish not to interview Bazin.
Nate Leaman
Another name that would get BC fans fired up, but I think there is a better chance Leaman goes to the NHL than to another college job. He has been at Providence for over ten years now, so maybe he is looking for a new challenge, but the rumor has that he is one of the highest paid coaches in the game with a large buyout. Maybe I am wrong, but I just don't think BC would shell out that type of money to hire someone who does not have any real connections to the school- same deal as Carvel.
Again, I would be stunned if BC was able to pull in any of these three. They are well compensated, safe in their current jobs, and have known pro aspirations.
Here are some other names that BC should look at, but I would consider them to be long shots.
Mike Ayers
The current BC associate head coach has been instrumental in getting some of BC's recent high end recruits. The 2023 recruiting class, maybe the best one BC has ever had, has his fingerprints all over it and from what I hear, many of the current players want Ayers to get the job. He is a popular figure in the locker room and has an extensive track record of recruiting and developing several high end netminders such as Thatcher Demko, Joe Woll, and Spencer Knight. The one thing holding Ayers back will probably be his lack of head coaching experience- unlike everyone else I have on this list, he has never been a head coach in college hockey or at any other level. Whatever happens, the next coach would be very wise to keep Ayers around given how well he did recruiting BC's 2022 and 2023 classes.
JD Forrest
Currently the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Forrest was a standout defenseman at BC from 2000-2004. This may be a name that flies under the radar. Forrest has quietly amassed a solid coaching resume- in addition to coaching in the AHL, he coached the United States team in the Hlinka Gretzky cup in 2021.
Scott Gordon
Gordon has as much, if not more, coaching experience than anyone on this list. Highlighted by stints as a head coach for both the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers, Gordon has a long resume filled with positions around pro hockey. Gordon would also fit the bill of being a "BC guy" as he was a goaltender for the Eagles from 1982-1986.
Eric Lang
The first non- Hockey East college head coach I have listed, I think Lang would be an interesting hire. AIC is perhaps the toughest job in the entire country, but during Lang's tenure, they have made the NCAA tournament in each of the past three seasons (it likely would have been four straight appearances had the tournament not been cancelled in 2020). While I think Lang would be a good hire, I think the safer bet is him taking over at Connecticut if Cavanaugh comes to BC. I'd consider this a bit of a long shot.
Mike Hastings
Currently the head coach at Minnesota State, this is another hire that would surprise me. Hastings has a great thing going in Mankato- they're consistently the best team in their conference and have shown they can be a national power. His son does go to Northeastern, so perhaps that could draw him to Boston. Again, not to sound like a broken record, but this would also surprise me.
Not a chance in hell list-
David Quinn
Not happening. There's a better chance of me shooting 65 tomorrow than Quinn picking BC over BU and the NHL.
My thoughts- Obviously, I am still in the state of shock about what took place yesterday. BC will hold a press conference for Coach York on Tuesday afternoon in the Yawkey Center and then after that, the AHCA convention in Naples, FL takes place. From what I have heard, BC is expected to start its interview process once the convention concludes, which would be in about a week and a half. I do not expect this to be a quick decision- nor should it be, given the state of the program. I will dive more into roster specific issues at some point down the road, once this process is over, but the next coach will inherit a relatively subpar roster (for BC's standards) but also two very solid recruiting classes. This fall's class is headlined by Cutter Gauthier, a projected top-20 pick in this summer's NHL Entry Draft. In addition to Gauthier, BC has some strong commits in Oskar Jellvik (a Bruins pick), Charlie Leddy, and Andre Gasseau (also a Bruins pick). Another twist to consider is the transfer portal- a tool BC used to fill out its roster this past season. I figured the Eagles would have more than one transfer by now (Cam Burke from Notre Dame), but obviously there was more going on behind the scenes than any of us knew about. There are still hundreds of names in there (including BU star Robert Mastrosimone), so the new staff will have time to make some moves. One could argue that it would be wise for BC to act as quickly as possible so that the new coach can attack the portal right away, but the more important move is for them to get someone that will keep the program set up for the long term.
The most important task the new coach will have upon arriving on campus is keeping the 2023 recruiting class in check. Headlined by Will Smith, that class is, as I said earlier, as good as it gets. So, while next year may not be a walk in the park given all of the departures, the next coach will be set up for future success because of the recruiting efforts by coaches York, Ayers, and Buckley. If, as I predict, BC hires one of the "big three" (Brown, Cavanaugh, Dennehy), then I would be stunned if Ayers and Buckley aren't retained- they are the primary reasons why BC has been able to recruit as well as it has, despite some question marks surrounding Coach York's potential retirement. If anything, a new coach with these assistants should be able to recruit at an even higher level because every prospect will know that the new coach will be there for the long haul.
So, those are my thoughts. I won't be posting every single of hour of every day like old times, but I will try to use my Twitter handle as much as possible. I plan on writing on here every now and then- for big games, important events, and recruiting news, but it won't be as much in terms of quantity as it was six years ago.
As always, please shoot me an email or Twitter DM (@BCHockeyBlogger) if you have any concerns or if you just want to talk about how Phil Mickelson really won the PGA Championship.
Go Eagles!
;
Glad to see you back!
ReplyDeleteHappy to have your insights and thoughts back and bookmarked! Missed your contributions.
ReplyDeleteAlways good to have old friends return for another journey between the boards.