Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Pre-Season Polls

Earlier today, Hockey East released their annual coaches poll at the pre-season media day at TD Garden.

BU was selected as the overwhelming pre-season  favorite to take the league title. The Terriers received 10 of a possible 12 first place votes and finished more than 20 points ahead of second place Northeastern.

Lowell and NU were the other teams who were given first place votes.

The entire poll is as follows:

1. BU (10)
2. Northeastern (1)
3. Notre Dame
4. Lowell (1)
5. Providence
6. Boston College
7. UConn
8. Vermont
9. Merrimack
10. New Hampshire
11. UMass
12. Maine

The last time BU was picked to win the league was in the 2009/10 season.

The coaches poll was not the only meaningless rankings list to hit the internet this week. USCHO unveiled their preseason rankings yesterday. BU was slotted inside the top five at number four and picked up five first place votes. North Dakota was first with 43 first place votes, Quinnipiac was second (1 FPV), Dever third and Boston College rounded out the top five and was awarded the last first place vote.

Yes, BC was ranked higher in the national poll than in their own league. That, in itself, should tell you everything you need to know about pre-season polls... MEANINGLESS

BU was ranked third to start off last season.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

A Look At The New Class

Ah, tis the season. Football is back and hockey is right around the corner. BU opens their exhibition schedule less than two weeks from today when Prince Edward Island come to Agganis on October 1st.

Bobo Carpenter celebrates after scoring at Yale last season.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)
Before we get into anything about games, let’s take a look at the incoming freshman class. Many sites across the college hockey landscape have pegged BU as the runaway best recruit class in the country. 

The class is headlined by Clayton Keller and Kiefer Bellows, but we will take a look at all nine of BU’s newcomers. 

Starting in numerical order:

Chad Krys, #5, Defenseman
The six-foot, 185-pound defenseman come from Ridgefield, Connecticut, but spent the last two seasons with the US National Development Team in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Last season he saw time with both the U17 and U18 teams and combined to notch 5 goals, 37 assists for 42. He was also a member of the USA WJC team that won bronze in Stockholm. Chad was drafted 45th overall in this year’s NHL draft by the Blackhawks. Krys’ father was Captain of the 1991 BU team that fell in triple overtime to Northern Michigan in the National Title Game.

Kiefer Bellows, #9, Forward
The Edina, Minnesota native tore through the high school ranks, helping the Edina Hornets net yet another state title in 2014 as a sophomore. The next year he picked up right where he left off and posted impressive numbers (33g, 19a in 58 games) with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL. Last season, he led the USA U18 team in goals scored with 50. Bellows was taken 19th overall in the NHL Draft by the Islanders this past June.

Gabriel Chabot, #10, Forward
Cabot might not be the biggest name in the class, but as he flies a bit under the radar, he certainly has the potential to make an impact. The 21-year-old freshman, stands 5-8, 180, but was a big-time scorer with the Rochester Jr. Americans of the USPHL. He led the team in points with 50 (19 goals, 31 assists). Cabot is from Quebec City.

Patrick Curry, #11, Forward
Curry played two years with the Bloomington Thunder (USHL), racking up 26 goals and 27 assists for 53 points in. The 5-11 freshman is from Schaumburg, Illinois and prior to playing in Bloomington, he skated for the Springfield Junior Blues in the North American league.

Dante Fabro, #17, Defenseman
Fabro was considered a “huge get” when he first committed and for good reason. The New Westminster, BC native went 17th overall in the NHL Entry Draft to Nashville. Fabro was named the top defenseman in the BCHL as a member of the Penticton Vees. He led all defenseman in the league in scoring with 14 goals and 53 assists (1.49ppg) last season. He also played for Team Canada in Grand Forks at the 2016 U18 World Championships. He should play a critical role on the power play this season.

Clayton Keller, #19, Forward
To put it bluntly, Keller is the biggest recruit since Jack Eichel landed at BU two years ago. Keller broke Phill Kessel’s NTDP career scoring record by nine points last season. In two seasons with the National Team, Keller recorded 189 points (71 goals, 118 assists). The 118 assists are good for second all-time behind Jeremy Bracco (122). Eichel ranks seventh in total points with 139. Keller was taken 7th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL Draft.

Patrick Harper, #21, Forward
Harper took the old path to college hockey, the prep school route. Last year, he led Avon Old Farms in scoring with 59 points as the team reached the NEPSAC semifinals. As the number one seed, they were knocked off 5-3 at home by The Gunnery School. Harper was selected 138th overall in the NHL Draft this June.

Johny McDermott, #28, Forward
McDermott, another prep school kid, was Captain at Westminster last season and led the team in assists with 25 in 25 games played. McDermott also bounced around a few select teams. He was with the Mid-Fairfield Rangers, Connecticut U16 Oilers, and played two games with the Tri-City Storm in the USHL.

Jake Oettinger, #29
Oettinger will be looked upon to stabilize the goaltending position, a position that was very inconsistent a year ago. From Lakeville, Minnesota, Oettinger has been doing that ever since his freshman year in high school. He played just die games, but led Lakeville to the Class 2A state championship and was named to the all-tournament team in 2014. Last year, he was a member of the USA U18 team and posted a .908 save percentage and a 2.38 goals against. From all accounts, he was the top goalie in the NDTP system and was the starting goalie at the U18 Worlds.