Todd Burgess – McKeen's Hockey

NCAA East Region 2019-20 Season Preview: Hockey East and ECAC

Jashvina Shah — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 13:58:42 +0000

NCAA East Region Preview

While Hockey East and the ECAC are different leagues with different tendencies, both conferences see a gap between the top-tier teams and the bottom ones. The factors that separates the elite from the not-so elite are either excellent coaching or top-end talent. Primarily, teams need excellent coaching. Because you need a lot of top-end talent if you’re going to win on talent. As Herb Brooks said, “you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone!”

There shouldn’t be too many surprises in the east this year, and teams that succeeded last year will mostly repeat this year.

MANCHESTER, NH - MARCH 29: Clarkson University Golden Knights forward Haralds Egle (18) breaks in on Notre Dame Fighting Irish goaltender Cale Morris (32) during a Northeast Regional semi-final between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Clarkson Golden Knights on March 29, 2019, at SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

ECAC

Brown: The Bears have hovered in the ECAC basement of a while now. They finished eighth in the regular season but got hot in the playoffs, beating Princeton and then knocking off top-seeded Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals. Brown fell to Cornell in the ECAC semifinals 6-0, but that was a case of them being bested by the better team. A trip to the ECAC tournament marked it a wildly successful season for Brown. The roster is more or less the same, ensuring a similar regular-season finish.

Clarkson: The Golden Knights were one of the strongest teams in the ECAC thanks to balanced offense and defense. It helped Clarkson take the short trip to Lake Placid, where it won the ECAC championship in overtime. The Golden Knights lost two key pieces in Nico Sturm, who potted 45 points, and Jake Kielly, who posted a .929 save percentage. Clarkson should be able to replace Sturm’s scoring output, especially with 40-point scorer Haralds Egle returning. While goaltending will be a question mark, the Golden Knights will still be one of the strongest teams in the league.

Drafted players: Nick Campoli (VGK), Dustyn McFaul (BOS), Kris Oldham (TBL), Anthony Romano (ARI)

Colgate: The Raiders slipped last season, their win total decreasing from 17 to 10. They finished 10th in the league and were swept by Union in the first round of the playoffs. The good news is, Colgate returns nearly the entire roster, and the experience should benefit them. The bad news is, the Raiders don’t have much to build on.

Cornell: The Big Red dropped the ECAC championship game in overtime after the referees failed to blow the whistle when the net dropped on goaltender Matthew Galajda. He was injured, so Austin McGrath took over for the rest of the game and throughout the postseason. McGrath helped Cornell to a regional win over Northeastern. Aside from losing a couple seniors, the Big Red will return their leading scorer, Morgan Barron, along with Galadja, making them one of the league favorites.

Drafted players: Matt Cairns (EDM), Matthew Stienburg (COL), Alex Green (TBL), Morgan Barron (NYR), Jack Malone (VAN), Misha Song (NYI)

Dartmouth: After finishing T-5th last year, the Big Green knocked off 12th-place St. Lawrence in the first round of the playoffs. With much of their roster returning, the Big Green should finish in roughly the same place, especially if Adrian Clark can build off his .910 save percentage from at last season.

Harvard: Adam Fox’s departure is unfortunate for the Crimson, since he not only led the team with 48 points but was also one of the best defensemen in the country. Harvard still has its offensive leaders, including Reilly Walsh and Casey Dornbach. Goaltender Michael Lackey also graduated, but he missed some of last season with an injury, opening up the net for Cameron Gornet. Gornet filled in well, and can put the Crimson in a prime spot for another top-four ECAC finish.

Drafted players: Jack Drury (CAR), Jack Badini (ANA), John Farinacci (ARI), Reilly Walsh (NJD), Nick Abruzzese (TOR), Mitchell Gibson (WSH), Jack Rathbone (VAN), Henry Thrun (ANA), Austin Wong (WPG)

Princeton: Just one season after winning the ECAC tournament, the Tigers struggled to repeat their success. Princeton’s top line of Ryan Kuffner, Max Veronneau and Alex Riche -- which combined for 107 points last season -- couldn’t bring the team past its lackluster goaltending hurdle. The trio, along with top defenseman Josh Teves, graduated, making the Tigers much weaker on both ends of the ice. Princeton’s success, or lack thereof, lies solely on goaltending. But most likely the Tigers will finish in the bottom half of the league.

Drafted players: Liam Gorman (PIT)

Quinnipiac: The Bobcats usually finish in the top half of the league and usually make the ECAC tournament. They finished first last year but were upset in the playoffs by Brown. Chase Priskie, another one of the top defensemen in the league, is gone. So is Andrew Shortridge and his .940 save percentage. The Bobcats are well-coached, though, and Odeen Tufto, who put up 42 points, will be back.

Drafted players: Keith Petruzzelli (DET), Karlis Cukste (SJS), Skylar Brind’Amour (EDM), Peter DiLiberatore (VGK)

RPI: The Engineers finished in 11th, just ahead of St. Lawrence and two points behind Princeton. RPI has struggled over the last few seasons, and most likely will this year as well. The team’s top five scorers are returning, although they didn’t score much to begin with. The goaltenders who played the most, Owen Savory and Linden Marshall, are also returning.

Drafted players: Todd Burgess (OTT), Simon Kjellberg (NYR), Will Reilly (PIT)

St. Lawrence: The Saints have struggled since Greg Carvel left for UMass. After earning just six overall wins and three conference wins, the school parted ways with Mark Morris and hired Brent Brekke. With a new coach, lack of elite talent and just a program-wide mess (the rink renovations are not finished, so the Saints are shifting their first few home games to a different rink.) Unless Brekke has magic powers, it seems likely the Saints will stay in the basement for the third-straight year.

Union: Union’s top two scorers graduated and the third, Liam Morgan, left after his sophomore season. Just one of the team’s top seven scorers is returning. On the other hand, Darion Hanson did have a .919 save percentage last season and, if he can replicate that, should keep Union in the middle third of the league.

Drafted players: Parker Foo (CHI), Jack Adams (DET)

Yale: Yale’s biggest loss was Joe Snively, who had 36 points last season, double that of the team’s second-place scorer. Corbin Kaczperski is the team’s sole returning goaltender. Like Quinnipiac, the Bulldogs are well coached and don’t often finish in the bottom third.

Drafted players: Curtis Hall (BOS), Jack St. Ivany (PHI), Luke Stevens (CAR), Phil Kemp (EDM)

Five Undrafted Free Agents to Watch from the ECAC

Haralds Egle, Clarkson
Odeen Tufto, Quinnipiac
Matthew Galajda, Cornell
Casey Dornbach, Harvard
Devin Brosseau, Clarkson

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 22: Massachusetts Minutemen forward Mitchell Chaffee (21) tries to put the puck past Boston College Eagles goaltender Joseph Woll (31). During the University of Massachusetts Minutemen game against the Boston College Eagles on March 22, 2019 at TD Garden in Boston, MA. (Photo by Michael Tureski/Icon Sportswire)

Hockey East:

Boston College: Despite winning just 10 conference games and finishing seventh in Hockey East, the Eagles surged late last season for a trip to the Hockey East tournament. Now the Eagles have that momentum plus an excellent incoming class that includes Spencer Knight, who’s expected to become a top goaltender. Alex Newhook and Matt Boldy will also be joining the team. It’s hard to predict how any freshman goaltender will fare, but Knight has the potential to boost BC back to the top.

Drafted players: Matt Boldy (MIN), Spencer Knight (FLA), Alex Newhook (COL), Drew Helleson (COL), Logan Hutsko (FLA), Jack McBain (MIN), Michael Karow (ARI), Graham McPhee (EDM), David Cotton (CAR), Aapeli Rasanen (EDM), Marshall Warren (MIN), Ben Finkelstein (FLA)

Boston University: Despite struggling last year the Terriers still managed to finish 5th in the league, but they will probably drop from that place. BU has struggled since David Quinn left for the NHL, and now they’ll be facing several additional critical departures including goaltender Jake Oettinger and the team’s leading scorers, Joel Farabee and Dante Fabbro. BU’s success, or lack thereof, will depend mostly on coaching, and then on contributions from the incoming freshman class and someone shining in net.

Drafted players: Trevor Zegras (ANA), Robert Mastrosimone (DET), Alex Vlasic (CHI), Cam Crotty (ARI), David Farrance (NSH), Domenick Fensore (CAR), Kasper Kotkansalo (DET), Jake Wise (CHI), Case McCarthy (NJD), Ethan Phillips (DET), Patrick Harper (NSH), Logan Cockerill (NYI)

Connecticut: Since joining Hockey East, the Huskies have fluctuated in the standings, taking advantage of years when the league has been weak. Though they finished ninth last year, they will benefit from having two of their top three scorers returning. Goaltender Tomas Vomacka, who took over the net with a .922 save percentage, will also be back.

Drafted players: Vladislav Firstov (MIN), Ruslan Iskhakov (NYI), Carter Berger (FLA), Jachym Kondelik (NSH), Kale Howarth (CLB), Tomas Vomacka (NSH)

Maine: Maine, far from its former glory, was able to finish sixth in the league. It is returning Mitchell Fossier, the leading scorer from last year with 36 points. But the Black Bears had a slew of early departures - including sophomore defensemen Alexis Binner and Brady Keeper. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who posted a respectable .919 save percentage, will be back, though.

Drafted players: JD Greenway (TOR), Jeremy Swayman (BOS), Patrick Shea (FLA), Matthew Thiessen (VAN)

UMass-Lowell: The River Hawks have been one of Hockey East’s most consistent teams in the last decade or so, and they finished fourth last year. UMass-Lowell’s offense lost its top two scorers, but the back end has usually been the team’s strength. Goaltender Tyler Wall, who is returning, carries a .921 save percentage into the season.

Drafted players: Seth Barton (DET), Logan Neaton (WPG), Tyler Wall (NYR), Andre Lee (LAK)

Massachusetts: After its most successful season in program history and a national championship appearance, the Minutemen were extremely lucky to only lose Cale Makar and Mario Ferraro early. Those are big names, but usually teams with surprising successful runs lose more players in the offseason. Yet UMass retained Mitchell Chaffee and John Leonard, who combined for 82 points. They also still have Marc Del Gaizo, who was the leading freshman defenseman in scoring with 29 points. That said, goaltender Filip Lindberg is the player to watch. His play was key in edging out Denver in the national semifinal and he limited Minnesota-Duluth to three goals, which is an accomplishment. If he repeats his .934 save percentage performance, the Minutemen should take a top spot in Hockey East.

Drafted players: Zac Jones (NYR), Marc Del Gaizo (NSH), John Leonard (SJS), Filip Lindberg (MIN)

Merrimack: With 16 freshman, Merrimack will have the largest rookie class in the country. The Warriors won just seven games last year, but it was Scott Borek’s first season in charge and it typically takes coaches around three-four years to settle in, start their own systems and recruit their own players.. The incoming class signals a roster changeover, so this will be one of those “rebuilding” years.

Drafted players: Patrick Holway (DET)

New Hampshire: It’s Mike Souza’s second year as head coach of the Wildcats, who are still transitioning to life without Dick Umile. They didn’t lose much and have two of their leading scorers as well as goaltender Mike Robinson, who posted a .913 save percentage, returning. While it isn’t fair to say the Wildcats are rebuilding, they’re stuck in stasis.

Drafted players: Max Gildon (FLA), Mike Robinson (SJS), Angus Crookshank (OTT), Benton Mass (WSH), Ty Tailor (TBL)

Northeastern: The Huskies have surged at times over the past five seasons. Last year they took advantage of BU and BC’s struggles, finishing second in the conference with 15 wins. But part of Northeastern’s success came from good defense and goaltending, which will suffer with the early departures by Jeremy Davies and goaltender Cayden Primeau. Since Primeau was a big part of Northeastern’s rise, it’s tough to see the Huskies repeating last year’s success.

Drafted players: Jayden Struble (MTL), Matt Filipe (CAR), Jordan Harris (MTL), Tyler Madden (VAN), Ryan Shea (CHI), Mike Kesselring (EDM), Riley Hughes (NYR), Aidan McDonough (VAN)

Providence: Following its second Frozen Four appearance in four years, the Friars also got hit with key offseason departures. Kasper Bjorkqvist, Jacob Bryson, Brandon Duhaime and Josh Wilkins all left early. Additionally, Hayden Hawkey, who posted a .920 save percentage, graduated. But Providence is always a well-coached, tough defensive team to play against, and the Friars will finish at the top of the league again.

Drafted players: Ben Mirageas (NYI), Max Crozier (TBL), Tyce Thompson (NJD), Michael Callahan (ARI), Jack Dugan (VGK), Patrick Moynihan (NJD), Jake Kucharski (CAR)

Vermont: The Catamounts finished 10th last year and probably won’t rise, unless goaltender Stefanos Lekkas can put up more than his .930 save percentage from last season, but that’s a lot to ask of a goaltender. Vermont saw a couple departures with Jake Massie and Liam Coughlin, but most of its players are returning.

Drafted players: Bryce Misley (MIN)

Five Undrafted Free Agents to Watch from Hockey East

Mitchell Chaffee, Massachusetts
Stephanos Lekkas, Vermont
Spenser Young, Providence
Mitchell Fossier, Maine
Patrick Curry, Boston University

ECAC Playoff Preview: Defending Champions Princeton in tough against strong Union squad

Russ Cohen — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 15:40:20 +0000

The ECAC tournament is the second oldest active conference tournament in college hockey. It first started in 1961. The ECAC first-round matchups run from March 15-17, and all series are best of threes. There are some very good matchups but a few of them could be sweeps. Usually, these teams despise each other enough to make the games very entertaining.

12 St. Lawrence at. No 5 Dartmouth

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 04: St. Lawrence Saints goaltender Daniel Mannella (30) catches a puck during the Ice Vegas Invitational Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire)

The Dartmouth Big Green men’s hockey team had a home record of 6-7-2 this season and they are 1-1 in their last two on home ice. On February 16th they tied St. Lawrence on the road. Goaltender Adrian Clark should be between the pipes for Dartmouth. He stopped 21 in his last game for the win. Junior Will Graber had a hat trick in that game. The 6-5” undrafted center was third on the team in goals. Freshman Drew O’Connor scored two goals in his last game and led the team with 13 goals and 22 points in 29 games.

The St. Lawrence Saints had a 1-16-0 road record. They spit a home-and-home with Clarkson to end the season. In one of those games, junior netminder Daniel Mannella stopped 48 shots for the win. He made another 37 in the 3-0 loss so he is capable of a keeping his team in the game even with a heavy workload. Center Carson Gicewicz led his team in scoring with 18 points and David Jankowski (brother of Calgary Flames center Mark Jankowski) led the team with eight goals.

Prediction: Expect Dartmouth to win this series.

11 RPI at 6 Yale

RPI head coach Dave Smith will have to lock horns with a mainstay in Keith Allain of Yale. The latter man has been there since 2006 and won a national title in 2013. The Yale Bulldogs limped into the playoffs losing their last four games of the season. Senior backstop Sam Tucker should draw the start. He has faced a lot of shots this season. Curtis Hall, drafted by the Bruins in 2018, brings a big two-way presence to the forward unit, while blueliners Phil Kemp, drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2017, can add a bit from the back as well as Jack St. Ivany, a Flyers draft pick in 2018, who has done well for a freshman with 2019 U20 World Junior Championship experience. He has fired off as much as eight shots in a game this year. Joe Snively, a senior left winger, has a team-high 14 goals and needs to keep on rolling.

The Engineers had a 5-11-1 road record this season and lost three consecutive games to close out the season. Freshman goalie Owen Savory will likely draw the start. He had a .928 save percentage on the season. Todd Burgess, drafted by the Ottawa Senators in 2016, had seven goals, one an overtime winner, and 16 points this season. Top-line center, Jacob Hayhurst led the team with 23 points in 27 games. They have to hope this series will be a defensive battle as RPI lacks offensive depth.

Prediction: Yale will win this in what could be a tight series.

10 Colgate at 7 Union

The Union Dutchman had a superb 10-3-3 home record this season. They won their last two games, one of them against Harvard. Union has nine seniors, one of whom is a talented goalie in Jake Kupsky, a 2015 draft pick of the San Jose Sharks. Sophomore Parker Foo, a 2017 draft pick of the Blackhawks, is one to watch. His brother Spencer played at Union and was signed by the Flames as a a free agent. Same goes for Jack Adams, a 2017 draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings. The 6-5” right winger has nine goals and 19 points this season. Captain Cole Maier is a senior and he is the top scorer on the team with 28 points in 34 games.

Colgate was 4-10-2 on the road this season. They lost their last two games heading into the playoffs. Colgate should roll with freshman goalie Mitch Benson. He played in 31 games this season posting a .912 save percentage. Forward Bobby McCann will pace the offense. He had eight goals and 23 points in 31 games. After that, the offense gets a bit sparse.

Prediction: Union will win this without the need of a third game.

9 Princeton at 8 Brown

The Princeton Tigers are the defending champs. The struggled mightily for parts of this season but they finished out the season strong, including a 5-1 win over Brown. Freshman goalie Jeremie Forget was in for the last two and he may start over sophomore netminder Ryan Ferland. In four games this season Forget has a great 1.21 goals against average and a staggering .959 save percentage. Will coach Ron Fogarty ride the hot hand? Princeton’s top line of Ryan Kuffner, Alex Riche and Max Veronneau, the latter a Hobey Baker candidate, is the best in the ECAC. They have gotten hot late and they have combined for 98 points on the season. Add the offensively gifted Josh Teves on the blueline, and you have the key cogs on the top power play and the top four scorers on the team. Teves, a senior, even played on the wing this year but that won’t happen in this important series and possibly the last for the all-senior top line.

The Brown Bears might start Luke Kania, who had a .912 save percentage in 16 games this season. Junior goalie Gavin Nieto hopes that is not the case though. The latter has started 15 games with a .913 save percentage over the season. 6-3” left winger Tom Marchin, the team captain, is a threat offensively, having scored a team-high eight goals and 22 points in 29 games. Freshman forward Tristian Crozier had 17 points this season and the team will need some of that offense if they are going to advance.

Prediction: Princeton wins in three games.

Following the series this weekend, next up is the quarterfinal round which incorporates the winners here as well as the top four seeds from the ECAC in Quinnipiac (T-1^st), Cornell (T-1^st), Clarkson (T-3^rd) and Harvard (T-3^rd). Eventually the finals will be played in Lake Placid, New York. There are a number of possible paths to that pinnacle, but for what it’s worth, we project Union to win the ECAC conference championship for the first time since 2013-14, which they followed up with a national championship. Until then, some collegiate careers will end with hopes of having NHL teams signing them this summer while others will advance to the NCAA tournament, hoping to get an eventual berth into the Frozen Four.

US College Hockey (ECAC) – Quinnipiac and RPI

Russ Cohen — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 19:53:25 +0000

It’s amazing how the Quinnipiac hockey program has blossomed with many players to watch. There is a reason they headed into the break with a 14-3 record.

They have a good offense, but NHL teams didn’t invest in that with no drafted forwards on the team. They are invested in their blueline however, and their Top three specifically. The first defenseman who looks really good is Peter DiLiberatore. At 6-0”, 170 pounds he has some wheels. He is good at skating out of trouble, he shields the puck well and makes nice strips on defense and adept passes on offense. It’s no wonder the Vegas Golden Knights drafted him in the sixth round. They may have a future blueliner in him.

April 09, 2016: Chase Priskie (13) of Quinnipiac during the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four championship game between North Dakota and Quinnipiac at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photograph by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire)

Chase Priskie is also a top-pairing d-man for the team and he has been doing it well for the last four years. He went into the break with 21 points in 17 games. The Washington Capitals drafted him in the sixth round back in 2016. Now 22, he is really blossoming this season. He has a good one-timer and an accurate wrist shot. The big improvement is in his skating and the way he brings the puck up the ice. No wonder he is on the top power play and the top penalty kill. He may have to wait a long time to play in Washington if he proves himself after turning pro.

Another Quinnipiac defenseman, Karlis Cukste, is a 6-4” Latvian with some talent. In 2015 he had a great showing in the U18s. He had two points and four assists in six games. His team came in dead last in their group, but he was a bright spot. His freshman season was a dip in the pool getting 15 points in 38 games. In his sophomore season, the points were down slightly with 13 but his penalty minutes were way down from 47 to 10.

His junior season has been his best. He had 12 points in his first 18 games with only six penalty minutes. He has good speed that he can call upon to skate the puck out of trouble. He is an accurate passer in his own zone, which is good since he has played on the top penalty killing unit and he can get things going up the ice to start the offense. He battles, and the Sharks love that in their players. He was a 5th round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and he has a chance of playing for them down the line.

American goaltender, Keith Petruzzelli is a known commodity. He was drafted in the third round by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He first made some noise playing for Muskegon in the USHL. That same year, 2016-17, he had a nice showing in the All-American Prospects Game. After that game, he was on a lot of teams’ radar and that’s probably why Detroit didn’t try to wait to get him in the later rounds.

His freshman season was rough, and it showed when he posted a .892 save percentage. That statistic is the money maker for goaltenders after they turn pro. Now in his sophomore season, he has posted a .917 save percentage through his first 11 games. He only played 17 games last season, so he will top that in 2018-19 for sure as he grows more accustomed to the collegiate game.

This season his glove looks very solid. He slides post to post and that is a fast way for a 6-5” netminder to guard against wraparounds and other scoring chances. He sees the puck very well in traffic. He can see over some of it and that is a benefit. His rebound control is good, and that is key for any goaltender at any level. He does a nice job directing blocker saves safely to his defenders to the safe areas.

With a man down, he can be the team’s best penalty killer. He can handle the high heat heading to the high corner. In 1-on-1 battles, he doesn’t give shooters much to work with. Detroit is hoping they have struck some gold in him, but he will likely finish out his college career and play in the AHL before they see him.

Quinnipiac is a powerhouse in the ECAC once again and that isn’t a surprise to anybody.

RPI always gets pushed to the side because they lack top players and therefore get lost in the ECAC. This season they aren’t the worst, so they are progressing.

Todd Burgess is a top-line right wing who is fun to watch. He was drafted in the fourth round in 2016. The Ottawa Senators may have something in this versatile player.

In 2015-16 he had 95 points in the NAHL. 38 of them were goals and he did that in 60 games. That league is known for producing NHL goaltenders like Anthony Stolarz (Flyers), Craig Anderson and Ben Bishop. And a fair number of forwards like Jimmy Hayes, Patrick Eaves, and Bryan Rust to name a few. The list has been growing for years.

The Phoenix, Arizona native plays hard along the wall. He uses his body well and has an active stick on defense. He needs more mental focus on defense, if he can do that, he can really upgrade his game. This season he has six points in his first 17 games. His focus beyond the college game would be as a defensive winger.

Chase Perry is a goalie who saw his first action this season against Notre Dame and the short time he was in the game was matching the performance of Cale Morris, arguably the best goalie in the country again, seeing as how he won the Richter Award last season. Back to Perry, he came in relief and stopped 17 of 18 shots. Last season he opened the season with a 56-save performance so there’s some talent there.

The 6-3” backstop is 22. He has only played 41 games for the Engineers. The Red Wings spent a 5th rounder on him in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. It is unclear where his career is headed but one of these seasons, he should turn pro and try and get more playing time with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League. Will he play a senior season for RPI? He probably will but you never know. The Red Wings may help him make that decision.

RPI is having another mediocre season but at some point, they should be able to turn it around.

NCAA – Looking at Hockey East and ECAC Conferences

Russ Cohen — Wed, 21 Nov 2018 16:33:01 +0000

The Princeton Tigers are off to a good start this season. They were nationally ranked as high as 15 in the early going. Their top line of Max Veronneau (right wing), Alex Riche (center) and Ryan Kuffner (left wing) is as good as any line in college hockey and they are all undrafted seniors. Fans and scouts alike have been seeing a show in the early part of the 2018-19 season. If they all can stay healthy, getting into the playoffs and making some noise, like last season, is indeed a strong possibility.

Max Veronneau (6-0”, 180) notched nine points in his first seven games, Kuffner (6-1”, 195) amassed 13 and Riche (6-0”, 190) eight. The key to this line’s effectiveness is controlling the puck and passing the puck as many times as it takes to find the open spaces in the ice and then burying those chances. They are all skilled skaters and passers, so a team has to have an elite top pairing to slow them down.

Goaltending has been strong early on, as Ryan Ferland (6-0”, 175), undrafted, has picked up where he left off last year. This year he is sporting a faster glove hand and clean, quick covers, there haven’t been that many juicy rebounds for the opposition. Many feel he is still the key to the team’s long-term success this season.

Offensive defenseman Josh Teves, another undrafted senior, had eight points in his first seven games as well. The Calgary, Alberta native is fast and can transport the puck with great ease. He knows when to jump into the play but he is a risk/reward player. So far, the reward has been far greater than the risk in the early going. The key to a successful college hockey team is having talented seniors playing some of the top skill positions and Princeton has that.

Union has looked good in the early going as well. Top line center Cole Maier (6-2”, 195) scored five goals and eight assists in his first 11 games. That put the senior among the top scorers in the nation. The undrafted senior is turning heads.

Parker Foo, brother of Spencer, who also played for Union and won a national championship with them, has gotten off to a slow start this season. In his first eight games, he only had three points. He is ahead of last year’s pace, which is something. The Chicago Blackhawks spent a 2017 fifth-round draft pick on him. They are a patient team, so the 20-year-old will get plenty of time to develop. Foo has good speed and he gets to loose pucks first. The 6-1”, 195-pound sophomore still has some room to develop.

Second line right winger Jack Adams (a 6th round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2017), has some tools in his toolbox. The 6-6”, 210-pound sophomore is a decent skater, and he will improve in the future, with pretty good strength already. When his man-strength kicks in he could be scary. He did get off to a good start this season with four goals and seven points in his first 11 games.

The San Jose Sharks drafted Union goalie Jake Kupsky with a 7th round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-4”, 200-pound senior has played more games than his backup. His save percentage was just under .900 after seven games. Last season it was .917 so it is reasonable to expect that to rise. His positioning is solid and with the paddle down, in traffic, he gobbles up a lot of pucks. He hugs both posts very well leaving the opposition very little to shoot at in those situations.

RPI is still having trouble staying consistent. One of their drafted players has been good. Junior Todd Burgess had three points in his first nine games. That’s an uptick in production and that has to make the Ottawa Senators happy. They drafted him in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He has been getting top line minutes and his strong play along the wall, important for a winger, and his solid stick checking are all good signs.

Harvard hasn’t gotten out of the gate the way they would have hoped for but two of their drafted players have.

Adam Fox was a part of a trade that gave his rights to the Carolina Hurricanes. That team will get two seasons to sign the fast-skating blueliner. He may be only 5-11”, 180 pounds but that doesn’t even factor into his terrific all-around game. In his first seven games, he racked up 15 points. That made him the leader in points on the Harvard roster and one of the leaders for the 2019 Hobey Baker Award if he can keep up this offensive output.

Another drafted player who has started the season off right is Jack Drury. He is the son of Ted, a longtime NHLer and the 5-11”, 180-pound center has been showing why the Carolina Hurricanes were smart to draft him in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. As a “true freshman”, Drury started out with eight points in his first seven games. He has excellent speed, terrific hockey I.Q. and he has a quick release on his wrist shot.

The UMass (Amherst) Minutemen got off to a fast start to grab the lead in the early going in Hockey East. They were undefeated in their first six games. One of the reasons is Cale Makar. Fresh off a gold-medal performance last winter ensuring Team Canada a gold medal in the U20 World Junior Championship, many expected him to turn pro. But what the now Sophomore wanted to do was advance his education and try and win it all this season with UMass. The Colorado Avalanche chose him 4th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. At 5-11”, 187, he already has pro speed, the puck handling ability that most never have at the collegiate level and the ability to make a power play lethal. He started off the 2018-19 campaign with five goals and 14 points in his first 10 games.

Boston College is certainly in the mix but that’s not good enough for this elite program. Jack McBain is one player who came in as a “true freshman” and he has gotten off to a good start. The 6-3”, 201-pound center had two points through his first six games. He is a physical player who has the defensive part of his game down. The Minnesota Wild knew what they were doing grabbing him in the third round in last year’s draft. His good face-off technique and skating should turn in a decent season for him and better ones down the road.

Oliver Wahlstrom Is expected to be a star down the road. The Islanders chose him with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He is another who is a true freshman but with a June birthdate. In his first nine games, he scored two goals. The 6-1”, 207-pound center probably knew he had to round out his game and that will probably happen later this season. In October he did win Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors. His pro-one-timer and slick skating will eventually show itself.

Northeastern got off to a hot start and second-generation freshman center Tyler Madden has answered his critics once again. In his first 11 games, he posted nine points. He was just named Rookie of the Week. He is fast, he has excellent vision and good hockey I.Q. He has a knack for keeping the play in front of him. He never stops working and now NCAA fans are witnessing that first-hand. He is 5-11”, 150, so he might need all four years to build up his body at a top-notch university, and if that is the plan Northeastern fans will be the beneficiaries. The Vancouver Canucks grabbed him in the third round in last year’s draft and now fans can see why.

Cayden Primeau is the son of former NHLer Keith Primeau. Cayden’s dad terrorized goalies and Cayden turned that on its head and decided to be a goalie. Last year the New Jersey native had a stellar .931 save percentage. Some worry about the sophomore slump, it doesn’t matter what league you play in. He is the workhorse for this team and through his first 11 games he had a 2.43 goals against and a solid .916 save percentage. This backstop positions himself well and can track the puck in traffic. At 6-3”, 191 pounds he can handle players trying to crash the net. He has a fast glove and the most important trait he has is he is very coachable. That is so important for a player who is just 19. He doesn’t have it all figured out yet and the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him in the seventh round in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, know that too, so expect Primeau to play at least one more year for Northeastern, if not two. There’s no rush with Carey Price ahead of him on the depth chart in Montreal.

Russ Cohen is new to the McKeen's team and will be providing regular updates on College Hockey throughout the season. He can be heard regularly on the NHL Network Radio (XM 91)
Hockey Prospect Radio and his website can be found here http://www.sportsology.com

NHL Draft Review and Grades: Ottawa Senators

Grant McCagg — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:30:20 +0000

June 24, 2016: Logan Brown is congratulated by Ottawa Senators management and coaches after he was selected as the 11th pick in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire.)

It was no surprise who the Senators selected at 11th overall when they swung a deal to move up one spot in the draft , choosing the “hometown” boy in 6-6 center Logan Brown...a player many thought had made his way into the top ten after his impressive showing at the U-18. Brown quelled some of the whispers about his competitiveness and willingness to get his nose dirty over the second half of the season…significantly increasing his goal total and getting into the high traffic areas (especially the goal area) with more frequency.

RND	PICK	RNK	PLAYER	POS	CTY	HT/WT	TEAM
1	11	9	Logan Brown	C	CAN	6-6/220	Windsor (OHL)
2	42	54	Jonathan Dahlen	C	SWE	5-11/175	Timra (Swe)
4	103	NR	Todd Burgess	RW	USA	6-2/180	Fairbanks (NAHL)
5	133	111	Max Lajoie	D	CAN	6-1/185	Swift Current (WHL)
6	163	NR	Markus Nurmi	RW	FIN	6-4/185	TPS Turku (Fin)

Max Lajoie

Scouts were seemingly split on Jonathan Dahlen’s potential…some questioning his grit and size/skating combo, while others were intrigued by his offensive upside and strong showing at U-19 events and the Allsvenskan playoffs. Todd Burgess was praised by a couple of NHL scouts after the draft…not having seen him as a staff, however, perhaps if this information was known before the draft he would have been scouted, and on McKeen’s draft list. Max Lajoie was a highly-regarded player as a 16-year-old…a disappointing season resulted in him dropping to the fifth round. Ottawa will hope he can bounce back to earlier form. Markus Nurmi is a lanky winger that was a spare part on Finland’s U-18 team.

June 24, 2016: Former Senators player, Daniel Alfredsson, looks on after the Senators selected Logan Brown as the 11th pick in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire.)

Grade - B: The Sens had a strong start to the draft by picking up a top ten prospect with impressive offensive potential in Brown and a skilled sniper in Dahlen. Having no other picks in the top 100 hurt the overall depth.