With huge contributions from some of the most extraordinary freshmen that college hockey has ever seen, Boston College and Boston University rolled all the way to the Frozen Four last season, with BC losing to Denver in the national championship game.
If the Eagles and Terriers are to go that far again — and maybe one of them finishes the job this time by winning the NCAA title — they are going to need a new crop of rookies to step up.
It would be a stretch to expect this year’s Green Line freshmen to measure up to what was accomplished last year by Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini of BU, and BC’s line of Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Gabe Perreault.
But there’s no question that the incoming classes recruited by Greg Brown at BC and Jay Pandolfo at BU and their staffs are chock full of difference makers.
How quickly the freshmen adjust to the college game will tell the tale. Chances are it won’t take long.
“It’s a good group and they’ll have success,” Brown said of his first-year players. “You just don’t know when that success will come. Over all our years, it seems like certain freshmen adapt quickly and have early success and other ones take a little longer. You bring everyone in and you hope for a quick transition, but you can’t be assured of that.”
Last year, the electrifying line of Smith, Leonard and Perreault, who played together with the U.S. National Team Development Program, “had a big advantage in the chemistry they had with each other,” Brown said. “That was one hurdle they didn’t have to get over. They read each other so well that the immediate chemistry was there and they had an exceptional year.
“You hope for that every year, but that’s not realistic. Some superstars — Nathan Gerbe, Cam Atkinson — didn’t have monster freshmen years, but they sure had monster sophomore and junior years.”
BU’s Pandolfo is looking for his first-year players to contribute immediately.
“Our expectations are for them to be able to make an impact pretty much right away. That’s what we try to do. We try to identify guys that are ready to play college hockey. We don’t want them coming in and having to swim upstream the whole time, and we want to be in a place where they can come in and have an impact,” he said.
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Let’s look at the top rookies on Commonwealth Avenue, starting with BC.
The brightest star in Hockey East’s freshmen constellation is James Hagens, who figures to be a worthy replacement for Smith and for Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist Cutter Gauthier at the top of the BC lineup.
A native of Long Island, Hagens is a dynamic offensive force whose skating has been compared to Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, drafted No. 1 in 2019.
Hagens shredded the competition at the 14-U and 15-U levels at Mount St. Charles and continued to dominate in his two seasons at the NTDP. Things could change between now and the NHL Draft next summer, but a number of reputable analysts have Hagens ranked as the likely first overall pick.
“James has been a key player for the national program. You don’t do that by accident. We know he’s going to be an important piece for us. Again, you just have to go through the proper steps and see when it comes out. It might be the first day he steps on the ice or it might take some time, but he’s going to be an important offensive catalyst for us,” said Brown.
At 6-foot-7, it’s impossible to miss Dean Letourneau, a high scorer last season for St. Andrew’s College, a prep school on the outskirts of Toronto. The Bruins picked him with the 25th selection in the first round of the NHL Draft in June.
The super-sized center was headed to the USHL this season, but there was a change of plans when Smith, the leading scorer in the country last season, signed his entry-level contract with San Jose rather than return to Chestnut Hill for his sophomore year.
How ready is Letourneau to make the leap from prep hockey straight to Hockey East?
“We’ll see. It will be a big jump early on and you just have to see how long it takes,” said Brown. “You see it at every level. When kids advance up, it takes some players longer than others. Coming from St. Andrew’s, it will be an adjustment, but Dean’s an extremely hard worker. He’ll get there.”
Winger Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.) played a couple of youth hockey seasons with the Boston Junior Eagles, so he’s worn the maroon and gold colors before.
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After an injury marred season in 2022-23 with the NTDP, Stiga bounced back in his draft year in ’23-24 and was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round. He’s a fast, skilled and competitive winger, the kind of player who is noticeable in every game.
Stiga’s NTDP teammate, defenseman Will Skahan, was drafted by Utah in the second round. He is a physical, 6-foot-4 defender who is expected to bring some bite to BC’s back line.
“He knows his identity very well and he plays to that. An advantage for him is he won’t be having to discover his game and how it translates to college hockey. Will brings a dimension that should help us a lot,” said Brown.
At the other end of Comm Ave., Boston University faces the challenge of replacing its top forward, Celebrini, and superstar defenseman Lane Hutson, who signed with the Montreal Canadiens last April.
First on the list of BU’s rookie forwards is Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.). After breaking Cole Caufield's record for the most goals in a career at the NTDP with 127, Eiserman was picked in the first round by the New York Islanders
“He has a gift to score goals, no question about it, so we certainly want to put him in a situation where we can take advantage of that, put him in spots where he’s going to be able to score goals. That’s what he does best,” said Pandolfo.
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“People always talk about how he’s got to work on other parts of his game, but I think he has. We just want to continue to develop him as a good 200-foot winger. The first thing that’s going to stick out is that he scores goals, but that he also can understand how to play in the ‘D’ zone,” said Pandolfo.
“The big thing for us is to round out his game. He’s been working on that and will continue to work on it. I’m excited to get the opportunity to coach him.”
On defense, Cole Hutson looks like the next best thing to older brother Lane, who piled up 97 points in 77 games in his two years at BU. It’s uncanny how similar the playing style of the two undersized D-men is.
“Sad to see (Lane) go, but we’re very fortunate to have Cole coming in. We’re pretty confident that he’s going to come in and fill Lane’s shoes. I think that’s what Cole expects. If you ask Cole, he wants that challenge. He’s the same as Lane. They are really, really competitive. They want to win,’’ said Pandolfo.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing Cole on a daily basis. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching him develop.”
Center Kamil Bednarik was selected in the second round by the New York Islanders.
“I think he’s an underrated player. He was a really good player for the (NTDP) the last two years, probably overlooked a little bit with some of the other star power they had,” said Pandolfo.
“He’s a really good 200-foot centerman, and he's got more skill than people maybe realize, as well. He’s a guy that’s going to step into our lineup right away and make a huge impact, not only offensively but defensively, too, as a centerman you can put out there against anyone.”
Center Brandon Svoboda, a San Jose third-rounder, is coming off a strong showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
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“He had a great camp. He’s a big body, 6-3, really strong, he’s on the puck, he can skate. His size is really going to help us,” said Pandolfo.
After four-year forwards Luke Tuch and Dylan Peterson signed NHL contracts last spring, “having a guy like Svoboda step into the lineup is going to help us, give us a little bit more size,” Pandolfo said.
Alexander Zetterberg, an undrafted 5-foot-8 center from Sweden, is a bit of an unknown commodity on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, but he’s put up points everywhere he’s played.
“He makes a play every time he has the puck. His hockey IQ is excellent,” said Pandolfo. “He’s a guy we’re going to make sure we’re putting in spots to have success. We expect that he’s going to be able to produce for us.”
With so many glittering prospects in the league, Hockey East is in a good place. Seven first-round picks skated in the league last season (not including Celebrini, who wasn’t drafted until June). There will be six in 2024-25 (not including Hagens, who is expected to be a first-rounder next summer).
In addition to the BC and BU contingents, another player to watch this season will be Trevor Connelly of Providence College, chosen 19th in the first round by Vegas. He projects to be the most dynamic offensive player of Nate Leaman’s tenure with the Friars.
More than ever, Hockey East coaches are selling the league as a steppingstone to the next level. High-end recruits are buying in.
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“We certainly talk about it, no question. We feel that this is the best league to develop to get ready for the next level. It’s not just the players coming to BC and BU. There’s a lot of really good players in this league going to all the schools,” said Pandolfo.
“I’ve been very impressed coming from pro hockey with how good this league is, how well-coached this league is. All the teams, the coaching is excellent and it helps our league as a whole.”
Brown agrees. “The depth and the competitiveness every night is almost like a playoff atmosphere. We sell the strength of the league and the enjoyment they are going to have and the competitiveness that they are going to be a part of as huge plusses,” he said.
Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf puts it this way: “What’s the old saying? Iron sharpens iron? That’s exactly what we are doing, what we are selling, what makes us attractive. You’re playing against, on every one of our teams, guys that are going to play in the (NHL).”
