Although the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing ended in disappointment for the U.S. men's team after going undefeated in preliminary round play, the impact contributions made by the young collegians on the roster have set the stage for a strong finish to the NCAA regular season and postseason schedules.
Four Massachusetts natives left their college teams to participate in the Olympics, benefiting from the opportunity to compete against top amateur and professional talent from around the globe.
Led by Harvard winger Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Michigan center Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.), Team USA demonstrated the ability to generate quality offense off the rush and strong two-way play. Their performances are a positive indication that both should develop into NHL regulars eventually with the Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Kraken, respectively. Boston College center and captain Marc McLaughlin (North Billerica, Mass.) is an undrafted free agent once the Eagles play their last game. Hockey East’s leading goal scorer played a supporting role as an extra forward.
The Americans also benefited from superb play in net from Boston University sophomore Drew Commesso, who went 2-0, and was 3-0 on the international stage in starts split between the Olympics and the World Junior Championship in December. Commesso will get the opportunity to compete in the 2022 WJC reset, as the International Ice Hockey Federation announced last week that the world’s signature under-20 tournament will be held again in Alberta with improved pandemic protocols after the post-Christmas event was canceled.
All have set up intriguing storylines to follow. Here are four key questions that each player faces, along with what to expect from them to close out the current season.
1. Will Beniers turn pro after his season ends?
Regardless of whether the University of Michigan wins a national championship or not, it is a near certainty that the second overall selection in 2021 will forego his final two years of NCAA eligibility and sign with Seattle.
Head coach David Quinn (Cranston, R.I.) used Beniers in a primary role, playing him in all situations while centering a line with a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs prospects in Harvard’s Nick Abruzzese and Matthew Knies. He won more than 60 percent of his face-offs and helped the USA to kill penalties at a 90 percent rate while posting a goal and one assist in the four Olympic contests. His turnover did result in a shorthanded goal against in the win over Canada, but Beniers brings such a top combination of size, skating and hockey sense plus character, that the mistake did nothing to impact Quinn’s trust in him. You want your top guns to try and make plays, and Beniers was trying to pinch while on the power play to keep the puck inside the zone. It’s better to have someone be more aggressive in that situation and learn from it, than to be too passive and not take chances.
He led Team USA with five shots on goal in the quarterfinal shootout loss to Slovakia, and curiously was not one of the five players Quinn selected to participate in the shootout. In the end, the inability for the Americans to score on multiple power plays in that game including an extended 5-on-3 that didn’t generate any shots on net loomed largely, but it’s not a burden Beniers deserves to shoulder on his own.
In the former Milton Academy forward, the Kraken have a future captain and all-star who plays an all-around game. He won’t likely be a 100-point scorer on par with Leon Draisaitl when all is said and done, but he’s going to be an impactful two-way center who will be relied upon in the franchise’s bigger moments to come.
2. Can Commesso win Mike Richter Award as NCAA’s top goalie?
The St. Sebastian’s and South Shore Kings/Cape Cod Whalers standout who played for the U.S. National Team Development Program before heading to BU is certain to be a finalist for the Mike Richter Award, but winning it will be a tall order for the sophomore.
His undefeated, .964 save percentage and two goals allowed in two games at the Olympics won’t count for consideration in voting, but he helped kickstart BU’s resurgence in January before departing for China. With Vincent Duplessis holding the fort and shutting out Northeastern to win BU’s first Beanpot title since 2015, Commesso returns as the Terrier workhorse in the remaining stretch of games.
He’s big (6-2/181), fluid and plays with superb economy of motion, not wasting much movement or energy in his crease. Commesso has always been a top performer as evidenced by his second-round selection by Chicago in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but he’s taking his game to another level this season. Even when BU was sputtering along early on, he did his part to keep them in games. Now, he has a chance to boost the team to new heights as they are on the upswing at the right time.
Winning the Richter in a crowded field with so many other goalies who have volume starts, wins and higher goals against and save percentages works against Commesso, but assuming he’s back for his junior season in 2022-23, he becomes a prohibitive favorite to take home top college goaltender honors more than a year from now.
3. Will Farrell lead ECAC in scoring to close out the campaign?
After leading the U.S. Olympic team in scoring with six points in four games, Farrell returns to Cambridge with the wind against his back and an opportunity to open things up for the Crimson with his speed attack and high-energy style.
The academic sophomore and first-year ECAC player has been a consistent threat since the 2021-22 season at Harvard started, producing at a point-per-game rate. While he’s lost ground in the team and conference scoring race since being overseas, he has the kind of explosiveness and dynamic ability to generate instant offense that bodes well for a strong finish.
Four years of junior hockey split between the NTDP and Chicago Steel, including a league championship and MVP award, have opened the door for Farrell to be an elite performer right away. Although the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Canadiens fourth-rounder in 2020 doesn’t have ideal pro size, he puts defenses on their heels and makes plays by being in the right spots. In short, he’s trending up and Harvard stands to benefit from Abruzzese and his return to the lineup.
There isn’t going to be enough time for Farrell to win the ECAC scoring crown, but he could certainly finish the final weeks of the season as the Ivy League’s top point-getter over that stretch of games and push himself into the top-10 overall.
4. Where could McLaughlin end up in the NHL?
It didn’t take long for the 22-year-old BC captain to get back to the business of scoring goals in the Hockey East, tallying his conference-best 19th marker against Northeastern on Friday, one day after getting off the plane from China.
The 6-foot, 205-pound power center went to the net, collected a rebound and fired it past a sprawling T.J. Semptimphelter, the play highlighting a career season that has seen the Cushing Academy product score 29 goals in his last 51 games.
He probably could have turned pro after his junior season, but opted to return for his final year of eligibility, and it has paid major dividends, as he is sure to receive multiple pro contract offers. Over the summer, he attended Boston Bruins development camp in Brighton, impressing by showcasing soft hands to make scoring plays in tight, or unloading on a big drive that can handcuff goalies from the outside or create hot rebounds in front.
The former Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) captain doesn’t project as a top-2 center in the NHL, but with his heavy game, work ethic and willingness to play in the dirty areas, he’s the kind of effective secondary piece you win with.
As the captain, he'll continue to get the opportunities to keep scoring and building a case for free agency down the stretch. He already appeals to teams like the Bruins, and other heavier puck possession clubs. Given the area ties of the new personnel at the top in Montreal, the Canadiens might be a sneaky option for McLaughlin, as the Habs are in desperate need of a rebuild and some character. He would have a faster path to the NHL signing there over other teams like the B’s, who have several similar types on their current roster and down in the AHL at Providence.
