It felt like their year.
You know those years where everything just seems to go right? That's what this year felt like for Boston College — especially Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.).
The local duo entered college hockey having been drafted inside the top 10 in last June's NHL Draft. Smith was picked No. 4 overall by the San Jose Sharks, while Leonard went at No. 8 to the Washington Capitals.
Upon their arrival, they didn't just adjust well to college hockey — they dominated.
Smith finished the season with 71 points, which was good for the most in the country. He had every right to be a Hobey Baker nominee. Leonard notched 31 goals (third in the nation) and 60 points (tied for fourth). They, along with freshman linemate Gabe Perreault and sophomore Hobey Baker finalist Cutter Gauthier, led Boston College to the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
All four also were big reasons why the U.S. won gold at the World Junior Championship in January.
That's why it was such a shock when on Saturday night, BC fell to Denver, 2-0, in the national championship game. It had just felt like their year.
So, what's next?
Let's start with the oldest of the bunch. Right after that World Junior triumph, the Philadelphia Flyers dealt Gauthier's rights to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick. Gauthier was drafted No. 5 overall by the Flyers in 2022.
Gauthier, a sophomore, led the nation in goals with 38. Typically, a sophomore with that kind of production and upside moves on to the NHL ranks. That's what happened, as it was announced on Sunday the Ducks signed him.
On the other end, Perreault had a terrific freshman season. The 23rd overall pick by the New York Rangers rode alongside Smith and Leonard, posting a whopping 60 points. Still, Perreault is only 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds. The Rangers are the best team in the Eastern Conference, making the lineup hard for him to crack as they look to go on a deep playoff run.
Perreault could and should stay for another year of development. Expect him to stay.
Where things get really interesting, however, is with Smith and Leonard. Had BC won the national championship, I'd have expected them both to be off to the NHL.
Let's look at Smith's situation first.
Smith's 71 points were the most by a freshman since Kyle Connor posted the same number with Michigan in 2015-16. Connor left for the Winnipeg Jets after one season. Jack Eichel's (North Chelmsford, Mass.) phenomenal freshman season in 2014-15 featured him posting 71 points en route to the Hobey Baker. Like Smith, Eichel lost in the national championship game. He opted for the NHL when the Buffalo Sabres drafted him second overall that June.
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Adam Fantilli notched 65 points for Michigan last season and won the Hobey Baker. When he was drafted third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets last June, the Kimball Union product was on the first plane to Ohio.
History indicates Smith could be headed for San Jose. The St. Sebastian's product also has the skill and hockey sense to be a force in the NHL. His size — 6 feet, 181 pounds — could withstand the NHL, although another year at BC would allow him to get bigger and stronger for when the time to go pro comes.
There is still another side.
For starters, Smith, Leonard and the Eagles didn't win a national championship. That was paramount to them. That's unfinished business. Even with the Eagles losing Gauthier, head coach Greg Brown's team will be gaining the likes of center James Hagens, the favorite to go No. 1 in 2025, and Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.), a Belmont Hill product who has moved into being a potential second-round pick come June. In net, Jacob Fowler will be a sophomore.
With a top six featuring talent like Smith, Leonard, Perreault, Hagens and Stiga, along with Fowler in net, the Eagles would be a national championship favorite. Smith and Leonard were instrumental in convincing Hagens to commit to BC.
San Jose, which is where Smith would be headed, is the worst team in the NHL. The Sharks have 19 wins in 80 games. Collin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) opted to sign there after his junior season wrapped up with Quinnipiac and is already in their top six. General manager Mike Grier has the franchise in a deep rebuild. Waiting another year could give Smith a chance to enter a better situation. At the same time, Smith would make the Sharks better and accelerate the rebuild.
Then there's the case of Macklin Celebrini, who could find himself intertwined with Smith.
Celebrini, an '06, won the Hobey Baker on Friday as a 17-year-old. He is the consensus projected No. 1 pick for June's NHL Draft after posting 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games for Boston University. At 6 feet and 190 pounds, he has all the tools to make an impact in the NHL next season.
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The Sharks are the favorite to land the first overall pick. If the lottery works in San Jose's favor, Grier will most likely be taking Celebrini. Bringing in Celebrini and Smith in the same offseason would give San Jose quite the 1-2 punch down the middle — and an improved situation for both youngsters. The only issue is having to pay both at the same time when their entry-level deals expire. But that's a down-the-road problem, and a good one to have.
If the Chicago Blackhawks, who have the second-best odds for the No. 1 pick, were to pick first and take Celebrini, they would most likely be eager to have a 1-2 punch down the middle with him and phenom Connor Bedard.
"It's a difficult decision because it depends on what team drafts me, where I go, what the situation is like," Celebrini told The Athletic on Friday. "It depends on a lot of stuff. Obviously, I wouldn't be afraid of coming back, too. We have a great group this year. We have a lot of guys coming back next year, so we'll have a special group again."
One of those players coming in to BU next season is Cole Eiserman. The Newburyport, Mass., native is a goal-scoring machine on the wing, a projected top-five pick in June and one of Celebrini's best friends from their time together at Shattuck-St. Mary's. Celebrini's brother, Aiden, will be a sophomore defenseman for BU next season.
And then there's Leonard.
The Pope Francis product proved to be a lethal goal-scorer at the Division 1 level. He played every game with an edge, always throwing his body around and getting under the other team's skin. At 6 feet and 192 pounds, his body could withstand the rigors of the NHL.
He'd be stepping into a better situation in the NHL, too. The Washington Capitals are currently battling for the second wild card spot in the playoffs. Projecting to next season, Leonard would be surrounded by better top-six talent than in a place like San Jose or Chicago.
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But then there's the element of wanting to win a national championship at BC. Another year of development also wouldn't hurt.
His teammate, Gauthier, is a top-five pick and opted to stay for his sophomore year. Rutger McGroarty, an '04 picked 14th overall by Winnipeg in 2022, just finished his second season at Michigan. Kent Johnson was the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and chose to do two seasons at Michigan. Local star Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) was picked No. 2 in 2021. He played two seasons at Michigan from 2020-22.
We will likely know what Perreault, Smith and Leonard choose to do in the next few days. For Celebrini, it will probably be a bit more time.
