Yasin Cissé leaves Boston University men’s hockey program

The 20-year-old forward had a tumultuous two-and-a-half years on Commonwealth Avenue, during which he totaled two goals and five assists in 39 games while battling injury and confidence issues, both of which led to a struggle for playing time.

 
Cissé, a quick, 6-foot-3, 215 pound right wing, was highly regarded when arriving at BU, but a number of injuries limited him in terms of reaching his potential.

BU head coach Jack Parker, who would not comment Tuesday night, said on multiple occasions during Cissé’s tenure as a Terrier that he could be a big-time point scorer for BU.

“Cissé is a candidate to make a big jump,” Parker said in late September. “He’s been away from the game for two years because of injury, one a really severe injury. He’s playing with more confidence now than we’ve seen.

“I have no question he has the ability to be a very, very good player in this league and a guy that could get a lot of ice time for us. I think he’s more mentally ready to do that now than he ever has been. Some guys are late bloomers because they’re late bloomers. Some guys have injuries.”

Count Cissé among the latter.

He missed much of the 2009–10 season and all but one game of the 2010–11 season after injuring the same ankle twice.

He got off to a late start the following year, his first full one as a Terrier, due to a concussion. After shaking off the rust for a few weeks Cissé got into the lineup 25 times, usually on the third or fourth lines, during the 2011–12 season. He finished with two goals and three assists.

Cissé was unhappy at times last season, and reportedly left the bench early during a late January game against the University of Maine.

The Westmount, Quebec, native struggled points-wise through the first two months of his sophomore season, but had been on the first line the last few weeks and started to garner some time on the power play.

The BU release said Cissé “has decided to pursue other hockey endeavors in his native Canada.”

The Atlanta Thrashers, now the Winnipeg Jets, picked him in the fifth round (150th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft. Cissé was also drafted by the Montcon Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2008.