By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Boston University men’s hockey coach David Quinn has a very different problem this offseason than he had during the regular season. For a coach that struggled to send out a full lineup every night due to various injuries and minimal depth, a large incoming freshman class means that the Terriers would have 30 players on the roster.
There is no NCAA-imposed limit to the amount of players of players that can be on a roster, but 30 players appears to be too many for Quinn. He told The Daily Free Press on Thursday he will cut an unspecified number of returning players before the start of the 2014-15 season.
“One of the things I have told every guy is that I base guys’ opportunities here based on, ‘Can you help us win national championships?’” Quinn said. “Not just athletically, but socially and academically. It’s a three-part equation. When there is a coaching change, that is where those decisions come in.
“This is everybody’s first taste of hockey where you either get it done or you don’t and you don’t survive. That’s the hard part of the job, that’s the hard part of transition and that’s the hard part of change. Unfortunately there will be some changes.”
The 10-player incoming class features six forwards and four defensemen, including several highly touted recruits. With senior goaltender Anthony Moccia returning for a fourth season, the class will no longer include goaltender Shane Starrett, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Starrett was originally set to arrive in 2014-15, but his future with the program is to be determined at this point.
The Terriers would have 18 forwards and nine defensemen on the roster without the cuts, meaning six forwards and three defensemen would be watching from the stands every night. While Quinn likes to have the option of benching players for poor play, that many players on the sidelines would be too much.
Quinn said that he has an idea of which players he will be cutting, but that he has not informed those players yet. Those conversations are not ones he is looking forward to.
“It’s awful,” Quinn said. “I lose sleep over it. . . . Believe me, it’s not fun. But at the end of the day I owe it to BU and I owe it to our program to field the best team possible.”
Cuts should be easy. The first to go would be the ones with the worse +/- since it proves they are not team players and just selfish players.
There are three of the returning forwards that I doubt can play D l hockey.That said I don’t know why 29/30 is too many. Other teams have that many and they all do not have to travel on road games. With no jv program available like many years ago there is no where to go because of defection and injury as we have had too much of both in recent years.Why Starrett was recruited with two scholarship goalies to be on the roster is strange indeed. The problem with keeping players who have been starters on the outside of most games is that they could cause trouble and we do not need any more of that.
I gotta agree with you on overall roster size. Maine always had too many players. Heck, I would go to games at WBA or by North Station and like 8 kids in Maine jackets would head from the stands to the locker room at the end of a period.
That said, the coach and players have to be realistic. Kids might lose scholarships, so then the question is would it be better to stay at BU, get a good education at a premium price, and maybe play a few games, or either transfer to a lower program (AIC, Sacred Heart, I’d say Bentley but no BU fan can say that after last season) with perhaps a chance of a scholarship or even a lower division where you could play and maybe get good financial aid.
Starrett was always 2014 or 2015, insurance in case O’Connor left after his sophomore season.
love it love it love it. that’s what i’m talking about. time to get rid of bavis’s stiffs and building a real program. he said he owes it to BU and he is right. bye bye collier, duane, kelly, macafee etc etc. these are the kind of bold moves that make winning programs. these kids never should have been recruited here in the first place
I’m sure this is not easy to do but it’s a must. These kids will find some place to play where they will do well, unfortunately I don’t think it will be with a Division 1 hockey team. After watching them play it’s very obvious that they shouldn’t have been here in the first place. That’s certainly not their fault but the fault of the people who recruited them. If I were recruited to play hockey at BU I wouldn’t have said no. Good luck guys.
Why hold on to Moccia? shouldn’t we be preparing for the future (i.e.: Starrett)?
You need 3 goalies and Starrett is not the future. Unable to make it in the USHL.
Given Quinn’s long relationship with ex-roommate and fellow co-captain Tom Ryan, the team’s radio color commentator, it will be interesting to see if T.J. Ryan is on the cut-list.
He doesn’t exactly fit the profile of someone “that can help BU win a national championship.”
Obviously you didn’t learn a thing about Quinn,T.J. will be gone,this coach is all about winning,and I think it’s right around the corner…
ryan is a freebie, so no sweat on him. it takes no money from the coffers. i am hoping that they have better walk-ons than him so he does not have to play.
Starrett is horrible. one of the goalies is leaving next year so we have a year to find a replacement. in albie/greely we trust. don’t want to give starrett a dime. that would continue the parker/bavis/powers ineptitude. time to make a clean break from anyone associated with that apathetic regime
it’s a new day boys. out with the old and in with the new. let’s get after it
Where did you hear that one of our goalies is leaving next year?
Here are some random thoughts with no inside information.
FORWARDS AT RISK:
Would love to see him make it, but T J Ryan’s lone goal in 24 games is not D 1 production. Maybe the fact that he is not a scholarship player combined with his family history at BU will help keep him around as an “extra” forward. Too bad we don’t have a JV team. Either way, it does not look like he can develop into a HE player that can help get to the Frozen Four.
Brendan Collier; 29 games 1 goal 3 helpers. That does not cut it at this level. He might be happier at a D 3 school.
Dillon Lawrence – If I am guessing correctly, he is not a scholarship player which might help keep him around for another shot. He showed some signs of coming around, but 1 goal in 34 games with a plus/mius of -10 does not cut it in HE.
Tom Kelly – 2 Goals and 1 assist with a plus/minus of -13 in 32 games puts him on the cutting block.
Mike Moran – had plenty of opportunity to show what he can do. Six goals and 4 assists in 65 games is pretty poor. Really another D 3 player and by dropping down he should be able to play immediately.
Someone mentiond Kevin Duane as a cut. I don’t think so. He stays along with the obvious: Hohman, O’Regan, Roberto, Rodrigues, Lane and Bailargeon,.
Hate to see anyone cut. Really wish we had a JV team.
GOAL
Not quite sure what the situation is with Shane Starret, but I don’t think he is considered an elite prospect/recruit.
Recruits
We have some great ones coming in this year and next led by the best, Jack Eichel. And, BC has a great class coming in. Should be interesting. Best of Luck to DQ, Albie and Scott.
I’m the same person who said Scott Young would take over Director of Hockey Operations and Buddy Powers would be shown the door,about a month and a half ago.So,take it from me,no golie is leaving…GO BU!!!
No goalie is leaving,I posted 2 months ago that Young would take over Director of Hockey Operations,and Buddy was on his way out,I was,right on both of those predictions,and am right about no goalie is leaving!!!WATCH….
Rumor mill says Maguire will not be back with the team for this season…any thoughts on that?