’04 Devin Kaplan commits to men’s hockey

Earlier this week, the Boston University men’s hockey team became the sixth college program to land a ’04 recruit. That player is Bridgewater, New Jersey native Devin Kaplan.

Kaplan is described as a right shot power forward who shows great effort on both ends of the ice.

Last season he put up 39 points in 31 games in Bantam Majors for the New Jersey Avalanche. He is expected to join 2021 recruit Jeremey Wilmer on the 16U team for the Avalanche.

 

Tkachuk to sign with the Ottawa Senators

Per ESPN’s John Buccigross, Brady Tkachuk will sign a pro contract with the Ottawa Senators and leave Boston University after one season. The Senators drafted him fourth overall in the 2018 draft.

In his lone season with the Terriers, Tkachuk was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and was named the Hockey East Performer of the week two times. He was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week one time. He also helped Team USA to a Bronze Medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship.

The St. Louis native played in all 40 games while putting up 31 points and led the team in assists with 23.

 

 

 

 

A previous version of this article stated that Tkachuk had 31 assists when in fact he had 23 assists. It has since been updated to reflect these changes

Danny Zhilkin and Roman Schmidt commit to men’s hockey

This week, the Boston University men’s hockey team received commitments from ’03 forward Danny Zhiklin and ’03 defenseman Roman Schmidt.

Schmidt is a 6-foot-4-inch defenseman who plays a pro-style game. Neutral Zone has him graded 4.75 out of five stars.

 

 

Zhiklin is tall and has a powerful stride. The Ontario native is expected to be a highly sought after OHL draft prospect. The Toronto Marlboros product won the 2018 Jr. Chowder Cup MVP while playing for Maroon Hockey.

 

Dom Fensore commits to men’s hockey

Defenseman Dom Fensore has committed to Boston University after decommitting from Quinnipiac University earlier this week. He is expected to join the Terriers for the 2019 season.

The NDTP defenseman has been described as a puck-moving offensive defenseman and is one of the top 01 defensemen in the country. He is the first major recruiting victory since head coach  Albie O’Connell took over for New York Rangers head coach David Quinn.

The Thornwood, New York native has been praised for his skating ability and his footwork.

One cause for concern about Fensore is his size. However, he has managed to turn his frame into an advantage.

He is the latest commit from the U.S National Under-17 team for BU that currently includes defensemen Alex Vlasic, Case McCarthy and forward Travis Zegras.

NCAA ice hockey rule changes

Thursday the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a proposal that allows each conference to utilize one or two different formats after a 5-0n-5 overtime period.

After the 5-0n-5 overtime period, conferences may allow for either a five-minute, three-on-three overtime period and a shootout or just a shootout to award additional conference points.

This will not happen in non-conference games as those games will just end in a tie at the conclusion of the overtime. In the case of regular season tournaments, a 20-minute sudden death period can be played for overtime, instead of the traditional five-minute overtime period. These tournaments can use the three-on-three and shootout or the standalone shootout format.

Other rule changes were also approved which can be found here.

Hank Crone not returning to men’s hockey

Forward Hank Crone will not be returning to the Boston University men’s hockey team. The Cedar Hill, Texas native had 12 points in 35 games with the Terriers. Crone will transfer to the University of Denver for the 2019-20 season.

Crone will rejoin the Fargo Force of the USHL next season. Prior to the Terriers, Crone had 99 points in 106 games for the Force. He finished tied for third in the USHL while playing for the Force during the 2016-17 season with 62 points.

Terriers in NHL devlopment camps

Now that the NHL draft is over with, now comes time for NHL development camps. Below you will find the list of Terriers who are in the camps.

Buffalo Sabres

Defenseman Brandon Hickey

Graduate transfer forward Max Willman

Chicago Blackhawks

Junior defenseman Chad Krys

Freshman forward Jake Wise

Colorado Avalanche

Sophomore forward Shane Bowers

Dallas Stars

Sophomore goaltender Jake Oettinger

Detroit Red Wings 

Sophomore defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo

Nashville Predators 

Junior defenseman Dante Fabbro

Junior forward Patrick Harper

Sophomore defenseman David Farrance

New Jersey Devils 

Senior forward Bobo Carpenter

New York Islanders

Senior forward Bobo Carpenter

Forward Kieffer Bellows

Sophomore forward Logan Cockerill

Ottawa Senators 

Sophomore forward Brady Tkachuk

Philadelphia Flyers

Freshman forward Joel Farabee

Pittsburgh Penguins

Freshman forward Jack DeBoer

Recruit forward Liam Gorman

St. Louis Blues

Sophomore forward Ty Amonte

Toronto Maple Leafs

Forward J.J Piccich

New York Rangers

Forward Drew Melanson

The complete list can be found here.

 

Paul Pearl named associate head coach of men’s hockey

It looks like BU men’s hockey has filled its coaching vacancy.

Paul Pearl has been named the new associate head coach of the Terriers and the rest of last year’s staff will return. Read Liam’s story here.

 

NHL draft preview: What BU men’s hockey fans can expect

Boston University hockey fans have reason to tune into the NHL Draft when it begins on June 22 in Dallas.

After a successful freshman campaign with the Terriers, forward Brady Tkachuk is expected to go as high as third overall and is the second-ranked North American skater in the draft according to NHL.com.

Tkachuk has not ruled out returning to the Agganis Arena ice for another go-round in Hockey East, but being a top-five selection would make it difficult for the physical winger to return to college.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 197-pounder was one of the Terriers’ most active contributors on the offensive end all season. He led the team with 23 assists and 131 shots, the most of any freshman in the country. His +15 plus-minus was the second-best on the squad and his 31 points were the fourth-most.

His performance on the ice was rewarded following the season, as he was named a member of the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. Tkachuk was a prime example of former head coach David Quinn’s recruiting prowess. Quinn had seven players selected in the 2017 NHL Draft after seeing four of his pupils selected in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

 

Tkachuk serves as one of the final gems of Quinn’s recruiting legacy, one which concluded when he accepted the head coaching job with the New York Rangers last month. Quinn’s new hockey club holds the ninth pick, but Tkachuk will likely be swiped off the board by then.

The two-time Hockey East Top Performer could join former Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien in Montreal. The Canadiens have expressed interest and Tkachuk’s NHL-ready body provides him with the ability to assist a talent-depleted Montreal roster sooner rather than later.

Another potential landing spot for Tkachuk is Arizona. The Coyotes are another team in need of a boost, as they have not made the playoffs since 2012. Multiple Phoenix media outlets have conveyed general manager John Chayka’s interest in selecting Tkachuk, who would be joining former Terrier Clayton Keller on a club which accumulated the fewest points in the Western Conference in 2017-18.

Unlike past seasons, BU will not have a collection of players waiting to hear their name called on draft night. Funny enough, the majority of the Terriers front-line performers have already been selected in previous years.

In 2017, Cam Crotty was picked by the Coyotes, Kasper Kotkansalo was selected by the Detroit Red Wings, David Farrance by the Nashville Predators, Logan Cockerill by the New York Islanders, Shane Bowers by the Ottawa Senators and Jake Oettinger by the Dallas Stars.

A year prior, Chad Krys went to the Chicago Blackhawks while Dante Fabbro and Patrick Harper both landed with the Predators. Take away Tkachuk, and the Terriers still have loads of NHL-level talent projected to be on the 2018-19 roster.

In terms of the players who have not been drafted, there is not too much chatter surrounding Beanpot hero Ty Amonte despite his name being floated around in draft speculation last summer.

Future Terriers:

Joel Farabee:

BU will likely have another first round pick in addition to Tkachuk. Incoming freshman forward Joel Farabee is listed as a likely first-round pick. The Cicero, New York native is ranked number 12 among North American skaters and mock drafts have him within the first 15 picks.

 

Boston Hockey Blog Draft Prediction: Top 10-15 pick.

Jake Wise:

Farabee won’t have to look too far to see another future Terrier being drafted, all he really needs to do is look to his right as his linemate with the USDP Jake Wise. Wise is expected to be the second future Terrier and third Terrier overall being drafted this season.

Boston Hockey Blog Draft Prediction: Late first round

Jack Deboer:

BU has one other incoming freshman who might hear his name called. Ranked number 166 among North American Skaters is Jack DeBoer. Although he is the son of the head coach of the San Jose Sharks, he is not a lock to be drafted. For a point of reference, current Terrier senior forward and captain Bobo Carpenter was ranked 119 among North American skaters for the 2014 draft and went undrafted.

Boston Hockey Blog Draft Prediction: Undrafted