Last season felt like a golden era for New England Division 1 college hockey rookies.
Boston College had the robust line of Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Gabe Perreault. The Eagles also boasted Jacob Fowler in net. At the other end of Comm. Ave, Boston University had Macklin Celebrini, who went on to win the Hobey Baker Award. He was picked No. 1 in June’s NHL Draft.
At Maine, there was Bradly and Josh Nadeau, who posted 46 and 45 points, respectively. Quinnipiac’s Mason Marcellus burst on the scene with 36.
Along with Fowler, freshmen netminders including Maine’s Albin Boija, Yale’s Jack Stark, AIC’s Nils Wallstrom, UMass’ Michael Hrabal and Northeastern’s Cameron Whitehead made their mark.
The trend of high-end freshmen has continued into this fall and winter.
For the second straight year, the region hosts a freshman who could be the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft. He’s not the only top prospect. Here are some high-end freshmen to keep track of this college hockey season.
