There is no one-size-fits-all formula that says a player, after prep school, must spend a year (or more) in junior hockey to prepare to play in Division 1.
While the overwhelming majority of players benefit from time in juniors, there are some who are ready right away.
Based on his performance over the weekend, Merrimack College freshman Alex Jefferies (Lunenberg, Mass.) falls in the good-to-go category.
Two games is a tiny sample size, to be sure, but the 19-year-old Jefferies appears to be fully capable of making the jump straight to Hockey East from prep hockey at Gunnery, where he scored 33 goals and 69 points in 32 games last winter.
“It’s different for everyone. I skate with Jordan Harris during the summer,’’ Jefferies said. “I saw him play at Kimball Union a lot and he went right into Northeastern and tore it up there, so I’ve seen kids be able to do it. (Merrimack) Coach (Scott) Borek believed in me and he thought I was ready, so I made the decision to come and decided not to go out to Dubuque (USHL) or to the BCHL.’’
Jefferies made an impact in both games last weekend. In Saturday’s season opener for the Warriors, a 3-1 loss at UMass, Jefferies earned the primary assist on his team’s only goal and led the team with four shots on net and nine shot attempts.
In the rematch in North Andover on Sunday, Merrimack won, 3-2, as Jefferies scored a highlight-reel goal off the rush and set up a goal. He had two shots and seven shot attempts.
“It’s definitely a transition, playing that first game, the speed, the quickness. One thing I didn’t realize is how tight the ‘D’ play. In prep school you have so much room; the ‘D’ is kind of backing off because of your speed. Here they play a tight gap, they’re tough to beat. It’s a learning curve. I definitely feel ready for it. I’m happy I’m here,’’ he said.
On his goal, Jefferies displayed a nice burst of speed and finishing touch, qualities that helped get him drafted in the fourth round by the New York Islanders in October.
“The defenseman had a tight gap. I was ready to chip it by him and he kind of lost his footing right when I was getting to him, so I just kept going and went right by him. I saw a little opening when I went to my backhand, so I went upstairs. It was nice. It felt really good to see it go in,’’ he said.
The goal was just what the Warriors needed at that moment.
“It was a big-time goal in how it was scored and in when it was scored,’’ said Borek. “(UMass) had just tied the game. They were really starting to press us. We were on our heels a little bit. We were in the defensive zone. He just grabbed the puck and off he went. The timing of the goal was huge. It was big for our team and, potentially, for our season. It just kind of relaxed our team a little bit and allowed us to keep playing.’’
Because of COVID-19, Hockey East has gotten a later-than-usual start in its game schedule. Jefferies most likely benefited from the extra time to prepare.
“He’s been three months as a Division 1 hockey player before playing his first game. That’s probably helpful. He’s also just a very good player that wants the puck and believes, most importantly, that if you get him the puck he’s going to do things that help you win a hockey game. His desire, his confidence — those things have really accelerated his impact on our team,’’ said Borek, who is in his third season at Merrimack.
The win against 10th-ranked UMass was a boost for the confidence of the entire Merrimack team.
“It’s certainly the most comfortable I’ve been on the bench since I’ve been at Merrimack that our players believed that they would be successful. That’s been the biggest challenge for us as a program — getting that belief into our system,’’ said Borek.
“We had that same exact game against UMass the last two years at Merrimack. Up late and we found a way to lose both games. In this particular game, we ended up finding a way to win, which was really encouraging, especially against that team. They are a heck of team, they play so hard, and they’ve been our nightmare the last two years, especially in our building. There was a lot of karma, I thought, for us.’’
Jefferies and the Warriors are ready for more, with a pair against Northeastern scheduled this weekend. He had a blast against UMass, even in empty buildings.
“I didn’t realize how much fun college hockey would be without fans,’’ he said.
BC’s productive freshmen
Boston College has a constellation of sophomore, junior and senior stars on its roster that compares to any team in college hockey.
And BC’s freshmen are pretty good, too. More than earning their keep through the Eagles’ first four games has been a quartet of first-year players — forwards Colby Ambrosio, Trevor Kuntar and Nikita Nesterenko and defenseman Eamon Powell.
Ambrosio and Nesterenko both have 3-2-5 in four games. Kuntar has 3-1-4. Powell, who moves the puck crisply, has a pair of assists. All four were noticeable in BC’s sweep of Providence College last weekend by a combined total of 12-0.
Before the games started, coach Jerry York didn’t know what he’d get from the freshmen, all of whom played junior hockey last season.
“We’ve had a million practices, but until we played UMass and Providence we weren’t really sure where they would fit in at the Hockey East level. It’s such a big jump for kids, I don’t care where they are coming from,’’ said York.
“I’m really excited about how they’ve progressed. Certainly, they benefited from the core group that we have, the sophomores and juniors and the two seniors that we have. They’ve fit in very nice.’’
McBain making his mark
Junior Jack McBain is coming on strong at BC.
Drafted in the third round by the Minnesota Wild in 2018, McBain is chipping in on offense with 2-3-5 in four games this season, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Centering prolific senior Logan Hutsko and freshman Nesterenko, McBain has rounded into a fine player at both ends of the ice.
At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, he is very hard to knock off the puck. He doesn’t hesitate to block shots — he threw himself in the way of a slapshot from the point late in last Friday’s win, drawing loud praise from his teammates on the bench.
“In the last month of the season last year, he was a man playing in Hockey East. Drastic difference from his freshman year to late in his sophomore year,’’ said York.
“He reminded me an awful lot of Brian Boyle. Same size. They look alike on the ice, it’s incredible. Both were like almost Bambis when they came (to BC), getting knocked down, getting up again, getting knocked down.
“As they’ve grown physically, added strength, Brian took off, two-time All-American. I think Jack is the same. When that puck is in the corner, boy, (opponents) know exactly when (McBain) is going to come in the corner. He’s physical, he’s strong. He’s really become a complete player for us. I’m excited for him personally and the strides he’s made.’’
