The most talked about rookies in college hockey are typically the true freshmen who are high draft picks or have the potential to be selected in the first round the following year.
Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier and Connecticut’s Matthew Wood will get plenty of attention from scouts and media members as the 2022-23 season progresses. While Gauthier and Wood are undoubtedly good players, many times the older freshmen who have had time to marinate in junior hockey end up having an even bigger impact.
Justin Hryckowian at Northeastern was a good example of that in 2021-22. The former Salisbury star from Ile Bizard, Quebec, produced at nearly a point per game for the Huskies and was reliable in all three zones.
With that in mind, here’s a look at an older freshman on each Hockey East team who could have an impact in 2022-23:
