Boston College already had a loaded recruiting class when it came to the 2005 birth year. Committed were USA Hockey NTDP forwards Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.), Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), and Will Vote (Arlington, Mass.) and defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian.
That class got even better late last week when it was announced that Smith and Leonard’s linemate, Gabriel Perrault, would follow suit. From Hinsdale, Ill., Perrault has 11 goals and 16 assists in 15 games so far this season with the NTDP U18 team. The Chicago Mission product is the son of retired NHL forward Yanic Perrault, who also happened to be one of his youth hockey coaches.
Perrault is a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft. Smith and Leonard also fall into that category, making it possible that BC will have three freshmen in 2023-24 who were plucked off the board in the first round.
That’s not unprecedented for the Eagles. The '01 group also had three with left wing Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.), center Alex Newhook and goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.).
