For the past few years at the conclusion of the Frozen Four, I’ve published an all-too-early look at how the standings might shake out in Hockey East the following season.
Boston College won the Hockey East regular-season championship and had the horses to make a run through the league tournament and beyond. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus, the 2019-20 college hockey season was cut short, and we’ll never find out the champion.
With brighter times ahead, I’m taking a stab at who will be good and who will be bad during the 2020-21 Hockey East season.
While things could change, I don’t foresee my early projections being wrong in terms of what team will reign supreme in Hockey East come next season.
2020-21 Hockey East predictions
1. Boston College
Putting the Eagles in the top spot was the easiest choice I had to make. Jerry York’s team loses two-thirds of its top line, including David Cotton, but a whole bunch of key players return for a chance to win a championship. Logan Hutsko, Alex Newhook and Matt Boldy are big-time forwards to build around. I like depth guys such as Marc McLaughlin, Mike Hardman and Jack McBain. There won’t be a better goaltender in college hockey than Spencer Knight, who is opting to return for his sophomore season. The defense scares me, especially with how young it is going to be. I have serious questions about a blue line that will feature three ’02s and two ’01s. Recruit Eamon Powell and rising sophomore Marshall Warren should lead the way. While I think the lack of a solid defense will cost BC a chance at a national title, there looks to be no one standing in its way en route to the Lamoriello Trophy.
2. UMass
The Minutemen lose their top two scorers in John Leonard and Mitchell Chaffee, both of whom signed NHL deals following their junior seasons. I still think the Minutemen will be good due to the way this program has been built. Greg Carvel and his staff have done a good job of building from the net out. Filip Lindberg has proven himself as one of the better goaltenders in college hockey. On defense, Zac Jones and Marc Del Gaizo lead the way, and Ty Farmer and Matt Kessell provide a solid top four. Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman Aaron Bohlinger will provide another legit option on the power play. Up front, there won’t be a go-to guy for scoring. However, I think UMass has a group of forwards who can skate and play hard. Leading the way will be Bobby Trivigno, Cal Kiefiuk, Oliver Chau and Reed Lebster. The top incoming forward recruits are Oliver MacDonald from Muskegon and Josh Lopina from Lincoln.
3. Providence
The Friars have gotten some good news so far this offseason with captain and top defenseman Michael Callahan, and forwards Tyce Thompson and Greg Printz announcing they’ll be back for another season. Forwards Patrick Moynihan and Parker Ford also are key forwards who will be back in a Friars uniform. While it hasn’t been announced yet, leading scorer Jack Dugan is expected to turn pro with the Vegas Golden Knights. On the blue line, Ben Mirageas, Cameron McDonald, Max Crozier and newcomer Uula Ruikka will join Callahan protecting a new, but not exactly inexperienced, goaltender. The Friars are bringing in grad transfer Anton Martinsson from Alaska Fairbanks and Minnesota State transfer Jaxon Stauber. Also fighting for the starting role will be senior Gabe Mollot-Hill. While Dugan’s loss is big on paper, it might be a case of addition by subtraction, as the Friars can get back to focusing on the system that Leaman wants to win games.
4. UMass Lowell
The River Hawks lose star goaltender Tyler Wall to graduation. He’ll be replaced by rising sophomore Logan Neaton and recruit Henry Welsch, who was one of the better goaltenders in the NAHL this winter. If either of them can carry the load, Norm Bazin’s team certainly could slide up a few spots in the standings. The team’s top three scorers in 2019-20 were freshmen, which bodes well for the future. Look for Matt Brown, Carl Berglund and Andre Lee to again carry the weight offensively. The blue line remains largely intact with Chase Blackmun, Seth Barton, Jon McDonald and Seth Baxter back. Incoming recruits Ben Meehan and Brehdan Engum have promising futures at the collegiate level.
5. Northeastern
Losing Tyler Madden to the NHL wasn’t unexpected, but it’s a huge blow to the team’s offense. Another huge loss is Ryan Shea, who logged a ton of minutes and provided a ton of leadership on the blue line. The biggest area of improvement will be in goal, where the Huskies pick up incoming freshman Devon Levi to replace Craig Pantano. Levi is a big-time goaltender and will be a game-changer for the Huskies. The defense will rely heavily on Jordan Harris and Jayden Struble, a pair of Montreal Canadiens prospects. Also back is Michael Kesselring. The top returning forwards are Aidan McDonough, Zach Solow and Matt Demelis. Head coach Jim Madigan and his staff are bringing in an elite group of forwards out of the USHL in Sam Colangelo and twin brothers Dylan and Ty Jackson. There could be some growing pains for NU early, but the team should be able to tread water until the offense gets cranking.
6. UConn
The Huskies return four of their top six scorers up front, as things stand right now. With three of those players being drafted Europeans, that could change. If they return, Vladislav Firstov, Jachym Kodelik and Ruslan Iskhakov should be more seasoned and ready to be more productive. Defenseman Wyatt Newpower and forward Ben Freeman are significant losses to graduation. On defense, the team should be led by senior Adam Karashik and sophomores Yan Kuznetsov, Jake Flynn and Carter Berger. The goaltending should be solid with Tomas Vomacka back for his junior campaign. He had a little bit of a sophomore slump, but he has a ton of potential. The key newcomers to watch are right wing Nick Capone, a former Maine recruit and Salisbury alum, and defenseman John Spetz.
7. Boston University
The Terriers got a huge boost when junior defenseman and Hobey Baker finalist David Farrance announced he was returning for his senior season. The defense should be improved with Kasper Kotkansalo back for his senior year and another year of experience for this year’s rookies, Alex Vlasic, Dom Fensore and Case McCarthy. Incoming recruit Braden Doyle could be a game-changer on one of the top two power-play units. Losing Trevor Zegras after just one season as well as Patrick Harper and Patrick Curry won’t be easy. Former first-round pick Jay O’Brien joins the fold after spending a year in the BCHL with Penticton. Back for their sophomore campaigns are Robert Mastrosimone, Ethan Phillips and Wilmer Skoog. In from the NTDP are Luke Tuch and Dylan Peterson. The goaltending position should be significantly better with incoming freshman Drew Commesso, one of the more highly regarded prospects for the draft. My one huge concern with BU is how young the team will be.
8. New Hampshire
The Wildcats have lost defenseman and top scorer Max Gildon a year early to the pros but return their top five forwards from 2019-20. I’m most excited to see what Jackson Pierson can do if he can remain healthy for an entire season. I’m a little concerned that UNH is bringing in some recruits that could probably use another season in junior hockey. Can Mike Robinson and Ty Taylor become the goaltenders some NHL scouts envisioned? Both are former NHL draft picks, but neither have lived up to the hype so far. As of now, I give a slight edge to UNH when it comes to making the playoffs over its next nearest competition.
9. Merrimack
I wanted to put the Warriors higher, as I’m bullish on their defensive group, led by rising sophomores Zach Uens and Declan Carlile and senior-to-be Patrick Hollway, a Detroit Red Wings prospect. When Merrimack takes the ice in October, Scott Borek’s team could have three blueliners with NHL logos on the line chart. Chase Gresock is back to lead the offense, but Sami Tavernier and Tyler Irvine have graduated. The team has some good incoming recruits in Gunnery wing Alex Jefferies and St. Andrew’s College center Mark Hillier, but I’m always worried about kids making the jump straight from prep. The goaltending position remains a huge question mark, which is ultimately why I can’t predict a return to the playoffs.
10. Maine
The Black Bears lose their MVP in Mike Richter Award winner Jeremy Swayman, who is forgoing his senior season to sign with the Boston Bruins. That leaves a huge void between the pipes in Orono. Freshman goaltender Matt Thiessen is a Vancouver Canucks prospect, but he didn’t inspire much confidence in his one outing this past season. Also gone are the top two scorers, Mitchell Fossier and Tim Doherty. Fargo Force forward Lyndon Breen is the recruit Maine fans should be most excited about seeing at Alfond Arena. Nonetheless, there will be a lot of young and inexperienced players in key situations. It could be a long winter for the Black Bears.
11. Vermont
The Catamounts have no shortage of questions, among them who will be behind the bench when the puck drops on the college hockey season. Vermont finished dead last this winter and will have to replace goaltender Stef Lekkas, who kept his team in countless games over his four seasons in Burlington. As of now, UVM returns its top six scorers, but that doesn’t mean much when the leading point getter had just 15 points.
