Seeing as we've got some extra time on our hands, we're going to take a shot at an ambitious project: Which players would make up an All-Star team for each of the Hockey East teams, drawing only from over the last decade?
As part of this series, that means we'll look at our starting six for Boston College, Boston University, UConn, Maine, UMass, UMass-Lowell, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Merrimack, Providence and Vermont.
This is sure to foster great debate. Have a suggestion for your All-Star team? Send me an email at pgrant@hockeyjournal.com.
In this installment of the series, we'll look at the University of Maine Black Bears, naming our top players from between the seasons of 2010-11 and 2019-20.
Jeremy Swayman, G
No. 1, Anchorage, Alaska, DOB:Â Nov. 24, 1998
In his freshman season, 2017-18, Swayman appeared in 30 games, finished with a 15-12-3 record, a 2.72 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. A season highlight was a 50-save performance against Quinnipiac. He also made the U.S. national team that played in the World Juniors.
In his sophomore season, Swayman was the undisputed No. 1, starting 35 of 36 games. He finished the season with a record of 14-17-4, a 2.78 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
As a junior, in his final season as a Black Bear, Swayman was lights-out, going 18-11-5 with a 2.07 goals-against average and a golden .939 save percentage, the latter of which was second-best in the country. He capped his truncated college career off with a Walter Brown Award winner, given annually to an American-born college hockey player in New England. He was also named Hockey East player of the year, Hockey East goalie of the year and a Hobey Baker finalist and earned a spot on the Hockey East first All-Star team.
Pro: Swayman was drafted in the fourth round, 111th overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. He has attended development camp ever since, and was signed to an entry-level deal by the Bruins after the Hockey East season prematurely ended in March.
Noteworthy: Before coming to Maine, Swayman played for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.
Will O’Neill, D
No. 27, Salem, Mass., DOB:Â April 28, 1988
In 2008-09, his rookie season, O'Neill was second in team scoring among defensemen, with four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 34 games.
In his sophomore season, O'Neill scored eight goals -- six of them on the power play -- and added 23 assists for 31 points in 39 games, tops among defensemen on the team. His play earned him a spot on the 2010 Hockey East All-Tournament Team.
In his junior season, O'Neill again led the team in points by defensemen, scoring four goals and adding 17 assists for 21 points in 28 games, his season shortened by eight games because of an injury.
In his senior year, O'Neill was a co-captain of the Black Bears and finished the 2011-12 season with three goals and 30 assists for 33 points in 40 games. The Black Bears, in their second-last season with coach Tim Whitehead, finished 23-14-3 in 2011-12.
Pro: O'Neill, selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, 210th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers, moved on to pro after his senior season. In the AHL, in 2011-12, he played the first of four seasons for the St. John's IceCaps. From there he played Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Lehigh Valley before getting his cup of coffee in the NHL, suiting up for one game with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017-18. He started the next season in Lehigh Valley before signing as a free agent with Salzburg of the Austrian league on Jan. 29, 2019, where he had a goal and an assist in 12 games. He hasn't played since.
Noteworthy: His father, Bill, played hockey for Boston University and won an NCAA Championship in 1978.  ... Before Maine, O'Neill played for Tabor Academy and St. John’s Prep.
Ben Hutton, D
No. 10, Prescott, Ont., DOB:Â April 20, 1993
A smart and confident offensive dynamo from the get-go, in his freshman season Hutton scored four goals and added 11 assists for 15 points in 34 games, first among defensemen and third on the team.
In his sophomore season, 2013-14, Hutton lit it up, scoring a school-record 15 goals (to go with 14 assists in 35 games), his 29 points making him the first defenseman to lead Maine in scoring. He was also named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team and the recipient of the Bob Monahan Award as the top defenseman in New England. He led the team in blocked shots, with 40.
In his junior and final season as a Black Bear, 2014-15, Hutton had nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 39 games. He finished his college career with 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points in 108 games.
Pro: Hutton was selected 147th overall, in the fifth round, in the 2012 Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He played four games in the minors after his last season with Maine, and hasn't played outside of the NHL since. After four seasons with the Canucks, on Sept. 17, 2019, Hutton signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. In 341 games over five NHL seasons, Hutton has 15 goals and 71 assists for 86 points.
Noteworthy: Before joining Maine, Hutton played with Kemptville and Nepean in eastern Ontario.
Gustav Nyquist, F
No. 89, Halmstad, Sweden, DOB:Â Sept. 1, 1989
Nyquist exploded out of the gates in his rookie season, leading the Black Bears in scoring in both goals (13) and assists (19) for 32 points, becoming the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since Paul Kariya did so in the 1992–93 season. His monster debut earned him Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors.
His second season, 2009-10, Nyquist showed his freshman season was no fluke, earning a Hobey Baker Hat Trick nomination and an AHCA Men’s Division I All-American spot, after scoring 19 goals and 42 assists for a nation-leading 61 points in 39 games. Breaking down his season further, it's easy to see why the center would go on to great success: he scored seven goals on the power play and four game-winners; and he had two consecutive points streaks, one of 10 games and two of seven games each.
In his junior and final season with Maine, as an assistant captain in 2010-11 Nyquist cooled off but only relatively, still leading the team with 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points in 36 games.
Pro: Despite his impressive college performance, Nyquist wasn't taken until the fourth round, 121st overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. After his career at Maine ended, he immediately went to Grand Rapids of the AHL, where he scored a goal and added three assists in eight games. He slowly worked his way up until he became a full-time member of the Red Wings in 2014-15.
After a trade to the San Jose Sharks in 2018-19, he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets before this season, where he had 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 70 games. Over the course of 570 NHL games, Nyquist has 146 goals and 202 assists for 348 points.
Noteworthy:Â Nyquist was edged out for the Hobey Baker award by University of Wisconsin's Blake Geoffrion, grandson of former NHLer Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion.
Brian Flynn, F
No. 10, Lynnfield, Mass., DOB: July 26, 1988
In his freshman season, Flynn announced his presence with authority, finishing second on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 38 games. He had five power-play goals and a five multi-points games.
In his outstanding sophomore season, Flynn again finished second on the team in scoring, this time with 19 goals (tied for the team lead with Gustav Nyquist) and 28 assists for 47 points in 39 games. During a six-game points streak, he had nine goals and four assists, and he also had a seven-game points streak.
In 2011-12, his junior year, he led the team in goals with 20 and added 16 assists for 36 points in 36 games.
His final season with Maine was his best statistically, the Black Bears captain scoring 18 goals and adding 30 assists for 48 points in 40 games.
Pro:Â Going undrafted, Flynn signed on March 12, 2012, as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres and spent four seasons in the organization before being traded on March 2, 2015, to the Montreal Canadiens in 2014-15. Since then, he has played two seasons with the Canadiens before playing out his career in North America with two seasons in the AHL. He recently completed his second season in the Swiss A-League, scoring 13 goals and adding 20 assists for 33 points in 49 games with Ambri-Piotta. Over his NHL career, Flynn had 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points in 275 games.
Noteworthy: Before attending Maine, Flynn played for the Pomfret School, where he scored 60 goals and added 52 assists for 112 points in two seasons. In his senior year at Pomfret, he was the captain.
Devin Shore, F
No. 94, Ajax, Ont., DOB: July 19, 1994
As a freshman in 2013-14, Shore was the first rookie to lead the team in scoring since Gustav Nyquist did so in 2008-09, scoring six goals and adding 20 assists for 26 points in 38 games. Shore was a success off the ice as well, being named a co-recipient of the Hockey East Top Scholar-Athlete Award after recording a perfect 4.0 GPA.
As a sophomore, Shore was stellar again, being named to a second-team All-American spot as well as to the Hockey East First Team. This, based on his performance of leading Maine in scoring with 14 goals and 29 assists for 43 points in 35 games.
In his junior year, 2015-16, Shore had a slight dip in production, scoring 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points in 39 games.
Pro: Drafted in the second round, 61st overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Shore joined Texas of the AHL after his Black Bears season ended. Shore joined the parent club for good for the 2016-17 season, and spent two full seasons with the Stars before being traded halfway through a third to the Anaheim Ducks. A trade this past season sent him to the Columbus Blue Jackets before the season prematurely ended. In 288 career NHL games, Shore has 39 goals and 67 assists for 106 points.
Noteworthy: In his two NHL trades, Shore was traded for Andrew Cogliano and Sonny Milano.
Paul Grant is an editor and a writer for HockeyJournal.com and Seamans Media. He previously oversaw hockey content at ESPN.com and Sporting News. You can connect with him at pgrant@hockeyjournal.com.
