The 2020-21 college hockey season is finally here. After over eight months in the dark, Hockey East teams will hit the ice this weekend.
Quite a few household names, including Providence’s Jack Dugan, UMass’ John Leonard, Boston College’s David Cotton and Boston University’s Trevor Zegras, have moved on to professional hockey.
Nonetheless, Hockey East will have quite a few marquee players in the league this season. Below is my preseason Hockey East All-Star teams with background and analysis on each player. It is the beginning of a myriad of articles previewing the 2020-21 Hockey East season.
First Team
Alex Newhook
Boston College, so., C, left shot, 5-11/193
Newhook is an elite skater with a high motor. He keeps his feet moving and hunts pucks, which allows him to generate scoring chances for himself and his teammates. As a freshman in 2019-20, Newhook scored 19 goals and 23 assists in 34 games. He was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year and NCAA Rookie of the Year. The St. John’s, Newfoundland, native was a first-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL draft.
Tyce Thompson
Providence, jr., C/RW, right shot, 6-0/180
Thompson, with roots in Milford, Conn., and Oyster Bay, N.Y., saw a big jump in his production last season. In 34 games, he had 19 goals and 25 assists. It marked a 19-point increase from his freshman year. Thompson, a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2019, will be relied upon to take on an even greater role this season. His skating and hockey sense are assets that will help him be one of the best players in Hockey East in 2020-21.
Logan Hutsko
Boston College, sr., RW, right shot, 5-11/172
It’s a rarity in this age for a player of Hutsko’s caliber to return for his senior season. It helps that he’s been through some injury woes and isn’t the biggest player, but he should still be commended. The Tampa, Fla., native and 2018 third-round pick of the Florida Panthers will have new linemates this season after both Cotton and Julius Matilla graduated. Hutsko uses his quickness, skill and motor to create offense on the rush and help his linemates. Hutsko had 19 goals and 14 assists in 2019-20. He enters this season just 10 career points shy of the century mark.
David Farrance
Boston University, sr., D, left shot, 6-0/190
Farrance is another player who has chosen to return to Commonwealth Ave. for his senior season. The Victor, N.Y., native has more than doubled his production in each of the past two seasons. After scoring nine goals and 20 points during his first two seasons, respectively, Farrance notched a team-leading 43 points in 2019-20. He was named a first-team All-American and first-team Hockey East All-Star. Last year was quite a turnaround considering he had played some forward the year before. Farrance has the mobility, skill and offensive hockey sense to jump into the offensive attack. The U.S. NTDP alum was a third-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2017.
Michael Callahan
Providence, jr., D, left shot, 6-2/205
Callahan, from Franklin, Mass., is a leader on and off the ice for the Friars. The former Roxbury Latin star had five goals and 23 assists in 34 games during the 2019-20 season. He was named a first-team Hockey East All-Star. Contrast that to a 10-point freshman season and you can see why there is excitement surrounding Callahan’s development. Even when he was a good player at the prep level and in the USHL, offense was never a big part of his game. He has the size, skating and ability to be a shutdown defender. That’s what the Friars also will be counting on from the 2018 fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes.
Spencer Knight
Boston College, so., G, catches left, 6-3/192
There wasn’t much doubt as to who should be in this spot. Knight, from Darien, Conn., is unarguably the best goaltender in the league. As a freshman in 2019-20, he posted a .931 save percentage while earning honors as a second-team Hockey East All-Star and Hockey East All-Rookie Team performer. The 2019 first-round pick of the Florida Panthers has the size, athleticism, fundamentals and poise to be an elite goaltender at the college level and beyond.
Second Team
Matthew Boldy
Boston College, so., LW, left shot, 6-2/194
Boldy got off to a somewhat slow start to his freshman season in 2019-20. However, he still notched nine goals and 17 assists in 34 games. The Millis, Mass., native has elite hockey sense. A big power forward, he got better as the year went along once he adjusted to the increased pace of college hockey. Boldy, who played prep hockey at Dexter Southfield before moving onto the NTDP, is due for a monster sophomore season. Boldy was picked in the first round of the 2019 draft by the Minnesota Wild.
Aidan McDonough
Northeastern, so., LW, left shot, 6-2/201
McDonough, from Milton, Mass., scored 11 goals and 16 assists in his freshman campaign. The Thayer Academy product came to the Huskies after a year in the USHL. It helped him adjust quicker than expected to the college game. His skating, especially his first two steps, have sometimes been questioned. However, McDonough has continued to prove the doubters wrong. He is a big power forward who drives the net, wins battles below the goal line, and cycles the puck well. However, he’ll be expected to increase his production further this season. McDonough was a seventh-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2019.
Vladislav Firstov
UConn, so., LW, left shot, 6-1/185
The third forward spot on the second team was one I struggled with. I went with Firstov because he should continue to produce at a greater clip while more eyes could potentially be on UConn this season. From Yaroslavl, Russia, Firstov had 11 goals and 12 assists in 34 games as a freshman in 2019-20. He’s a big power forward who works hard and protects pucks. The Minnesota Wild drafted Firstov in the second round in 2019.
Declan Carlile
Merrimack, so., D, left shot, 6-2/190
Carlile is the only player to make this grouping without an NHL logo next to his name. The Flint, Mich., native bounced around during his time in Midget and junior hockey. His skating is a reason he was passed up in three go-arounds with the NHL draft. However, his hockey sense and stick allow him to be an effective two-way defender at the college level. He reads plays well and picks his spots at both ends. In 34 games last season as a freshman in North Andover, Carlile had four goals and 18 assists. That performance earned him a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. Carlile is part of a talented and intriguing blue line for Scott Borek’s rebuilding Warriors.
Jordan Harris
Northeastern, jr., D, left shot, 5-11/185
Harris, from Haverhill, Mass., will wear an ‘A’ on his sweater this season. The Kimball Union alum is part of a loaded group that hopes to continue bringing Northeastern to unprecedented success. In 2019-20, he had three goals and 18 assists for 21 points in 33 games. Not counted among that tally was a goal in double overtime that helped the Huskies win their third Beanpot title in a row. Harris is a good skater who retrieves pucks and makes good puck touches. The Montreal Canadiens drafted Harris in the third round of the 2018 NHL draft.
Filip Lindberg
UMass, jr., G, catches left, 6-1/188
Lindberg has put together two very solid seasons to kick off his college career in Amherst. As a freshman in 2018-19, he had a .934 save percentage. He followed that up last season with a .927 save percentage. The Espoo, Finland, native was a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL draft. He’ll likely split time between the pipes with senior Matt Murray, but I believe Lindberg will get the nod in the bigger games.
