RinkWise podcast: Previewing a big year for Division 1 men’s college hockey in New England

Matthew Coronato will be key for Harvard this season. (Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

The Division 1 men’s college hockey landscape in New England is entering one of its most interesting seasons to date.

In Hockey East, Boston University and Boston College both have new head coaches and boast terrific freshmen classes. But there’s still Northeastern, Providence and UMass battling for spots atop the conference.

Quinnipiac and Harvard are battling for positioning in the ECAC. Quinnipiac came close to the Frozen Four last spring, while Harvard has an outstanding group of returning players.

And then there’s the question we ask every year: are there any potential Hobey Baker winners in New England?

In the latest RinkWise podcast, New England Hockey Journal editor Evan Marinofsky joins host Stephanie Wood to discuss all of these storylines.

On Boston University: 

Marinofsky: “Usually the kids going to BU are really, really good, doing one to two years and then heading to the NHL. That’s not the case this year. They have 10 seniors — TEN seniors — which is extremely rare for BU. They have Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.) in net who was on the Olympic team last year for the U.S. He’s someone that’s going to be competing to be one of the best goalies.”

On Harvard: 

Marinofsky: “Harvard was a team I thought last year was going to be a top team in the ECAC and they were. They finished third, they won the ECAC championship over Quinnipiac. But I expect them to be even better this year. They’re returning four of last year’s top five point-getters in Matthew Coronato, Henry Thrun (Southborough, Mass.), Alex Laferriere and Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.). That’s a very good core to have…They have the ingredients to make it work.”

On the top Hobey Baker candidates in New England: 

Marinofsky: “The obvious one is Devon Levi with Northeastern. To me, that’s No. 1. Nationally, he’s one of the favorites. I would say don’t sleep on Drew Commesso. Scott Morrow with UMass and Matt Coronato with Harvard. I think those are the three that are very much in the hunt. They’ll be nominated by their teams, even potential top-10 candidates.”