Indiana Wants Me

2009 recruit Ethan Werek reconfirmed his commitment to the Terriers last week, announcing he’ll spend next season with the Indiana Ice, the USHL team holding his rights, and then arrive at Commonwealth Avenue for BU’s 2009-10 season. Werek (photo: at the Canadian Junior A Prospects game with legend Gordie Howe) had been a first round draft choice of Kingston in the 2007 OHL entry draft and the Frontenacs’ management had insisted that the 6-2 power forward would join the major junior club even after he declined last fall and skated with the junior A OPJHL Stouffville Spirit. The Out of Left Field blog chronicled Kingston’s pursuit of Werek.

Despite missing a dozen games to injuries and playing in the World 17 challenge, Werek led the Spirit, a team co-owner by his father, Zeev, in scoring with a 29-41-70 line, edging teammate and incoming Terrier freshman Corey Trivino by a single point. He added another 19 points in 15 playoff games. Werek earned OPJHL North Conference Rookie-of-the-Year honors, succeeding Trivino, the 2007-07 recipient.

The previous year, Werek scored 59-69-128 in 55 games for the Toronto Marlies AAA. In an interview last season with McKeen’s Hockey Prospects, Werek discussed his game and the decisions that led him to commit to BU in May of 2007.

In Indiana, Werek will be a teammate of former Terrier goalie, Brett Bennett. Meanwhile…. Trivino, a New York Islanders’ second round draft choice (#36 overall) who attended the Isles’ development camp earlier this month, is making one more stop prior to beginning his Terrier career. Over the weekend, he returned to Ottawa, where he had attended the 2008 draft, to participate in tryout camp for Canada’s World Junior Championships team. One of five Islander draft choices in camp, Trivino is the only invitee who was neither an NCAA or OHL player this past season.

More Terrier news on the Web

NHL.com offered a feature article on Terrier sophomore defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen, blue line partners last season and respectively the Avalanche’s first and second round draft choices in the 2007 entry draft. Both attended Avs’ development camp in Centennial, Colorado this month.

Former Daily Free Press hockey writer Fluto Shinzawa reported, in yesterday’s Boston Globe Hockey Notes column, that Chris Drury is a likely successor to Jaromir Jagr as captain of the New York Rangers. Drury was a co-captain in Buffalo during his tenure with the Sabres. The column also noted that former Terrier captain and Bruins’ head coach Mike Sullivan is in the mix for the vacant top job behind the New York Islanders’ bench.

Check out a good read from the Friartown Free Press blog, which has been added to the list of college hockey blog links in the sidebar. This past Saturday’s post examines the trend of surprisingly few prospects being drafted after beginning their college careers. Terrier center Colin Wilson was the only one selected in the first round this past June; only two were chosen in the first four rounds. The article also looks at college-bound draftees who become “one-and-done” or “two-and-through” collegians.

Predators GM Dave Poile discussed Wilson’s decision last week to return to BU for his sophomore season with the Nashville Tennessean, explaining that…

...the team supports Wilson’s choice to stay in school for at least one more year. Nashville will retain Wilson’s rights.

“I think the most important thing is that he made the decision,’ Poile said. “He decided where he’d be most comfortable and we were totally on board for that.

“We’ve said all along that hopefully he’d be one of the better players at BU, one of the better players in college and play for the U.S. at the World Juniors this year. So I see this as another real stepping stone for him”