Draft week linkorama--UPDATED

McKeen’s Hockey’s Grant McCagg  has rated the top body-checkers in the NHL Entry draft. 2014 recruit Johnathan MacLeod, who spent the past two seasons manning the blue line for the NTDP U17 and U18 teams, is ranked # 2.

Johnathan MacLeod never turns down an opportunity to step up with a big hit, as several unfortunate opponents discovered during the U-18s.

Yahoo! Sports’ Neate Sagar talked with 2014 recruit  Brandon Hickey about his decisions to play college hockey and to do so at BU.

Future Considerations’ Andrew Weiss, looking at draft-eligible USHL players, opines that 2015 recruit Maxim Letunov could be a “steal” in the middle rounds of this week’s NHL entry draft. The 6-2 center from Moscow scored 43 points (19G, 24A) in his first USHL season at Youngstown, where he teamed with 2014 BU recruit J.J. Piccinich.

Writing for USCHO, Al Daniels talked with 2014 recruit Chase Phelps about his experiences playing for prep hockey power Shattuck St. Mary's and about his decision to commit to BU. The 6-0, 180 lb. left wing scored 66 points (24G, 42A) to power the SSM offense, along with 2016 recruit Clayton Keller, as the Sabres claimed the USA Hockey Tier 1 18U national championship.

Recruiting site OverTheBoards.com invited junior, college and pro scouts to anonymously comment on college bound players and prospects who are projected to be picked in the next three entry drafts.  Among the Terrier recruits included:  Phelps, Piccinich, Bobo Carpenter and Letunov (2014); Jack Eichel and AJ Greer (photo) (2015); and Keller and Charles McAvoy (2016). Among the observations:

Eichel: “When he gets that puck, he has that explosiveness – watching Jeff Carter last night; he takes 3 strides, hasn’t broken a sweat and now he’s one stride past you.”

Greer: “Maybe Milan Lucic in the making. A true power forward, if he was playing major junior I think everyone would know about him by now. He has the big body, hard on the puck as anybody”

McAvoy: “Late 1997 [is] very, very offensively gifted. He’s really coming along.  Him and Chad (Krys), both Rockets, both NTDP, could end up being two of the best offensive guys available on the back in two years time.

Former Terrier John Hynes is one of the candidates for the vacant Pittsburgh Penguins head coaching job. Hynes, who began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at BU and later spent six years coaching the US NTDP progam, has been head coach of the Pens’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton since 2009.

With the 2014 recruits due to arrive on campus in about a week, strength and conditioning coach Anthony Morando tweeted:

@TerrierHockey @thfblog @BUTerrierPics Last Week of #summer1 Before the young Pups arrive to @AgganisArena #ArmourUp pic.twitter.com/tISwAE9wME
— Anthony Morando (@amobu3384) June 23, 2014