High-end 2001 defender commits to BU; WJC report--UPDATED

BU gained its third commitment in the past month from a high-end 2001 birthdate player, as Shattuck St. Mary’s defenseman Braden Doyle tweeted his commitment.  The 5-10 left-shot blueliner from Lynnfield, Mass., who has a 7-23-30 scoring line in 35 games, joins fellow 2001s Robert Mastrosimone and Case McCarthy as future Terriers. He reportedly made his decision between BU and BC.

01 D Braden Doyle (@shattuckstmarys U14) commits to BU. Really nice add, MA native has 23 pts, great skater, super aware, quick, creates.

— Over The Boards (@OverTheBoards) December 30, 2015

Doyle, who previously played for the Minuteman Flames, was a standout at June’s Beantown NAPS Showcase, earning a strong review from USHR:

Braden Doyle, #8 East Coast Selects, ’01 – A high-end defenseman in all aspects of the game, Doyle skates well, passes the puck crisply and accurately, and can shoot it. He’s poised with the puck in his defensive zone and has the ability to beat defenders with a pass or his feet.  Played for the Minuteman Flames last year and will be heading to Shattuck-St. Mary’s this fall.

Later in the summer, he earned kudos from OverTheBoards at the SFX 68 event in Chicago:

01 D Braden Doyle – Shattuck-St. Mary’s U14: Very offensively aware, makes the right play most of the time, at the right times. Utilizes deception in possession effectively and makes decisive reads all over the ice. Processes the game as it develops at a good clip compared to some of the best in his age group. He can really skate, too, as you’ll see when his top speed is needed to prevent a chance in the video below.

Doyle caps off another outstanding year for BU, have a great start in 01 age (2 D, 1 F) and a lot of talent among their 00s right now.

— Over The Boards (@OverTheBoards) December 30, 2015

Lynnfield, MA native is great skater, had been on BU radar for a few months. Terriers continue recruiting dominance. https://t.co/WeIYEsRZDI

— Jeff Cox (@JeffCoxSports) December 30, 2015

● Braden Doyle Elite Prospects card

● Boston Hockey Blog report

● Shattuck St. Mary’s Bantam stats     

► Freshman center Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, currently skating for Sweden in the World Junior Championships, is featured in Julie Robenhymer’s New York Times report on Swedish players taking the NCAA route to pro hockey careers.  JFK told her:

“When you see guys going through college hockey and becoming top players in the N.H.L., it helps convince your parents, but also helps convince yourself that this is a good way to go.”

● New York Times report and photo  

Alongtheboards.com looks at the key question facing each Hockey East team as the second half of the season begins.

World Junior Championships

Team USA routed Switzerland, 10-1 today. While none of the Terriers registered points, both Brandon Fortunato and Charlie McAvoy were +3.

●IIHF recap and box score

Forsbacka Karlsson had an assist in Sweden’s 5-0 blanking of Denmark.

●IIHF recap and box score

Looking ahead 

2016 recruits Clayton Keller (photo) and Kieffer Bellows each recorded an assist as the NTDP U18's defeated the Chicago Steel, 5-2.  Fellow recruit Jake Oettinger made 21 saves to gain his 14^th win in 18 decisions to go with a 2.33 GAA.  Keller, who was the final forward cut from the Junior National Team, leads the team in scoring with 56 points, while Bellows is the top goal-scorer with 24.

● USA Hockey recap and box score

In the Don Mills Flyers' last game before the holiday break, 2018 recruit Tyler Weiss scored a goal and two assists to lead the Flyers past Markham, 4-1.  The left-shot forward, who has scored seven goals in his last seven games, has a 13-11-24 scoring line in 15 games.

● Flyers recap

Looking back

A pair of All-Americans from BU’s 2009 national championship squad, Kevin Shattenkirk (Blues) and Colin Wilson (Predators) faced off in St. Louis last night with each scoring a goal in a game won by the Blues, 4-3, in overtime.  Shattenkirk’s sixth goal of the season gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead early in the third period.  Wilson (photo), playing his 400th NHL game, scored late in the period to knot the score and force overtime.

● NHL.com recap and video

● NBCSports video of Shattenkirk’s goal

Jack Eichel assisted on both Buffalo goals in the Sabres' 5-2 loss to first-place Washington. Eichel, who earned third-star honors, has 22 points this season, including eight in his last five games.
● NHL.com recap and video