Wednesday, November 16, 2016

An inside look at BU's recruiting operation



THFB guest writer Neal Boudette (BU '84), who covers the automotive sector for the New York Times and writes about hockey any chance he gets, has wriiten about the Clayton Keller-Kieffer Bellows chemistry and about the 2017 BU recruits on the NTDP U18s, and last month authored an article on Terrier hockey for the Times. His latest feature article, looking behind the scenes of the Terriers’ recruiting activities, follows below.


Well-designed and executed process yields recruiting triumphs for Quinn & Company
By Neal E. Boudette

There’s no doubt David Quinn and his staff have been on a tear on the recruiting front. 

In just the last few weeks alone, they’ve won verbal commitments from two highly rated players for the 2017-18 season – forward Shane Bowers, a potential first-round draft choice next June, and defenseman Cam Crotty, a likely mid-round pick.

Both committed soon after BU landed Finnish D-man Kasper Kotkansalo. Maybe most important is that Quinn & Co. went head to head with BC for Bowers and Crotty, and won.

And, of course, these recruiting wins come following this year’s freshman class, which is second to none, with three first-rounders, a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder.

How do they do it? How have Quinn, Albie O’Connell and Scott Young managed to convince so many highly sought-after players to choose BU over BC or any of the other strong college hockey programs out there?

The answer has many levels – including early identification of budding stars; an honest pitch about where and how prospects would likely fit into BU’s plans; and lastly a pro-style environment designed to give players the skills and life experience to leave Comm Ave. and compete for a spot in the N.H.L. or some other form of professional hockey. 

Of course, the city of Boston, Agganis Arena and the hockey team’s gleaming weight room, the rabid BU fan base and the chance to play for a coach like David Quinn all helps, too.   Continue reading


► Next up for BU is a home-and-home series against conference foe Connecticut. The Terriers will travel to the XL Center in Hartford on Friday night for a 7:05 start. 

● UConn Daily Campus preview of BU-UConn series.

Blogger Bart Rhett has posted extended highlights of BU’s 4-2 win against Michigan.

Terrier Trivia

Which three former Terrier skaters later became BU assistant coaches and also brought an opposing team to Walter Brown Arena as a head coach?


Which skater holds the BU record for most points in NCAA tournament games?

Answers will appear in Thursday afternoon’s blogpost.

Looking ahead
NHL Central Scouting issued its November rankings of 2017 draft-eligible players. Recent commit Shane Bowers (Waterloo/USHL) received an “A” ranking while freshman goalie Jake Oettinger and recruits David Farrance (photo) and Cameron Crotty received “B” rankings. Logan Cockerill, Kasper Kotkansalo and Matthew Quercia (a 2018 recruit) all were ranked at “C.”

USA Hockey’s NTDP player feature this week looks at 2018 recruit Jack DeBoer. The son of San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer, he played for The Salisbury School last season and was a member of the gold-medal Team USA in the Youth Olympic Games in Norway.

2019 recruit Case McCarthy scored his second goal of the season in the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U’s 5-2 win over TPH Thunder on Monday at the Tier 1 Elite League New Jersey Showcase. The Junior Sabres won all four tournament games with the 6’1" blueliner from Clarence, NY scoring four points. He has nine points (2G, 7A) in his past six games. McCarthy, who committed to BU last season, has been rated in the top 10 for the 2017 OHL Draft, along with fellow recruits Robert Mastrosimone and Trevor Zegras

Looking back
Former BU assistant captain and standout Evan Rodrigues was recalled from the AHL by Buffalo.

 

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