NHL Entry Draft; Keller & McAvoy in Calder Top-5 UPDATED

Terriers Ready For The Draft!

For the fourth consecutive year, Boston University will be well represented in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.  Rising sophomore Brady Tkachuk (photo below), who had a 8-23-31 scoring line during his freshman campaign and was named to the Hockey East Pro-Ambitions All-Rookie Team, has been ranked as the #2 North American Skater by NHL Central Scouting Services and is expected to be picked anywhere from third to ninth overall.  A few mock drafts have him being selected fifth by Arizona.  His dad, former Terrier Keith Tkachuk, played there from 1996 thru 2001 and was known as Captain Coyote.

● AZCentral.com: Brady Tkachuk to Arizona Coyotes?

● NY Times: NHL is Expected to Bring Another Tkachuk into the Fold

Incoming freshman Joel Farabee (photo below), a first-line forward with the 2017-2018 USNTDP U-18 team, is ranked as the #12 North American Skater and is expected to hear his name called in the middle of the first round.  The Cicero, NY native had a scoring line of 33-43-76 in 62 games and is known for his high compete level and willingness to go to the hard areas of the ice, despite his modest frame … which should fill out substantially under the direction of BU Strength Coach Kyle Czech.
● Syracuse.com: Cicero's Joel Farabee will be Early Pick in First Round

Fellow USNTDP forward Jake Wise (photo below), who missed the first three months of last season with an upper body injury, returned with a vengeance and became a stalwart on the USNTDP power play.  The Reading, Massachusetts native finished the season with a 11-32-43 scoring line in 38 games and is ranked as the #38 North American Skater.  Most mock drafts project him as a late first-rounder or second-rounder.

● Pensionplanpuppets.com: Jake Wise Is One of This Year's Top Centers

It is possible that incoming freshman forward Jack DeBoer (#166 North American Skater), another USNTDP product, will be taken in one of the later rounds on Saturday. The Madison, NJ native's dad Peter is the head coach of the San Jose Sharks.

This year's entry draft will take place in Dallas, Texas.  The first round will start at 7:30pm Eastern Time on Friday and can be seen on NBC Sports Network.  Rounds two thru seven will start at 11:00am Eastern Time on Saturday and can be seen on the NHL Network.

● NHL.com: Final Mock Drafts by Kimelman, Morreale, and LePage

Top NHL Rookies

Former Terriers Clayton Keller (Arizona) and Charlie McAvoy (Boston) finished third and fifth respectively in the Calder Trophy voting last night at the 2018 NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas.  Fifteen months after combining on a thrilling double overtime goal  (at 14:34 of this clip) against the University of North Dakota that sent the Terriers to the 2017 NCAA Western Regional Final, both Keller and McAvoy were named to the 2017-18 All-Rookie Team.

NHL Development Camp

Hockey writer Mark Divver reports that rising senior Bobo Carpenter will attend NJ Devils development camp as a free agent.  The Terrier co-captain was one of the most outstanding performers at last summer's Devils camp.