Wednesday, August 30, 2023

UPDATED Five Terriers at BioSteel NHL Camp; Hockey East's 40th season; Hughes, Morin profiles;

                BioSteel NHL CAMP 2023 – BioSteel US

A pair of current Terriers—sophomore Lane Hutson and freshman Macklin Celebrini—joined two standout alums—Jack Eichel and Charlie McAvoy—at the 2023 BioSteel NHL Camp in Hallifax. The event, according to BioSteel, brings together “30 of the best and brightest NHL players for some intense pre-season training and (friendly) competition, all under one roof.”

Among the other attendees: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisitl, Nathan MacKinnon, John Taveres, Brayden Schenn, Cale Makar and Connor Bedard.

UPDATE: We've been advised that Evan Rodrigues also is at the camp.

We're hearing from one observer that Celebrini's shot is “unbelievable”. An absolute weapon. And in one sequence, Hutson had a 2-on-1 with Connor McDavid, looked  him off, didn't pass and took the shot. 😮 

Celebrini, shown in photo below next to 2023 #1 NHL Entry Draft pick Bedard, is wearing a gray non-contact jersey as he has been rehabbing following shoulder surgery last May.

A pair of Hockey East All-Star defensemen, Hutson and Makar, sport the red jerseys at the BioSteel Camp.

●  Day 1 video

 

►Ironmen: five returnees pictured above: #8 Cade Webber, #11 Luke Tuch, #21 Devin Kaplan, #25 Sam Stevens and #4 Ty Gallagher. 

 

Hockey East

►Hockey East launches its 40th year in 2023-24 and has introduced new anniversary branding, along with season-long plans to mark the celebration. 

Additionally, the league announced the launch of multiple celebratory initiatives surrounding the milestone season on ice, including the year-long #HockeyEast40 retrospective, highlighting some of the greatest teams, players, and accomplishments in college hockey history. Fans are encouraged to share their favorite #HockeyEast40 memories on social media for a chance to be featured on the league social media and win prize packs throughout the season.

● HockeyEastOnine.com Hockey East Unveils 40th Anniversary Branding

 

Looking ahead

A PuckPreps profile at top first-year BCHL players includes BU 2025 recruit Callum Hughes. He joins the West Kelowna Warriors along with another Terrier recruit, Jack Pridham. Hughes, a 6’1” center from Basking Ridge, NJ, played for Mount St. Charles 16U last season with a 14-46-60 line in 42 games. At the US Select 16 tournament, he scored four goals in six games, earning a spot on the US U17 squad for the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. Hughes was injured in the second game and only played one more game.

In 2022, he was invited to the NTDP Evaluation Camp and was drafted #21 overall in the USHL Futures Draft, but elected to play his junior hockey in the BCHL.

Callum Hughes | Centre | West Kelowna Warriors
Hughes is another excellent get for the BCHL that adds to the cachet of the league. As a former 21st overall pick by the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL, Hughes move to the BCHL may represent the beginning of a shift from the previous pattern which saw players usually move the opposite direction. Our 66th ranked ‘06 was also named to Team USA in the recently completed Hlinka Gretzky tournament and his pedigree and talent should keep him on the NHL draft radar and create added buzz for the league. Whether he can hit the ground running on his new team will depend on the care he takes to round out his game and put forth a consistent effort from shift to shift. His talent is undeniable as uses his size and strength to protect the puck and slow play down. He shows a knack for creating space for himself and uses the time he buys himself to show enhanced vision in finding teammates. He has an extra gear when he sniffs an opportunity, but he doesn’t always get after it when tracking backwards. If he can continue to develop his play without the puck and take a starring role for West Kelowna, he has the kind of game that tracks well to the professional level. Hughes didn’t have a fantastic performance against the best of his peers this summer so I will be watching closely to see if he can right the ship in the BCHL and carry that momentum into Boston University where he is committed for the 2024-25 season.

►Puck Preps also has a deep-dive profile of 2025 recruit Zachary Morin, a 6-2 forward. Here are some excerpts:

As the fourth-ranked Canadian on our 2007-born North American Rankings, Zachary Morin was also likely the most sought-after player from North of the border on NCAA recruiting lists. The dynamic forward has been on an advanced development trajectory for a number of years now, having played his 14-year-old season in the M18AAA circuit of Quebec in a prominent role with the Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix, before shifting his focus to the American market with a move to Michigan’s Little Caesars last fall. On the powerhouse 15U AAA roster, Zach emerged as an offensive catalyst in many respects, earning the first USHL tender for the 2023-24 season with the Youngstown Phantoms. 

It’s not all that common to encounter a player with this particular blend of size, skill and physicality. At the end of the day, Zach has the ability to be a game-breaker in an exciting way that doesn’t apply to the other top players in this class. While some of his peers may be a bit more structurally or tactically refined, Zach’s adaptivity and dominance in transition are on another level.

In Youngstown he should have the opportunities to continue playing with highly skilled linemates, which should suit his development well. 

 

►BU’s recruit pipeline, which has added four high-end 2007 skaters this summer, also has seen some contraction. A few weeks ago, it was reported that D Tim Busconi was no longer a Terrier commit. Tuesday, Mark Divver reported that D Kai Janviraya and F Will Zellers were back on the market. Janviraya, is playing at Lincoln after two NTDP seasons. BU seems well stocked on the blueline with four freshmen Ds this season. Three more—Cole Hutson, Hunter Hady and Owen Keefe—arrive in 2024 and another two—Charlie Trethewey and Aidan Souligny—in 2025. Zellers, who is coming off a strong performance in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, was expected to play for Shattuck Prep this season and then a year in the USHL. It’s been conjectured that he wants to shorten his path to college.

 

Looking back

Former Terrier Alex Chiasson has been signed to a PTO contract by the Bruins. ProHockeyRumors.com suggests the veteran power forward may earn a spot on the Boston roster.

Alex Chiasson may be a member of the Bruins on a tryout basis only, but it seems Montgomery has already penciled in the 32-year-old as a net-front presence on the team’s second power-play unit. “I thought Detroit’s power play became extremely tough to check the last two times we played them when he was at the net front,” Montgomery told Conroy. “So there’s a niche that he could possibly grab a hold of for our team.” Chiasson landed an NHL contract with Detroit at last season’s trade deadline after spending the year on an AHL contract with their affiliate in Grand Rapids. He recorded six goals and nine points in 20 games down the stretch of the regular season, with seven of those nine points coming on the power play.

 

 

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