Editor's Notes
-We join the hockey community in offering condolences to the Gaudreau family, to the Columbus Blue Jackets and BC Hockey in the wake of the tragedy that claimed Johnny and Matthew. May their memories be a blessing.
-Check back in the next few days for another blog post introducing BU's newest 2025 recruit.
The preview of freshmen and transfers concludes with forwards Nick Roukounakis, Brandon Svoboda and Alexander Zetterberg.
Our next freshman introduction is Nick Roukounakis, a talented forward who skated for the Tri-City Storm last season! pic.twitter.com/q7UptVz3ma
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) August 28, 2024
Roukounakis is a 6’2”, 224 lb., left wing from Pembroke, Mass. After three seasons at Thayer Academy, playing for Terrier legend Tony Amonte, he spent a year in the BCHL with West Kelowna (9-6-15; and 3-5-8 in the playoffs) and then two seasons in the USHL with Tri-City.
Injuries limited his playing time with the Storm. Nick had a 5-5-10 line in 32 games in 2022-23. Last season he scored six points in 19 games.
New England Hockey Journal: "He’s heavy on pucks and has the ability to use his size and strength to win battles for loose pucks and space in front of the net."
Svoboda, a 6'3", 207, right-shot center from Level Green, Pa., arrives on Comm Ave after back-to-back USHL Clark Cup Championships, winning in 2023 with Youngstown (captained by Shane Lachance) and then last season with Fargo after a mid-season trade. He also helped Team USA win a bronze medal in the World Junior A Challenge, with a 3-3-6 line in six games.
In 22-23 he had 16 goals and 10 assists, while his combined 2023-24 line was 12-8-20. Prior to the USHL, he spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite organization including a 50- point season(24G,26A) in 50 games with the 16UAAA squad.
Named to the Team USA roster for the recent World Junior Summer Showcase, Svoboda led the team in scoring with a 2-4-6 line in five games, putting himself into contention for a spot on the U.S. Junior National Team that will compete in the World Juniors.
Elite Prospects Draft profile:
The standard Svoboda games goes something along these lines: Battling around the net-front, getting open inside space, hard work on the forecheck, proactive defence, and one display of exciting passing display. Some of the plays he pulls off are complex, passes that require vision, confidence, and manipulating the defender to create the lane. He also has a powerful outside leg wrister, narrowing his stance and putting his body weight behind the shot.
WJSS reviews
Daily Faceoff
With his first-period goal, Svoboda is up to six points in five games as he looks to secure a bottom-six spot with the Americans. His energy and drive to do whatever it takes to generate a scoring chance has been noticeable, and he never left anything on the line.
FloHockey.TV
Brandon Svoboda, C/W (SJS)
Size and speed made Svoboda stand out, but he also made enough plays to give him a chance to be on this roster. He’s got the big body, but his ability to win races and pressure defensemen is probably more important. Svoboda was one of USA's most productive players throughout the camp. He also scored against Canada and made a few nice plays in the middle of the ice and was able to get pucks to more dangerous areas. He’s a tough man to move off of it. He’s got a great chance to be a depth player for Team USA thanks to that speed, size and scoring touch. If he plays the first half at BU like he did in camp, I think he's on the team.
● TheHockeyNews.com Sharks prospect Brandon Svoboda opens eyes at WJSS
● TheHockeyWriters.com Svoboda draft profile
Alexander Zetterberg, a 5’8”, 165 lb., right-shot center from Sundsvall, Sweden, is coming off a standout season in the J20 Nationell league and representing the Tre Kronor in international play.
A distant relative of NHL great Henrik Zetterberg, he rang up a 21-37-58 scoring line with a league-best +23 in 45 regular-season games for Örebro HK and then added a team-leading 14 points (8G,6A) in the playoffs, earning a silver medal.
In 24 international games, he generated 20 goals and 19 assists, He was Sweden’s top scorer in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup (2-4-6) and in the World Junior A Challenge (6-4-10). At the World U18s, he had 2-3-5 in four games before an injury sidelined him.
In 2022-23, he led the J20 Nationell (Overall) with the most points (34) by a U17 Junior
Several NHL entry draft projections had Zetterberg going as high as the second round, but due to his size, he was not selected in the June Entry Draft. However, he was invited to Montreal Canadians development camp and made a strong impression.
Alexander Zetterberg has the skill to play high-level hockey. He moves with the puck incredibly well, able to pass by defenders thanks to a mix of speed and body control while stick-handling. He finds open space efficiently and knows how to play off the boards.
The one problem—in the eyes of all 32 NHL teams who did not draft him—is being undersized. Zetterberg stands at roughly five-foot-eight and weighs in at approximately 160 pounds. This makes his shifty skill set and elite stick control necessary for his size.
Elite Prospects Draft Profile
Always in motion, Zetterberg can hurt opposing teams in very diverse set of ways. In the offensive zone, he eludes defenders on the boards with cutback moves, deceives them, threads passes through their formation and scores with powerful one-timers from the faceoff circle. Zetterberg also shows the same level of tactical acumen away from the puck. He finds space, link plays and knows how to elevate his creativity and overall game when it matters.
The Athletic: Best Undrafted Players at 2024 Draft
A big part of the national team with this Swedish age group, the diminutive Zetterberg, a natural center to date who NHL teams usually project as winger, is both fun to watch and offers more at his size off of the puck than you’d expect. He’s got great speed, which helps to offset some of the strength deficiencies when he’s playing down the middle. He’s got a magnetic ability with the puck and because of his light, airy skating mechanics, he’s able to dart past defenders in transition, knife through coverage and quickly escape the boards out of won foot races in order to avoid having to engage in too many battles along the wall. He was one of the more productive forwards at the J20 level and was the national team’s most productive player across all competitions (Hlinka Gretzky Cup, World Junior A Challenge, Five Nations, and then the U18s before a concussion ended his tournament). If he were a couple of inches taller, he’d be a universally well-liked player by scouts for his style, commitment, skating and skill. Without it, though, he’s still a mid-to-late-round pick. He’s expected to make the jump to the NCAA with BU and I could see his game really working on the North American sheet.
● DailyFaceoff Zetterberg draft profile
● The Hockey News Alexander Zetterberg Showcases Skill at Habs' Development Camp
● Montreal Canadians Media Interview
