Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Defenseman commits to BU; Vass, McNelis hit the portal; Another milestone for Macklin

BLAKE BARNES BURIES IT‼️ #DogCountry | #OHLPlayoffs 

Terriers have added a defenseman to the 2026-27 roster, not from the portal but from the OHL. Left-shot Blake Barnes, a 2006 who will be 20 when he arrives on Comm Ave., spent the 2025-26 season with the Niagara IceDogs. The 6'1", 185 native of Northville, Michigan, was a teammate of fellow recruit Haoxi Wang, who also is a left defenseman. 

For the IceDogs, Barnes had a 1-9-10 scoring line and took just four minor penalties in 46 games. He also had a goal and two assists in five playoff games. 

Prior to the OHL, Barnes played a season with USHL Omaha and previously played in the Honeybaked and Little Caesar's organizations.  

His father, Ryan Barnes, was a second round draft pick of the Red Wings in 1998. A longtime AHL forward, he skated briefly for Detroit.

Portal News 

A pair of freshmen, defenseman Malte Vass and forward John McNelis, have put their names in the the transfer portal. Vass, who was third round pick of Columbus last June, has already committed to New Hampshire. He dressed for 22 games, frequently as the seventh defenseman and seeing limited ice time. Vass recorded three assists. McNelis saw action in 19 games producing a 1-4-5 scoring line.  

More than 270 Division 1 players have entered the portal with about 30 having found new homes. We'll update when there are BU-related activities.

To check on those in the portal, here are a few links: Grand Forks Herald, College Hockey News and APX Hockey.


The IIHF World U18 Championships begin on April 22 in Slovakia. Team USA's roster has not yet been announced. Generally, most of the roster comes from the NTDP U18s with some additions from junior leagues. Terrier recruits on the NTDP U18s are Brady Knowling, Luke Schairer, Jamie Glance and Carter Meyer. Check back for updates. All Team USA games will air on NHL Network. 

Looking ahead

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2027 recruit James Scantlebury, a 5-⭐️rated forward, has been named a finalist for USHL Rookie of the Year honors.  USHL Media Relations reports:

Chicago’s tender made an immediate splash with 16 goals and 23 assists to rank fourth in rookie scoring. Scantlebury’s four game-winning goals tied for third-most among USHL rookies and he was among a group of only three first-year players to appear in all 62 regular-season games. The Boston University commit and Chateauguay, Quebec native had eight power play points, a shorthanded goal, and only eight penalty minutes.

Looking back

Despite a remarkably productive sophomore season, Macklin Celebrini fell short of dragging the Sharks into a playoff berth. However he did reach a BU milestone with his 43rd and 44th goals in San Jose's 3-2 win over Nashville.    

Cullen, the all-time Terriers points leader with 241 (98G, 143A) had scored 110 points in the 1990-91 season with Pittsburgh and Hartford.

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Wilmer Skoog became the 105th Terriers to reach the NHL when he was called up by Florida and made his debut in the Panthers' 6-2 win over Toronto. He was in the lineup again last night for a 3-2 win over the Rangers and saw more than 15 minutes of ice time in each game.  

To mark his debut, our friend BU Hockey Stats has compiled video of all four of Skoog's lacrosse goals.   

Trevor Zegras scored his 26th goal in the Flyers' 3-2 shootout win over Carolina. His 67 points are a new career best. Zegras, acquired in the off-season from Anaheim, will be making his first playoff appearance with Philadelphia.

Jake Oettinger blanked the Rangers, 2-0, turning aside 22 shots for his 34th win and fourth shutout of the season.

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