Wednesday, April 02, 2025

Terriers mine a gem from the portal; Hutson sets Canadians' mark

UND freshman forward Sacha Boisvert ... 
                     Photo Credit Grand Forks Herald

Freshman center Sasha Boisvert, who led North Dakota in scoring with 32 points (18G,14A), has committed to BU a day after entering the transfer portal, according to reports in College Hockey News and on the College Hockey Insider Transfer Portal Tracker, where he is the top-rated forward.

A 6’2”, 180 lb., left-shot from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, he was the Blackhawks’ first round draft pick—#18 overall—in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. After a moderate start to his freshman season with five goals and 14 points first semester, he became North Dakota’s best weapon with 13 goals the rest of the way. While a physical player, he had just 20 penalty minutes.
With fellow Blackhawks draft pick Ryan Greene having graduated and expected to turn pro, Boisvert is likely to step into Greene’s spot as BU's top line center. Like Greene, he wore #9 last season.

Boisvert was dominant against league opponents, leading all NCHC rookies with 11 goals and ranked fourth with 17 points. He was named NCHC Rookie of the Month in both November and December while garnering the league's top rookie of the week award four times. 
 
Last month, Boisvert was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year.He also was named to the College Hockey News All-Rookie Team, joining Terriers Cole Eiserman and Cole Hutson.

McKeen’s ranked him as the Blackhawks #5 prospect. Drew Commesso is #6 and Greene is #10. Incoming recruit Jack Pridham also is a Chicago draft pick.
 
The Athletic also has him as Chicago's fifth best prospect:
Boisvert’s got the desired height and position on his side, room to fill out his once-wiry frame (which he already added a bunch of muscle to the last two summers; he still looks lean with further growth to come) and NHL skill and competitiveness. Intangibles come up a lot when you speak to people about him (he even dropped the gloves a few times last year, including in the playoffs). The skill includes a quick and accurate NHL-level release, good instincts on and off the puck, above-average feet (he’s a decent skater, even if a little upright in his stance), a developing power game and great feel with the puck on his stick both at speed and in slowing the game down. 

Elite Prospects Draft Profile:
Boisvert is a goal scorer. A deceptive wrister and powerful one-timer make him a threat from distance, while his net-front skills and off-puck timing drive his in-tight finishing. He can also make just about every pass in the book, easily navigating layers of sticks with slip and saucer passes, even off the backhand. The passing skills appear mostly off the rush, finding cross-ice targets for high-value entries and faking the shot to prepare the cross-slot lane.

Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet
“This player is tougher than rawhide. His frame is such that there’s plenty of room for growth, but he’s already wiry strong. Boisvert is a great skater who shoots the puck a ton. At his best, he can impact a game in a variety of ways. He projects as a skilled power forward and can play both centre and wing.”
Boisvert spent the previous two seasons in the USHL with Muskegon, producing 68 points (36G,32A) in 2023-24 and 45 points (17G,28A) in 2022-23 where he was a teammate of Gavin McCarthy and earned a spot on the league’s second all-rookie team.

Before going to the USHL he played at Mount St. Charles Academy where he rang up 94 points for the 15U AAA team. 2025 recruit Callum Hughes was a teammate on that squad.

An article in The Athletic--How boxing helped turn Blackhawks pick Sacha Boisvert into a top NHL Draft prospect (subscription)--relates that Boisvert’s father owns a taekwondo and boxing gym in Trois-Rivières where combat sports and martial arts “played a major role” in Sascha’s life.  By age 10, Boisvert had entered four boxing competitions. He fought kids who were two or three years older than him.
When people talk about him, they talk about his commitment, his intangibles, his mental toughness and his competitiveness as much as they talk about his skill and his potential. They’re a byproduct of his shared passion with his dad and a unique upbringing and training that has shaped him into the player and young man he is.
 
Looking back
 
Lane Hutson recorded his second consecutive three-assist game as Montreal edged Florida  in overtime, 3-2. Hutson assisted on the tying goal and the game-winner. 

The trio of helpers set a new franchise record for assists (57) by first-year blueliners, eclipsing the 56 tallied by Chris Chelios. Hutson is second to only Larry Murphy's 60 assists among all NHL defensemen. He has six regular-season games left.

Hutson, who remains the overall rookie scoring leader with 62 points, was againi named Rookie of the Month.  

Dante Fabbro scored his seventh goal as Columbus routed Nashville, 8-4.  

Trevor Zegras scored his 10th goal and added an assist as the Ducks defeated the Sharks, 4-3, in a shootout.   

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Monday, March 31, 2025

UPDATED AGAIN: Frozen Four Field Set; Terriers to face Penn State; Pandolfo on Morning Cuppa Coffee; defkit's Terrier Takeaway

 

► Cole Hutson led all scorers in the NCAA regionals with six points (2-4-6). Ryan Greene fourth with 0-0-4. 

► Nearly 200 players have entered the transfer portal since their seasons have ended. Here's the list compiled by College Hockey Insider with rankings included.

 

Graphic showcasing the four teams that qualified for the NCAA Men's Frozen Four: Boston University, Denver, Penn State, and Western Michigan. 

#8 Terriers will head to St. Louis for their 25th Frozen Four appearance and take on #12 Penn State on April 10. The semifinal game will air on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m.

● USCHO.com A first look at the 2025 NCAA Frozen Four

● BU Hockey Stats Holy Toledo!

Jay Pandolfo has been a Penrose Award finalist each of his three seasons behind the Terrier bench. The full list of semifinalists:

David Carle, Denver, NCAA Semifinalist
Mike Cavanaugh, UConn, Hockey East Coach of the Year
Pat Ferschweiler, Western Michigan, NCHC Coach of the Year, NCAA Semifinalist
Guy Gadowsky, Penn State, NCAA Semifinalist
JF Houle, Clarkson, ECAC Coach of the Year
Jay Pandolfo, Boston University, NCAA Semifinalist
Bill Riga, Holy Cross, AHA Coach of the Year
Brett Riley, Long Island University, Independent Coach of the Year
Steve Rohlik, Ohio State, Big Ten Coach of the Year
Luke Strand, Minnesota State University, CCHA Coach of the Year

 

defkit's Terrier Takeaway

- After never having won a Western regional (at least since moving to the 16 team, no bye format), BU has now accomplished the feat in two successive seasons. That doesn't happen without strong coaching and experience in big games. Congrats to Jay and the staff. It has been a bumpy season but reaching the Frozen Four for a third straight year cements us back into the "Elite" club of programs in my opinion.

- Of the BU teams the past three years, this team may be the least skilled, definitely has the least depth on defense, and played the most inconsistent throughout the year. But I feel better about their chances to win it all than the teams from the past two years based on our forward depth, strong goaltending, and how the rest of the field looks. At first, Penn State scared me given how easily they dispatched Maine. But UConn showed how to compete with them. I think Denver now is the team to beat, as they are clicking on all cylinders.
 
- Speaking of defensive depth, Cole Hutson, Tom Willander, and Sascha Boumedienne may need new skate blades before St. Louis. I haven't looked for the stats, but they are clearly all logging significant minutes. Kudos to the strength and conditioning staff.
 
- Putting up 40 shots against Cornell was feat unto itself. It was great to see the team "start on time" for the first time in a while. If they can do so against Penn State, that will help their chances a ton. Scoring eight goals against Ohio State may have been the confidence boost some of the forwards needed to kick things into a higher gear and start the game with good energy.
 
- Jack Hughes has shown his best efforts all season lately. Matt Copponi, while perhaps not as strong a two-way player, is creating scoring opportunities again. And Kamil Bednarik, while not flashy, continues to play very important minutes for this team due to his two-way play.
 
- Big Mike made a couple huge stops early in overtime against Cornell. Then we got our legs going again, and had a great cycle game going for a few shifts leading up to the game-winner. Kudos to Shane Lachance for keeping it alive in the O-zone twice.
 
- Cole Hutson's goal may be the most accurate shot I've ever seen. I can't imagine there was room for more than 2 pucks to make it into the net from that angle.

►Kudos to the sharp-eyed Terrier fans who noticed former BU standout Alex Chiasson standing next to Kim Branvold on the far left in the photo below. Chiasson, who is one of 12 Terriers to win the Stanley Cup, retired last fall after a long NHL career and has been a volunteer assisting the staff this season. His Cup win came in 2018 with Washington.

NCAA Toledo Regional Team Photo Celebration

 

 

Morning Cuppa Hockey ☕ Hosts ...

► Coach Jay Pandolfo joined today's episode of Morning Cuppa Hockey to talk with Colby Cohen and Jonny Lazurus about the Regionals and Frozen Four. Among other things, he explains how the team watched film of Cornell's penalty kill between the second and third periods and that Cole Hutson spotted "an opening," which he exploited to give BU a 2-1 lead. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify or Apple.

 

►One more look at Quinn Hutson's overtime goal that punched the Terriers' ticket to St. Louis:         

►College Hockey News has announced is first and second national all-star teams and national all-rookie team. Cole Hutson was named a second-team all-star and all-rookie while Cole Eiserman joined him on the all-rookie team. 

 

Looking back

Lest one thinks that Quinn and Cole were the only Hutsons making their presence felt in a big way on the ice this weekend, Lane Hutson assisted on three goals, including the primary (see below) on the game-winner, in Montreal's 4-2 win against Florida.  Evan Rodrigues had a helper for the Panthers.

Hutson now has 59 points and his 54 assists are tied for second most by a defenseman with Quinn Hughes and is just three behind Cale Makar.

 

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