Sunday, March 22, 2026

Defkit's Year-end Takeaway; Hats off for Merrimack, Dartmouth; Looking ahead

 

Congratulations to Merrimack on its Cinderella run to its first Hockey East championship, becoming the first #8 seed to win the conference tournament. The Warriors, goalie Max Lundgren in particular, withstood a furious third period by  UConn (50 shot attempts, 22 SOG) and 50 shots on goal overall.

Dartmouth claimed its first-ever ECAC Tournament championship, beating Princeton, 2-1 in overtime on a goal by one-time BU recruit Tim Busconi.

 

 Defkit's Year-end Takeaway

Listed numerically: 

-Gavin McCarthy - more offense than I expected and became more reliable in his own end (as he should); fell short as a captain.
-Nick Roukounakis - love his game - physical and tenacious, popped in a few goals too. Perfect 4th liner on an elite team.
-Brandon Svoboda - was hoping for more offense from him given some of the goals he scored last year; had one of the bigger goals of the season at Matthews; still a reliable two way player and face-off guy; should be a third line regular next season.
-Sacha Boisvert - hard to know how much the easy season injury affected him, but a big disappointment; his stupid fight showed me he wasn't committed to this team, or just isn't very smart.
-Jonathan Morello - very dependable for a freshman, good two-way game - on an elite team he is our 4th line center but will play meaningful minutes no matter where he is. Like Sam Stevens with more offense. Plays with an edge, needs to keep that in check going forward.
-Tynan Lawrence - the future is very bright. Likely C1 next season, unless Malholtra is just that good.
-Jack Harvey - typical slow start and quietly ended up one of the top scorers. I was hoping for more consistent offense.
-Mick Frechette - Solid season. Liked his enthusiasm. Has persevered to become a regular, but nothing is guaranteed for next season.
-Conrad Fondrk - Tough season primarily due to injury. D1 was an adjustment for him.
-Jack Murtagh - definitely expected more, a sign that the NTDP isn't what it was a few years ago. But has tremendous speed. I can still see him turning into a top-6 guy.
-Ryder Ritchie - NCAA was also a bigger adjustment for him than I expected. Started hot, cooled off, then seemed to start playing the right way and the offense started coming back.
-Aiden Celebrini - basically what I expected. Grew a little more dependable, but on an elite team he is a bottom-pairing guy at best.
Owen McLaughlin - Like Ritchie, started hot then sort of disappeared.
-Ben Merrill - far exceeded my expectations - I didn't know if he would even dress regularly. He is too skilled to be a 4th line guy even though his size and grit fits well there. I see him as a 3rd line guy with PP time.
-John McNelis - I was a little surprised that he didn't see more ice time in the second half, since I thought he looked good for a freshman. Is he a portal candidate? I hope he stays.
-Cole Eiserman - a little streakier than last season. Developed his overall game, though he is still not a possession guy, which is fine. Showed he cared with his hustle. Was hoping he would come back for one more season, as I think he will need at least one season in the AHL.
-Kamil Bednarik - Very reliable. Still struggled to bury his chances but his two way play will ensure he sees regular time. I expect him to be C3.
-Mikhail Yegorov - found his game in the second half. Had a rough start, though the terrible defense in front of him certainly didn't help.
-Cole Hutson - An enigma. Super-skilled but the complete opposite of Lane in terms of hustle. In the first half especially, he had way too many giveaways with very little effort to make up for them. I don't get why he couldn't play the rest of the season the way he did in the sweep of BC. And just seeing how he looks in his first two games with the Caps, I have to question how invested he was in the team's success. I know that sounds harsh, but I can only go by what I see with my eyes.
-Malte Vass - I expected to see more of him, I guess the coaches just felt he needed more development.
-Sascha Boumedienne - Regressed, somewhat surprisingly. I think having Tom Willander with him last season covered up a lot. He is still very young so I think he can still develop into a very good d-man for this team.
-Charlie Trethewey - good development as the year went on. Should be a regular next season. 

Looking ahead

2027 recruit Carter Meyer scored his 26th goal and added two assists as the NTDP U18s routed Waterloo, 8-4. 2027 recruit Jamie Glance scored his 18th goal shorthanded, assisted by Meyer while Luke Schairer assisted on Meyer's tally.  Since being moved up from the U17s, Meyer has a 9-5-14 line in 18 games.  

2026 recruit Caleb Malhotra assisted on three goals in Brantford's 6-5 win over North Bay, bringing his scoring line to 29-55-84 in 66 games. He's second in scoring on the Bulldogs and second among OHL rookies.  Brantford has clinched the league's regular-season title and begins the playoffs next week. 

2026 recruit Haoxi Wang's game-tying power-play goal was his 6th tally of the season, helping Niagara to a 3-2 win over Barrie. Wang has 26 points in 57 games, including 13 in 29 games since being acquired by the playoff-bound IceDogs in a midseason trade.

►The HockeyWriters substack includes new draft profiles of Malhotra and Egor Shilov. 

Looking back

Cole Eiserman made his professional debut in AHL Bridgeport's 4-3 shootout win against Hershey. Eiserman had one shot on goal in regulation and one shootout attempt that did not connect.

Drew Commesso stopped 36 of 38 shots in Rockford's 4-2 win against Chicago. Five of those shots came off the stick of Dom Fensore.  

 

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Thursday, March 19, 2026

UPDATED: Hutson scores in NHL debut; Eiserman signs with the Islanders; NJ Devil's Terrier prospects ranked

Cole Hutson made his NHL debut in the Capitals' 4-1 win over Ottawa, scoring an empty-net goal to seal the victory. He had 16:24 of ice time on 21 shifts including power play shifts and earned the game's third star. We'll let these video tweets tell the story. 

Check back for updates 

 

Boston Hockey Blog's Eli Cloutier examined Hutson's debut in his PuckStack on substack. 

● WTOP.com Defenseman Cole Hutson impresses in his NHL debut, then scores at the end for the Capitals 

● SportsNet.ca Cole Hutson scores in NHL debut as Capitals beat Senators

 

Image  

Cole Eiserman's time as a Terrier has ended as the 2024 Islanders' first-round draft pick has agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract. He's the fourth Terrier to make an early departure to begin a pro career since Saturday's season-ending loss. 

Eiserman's contract, reported to be for $3.23M, begins with the 2026-27 season and he would have to play any games this season for the Isles' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport on an ATO contract.

Eiserman's two-year totals were 43 goals and 21 assists in 64 games. Sixteen of his goals came on power plays, mostly on one-timers (or "no-timers" as Bernie Corbett calls them) from the right face off circle. 

As a freshman, Eiserman was a driving force in BU's run to the national championship game. He led all NCAA rookies and all Terriers with 25 goals, finishing  fifth among all NCAA rookies with 36 points. Eiserman was named to Hockey East's All-Rookie and All-Academic teams.  

● NHL.com Eiserman signs 3-year, entry-level contract with Islanders

►► In The Athletic's ranking of the top drafted prospects for each NHL team, New Jersey's list has #1 Mikhail Yegorov, #4 Shane Lachance and #8 Conrad Fondrk. A few excerpts:

--Yegorov is a freak athlete who wowed some people at the combine in advance of the draft and has high-end attributes. He’s a 6-foot-5 goaltender with raw, natural athleticism that presents itself in his ability to go post-to-post or low-to-high. He also has good hands, and he reads and anticipates the play smartly.

He’s a big, long, lean goalie who should get stronger, is quick on his feet and in and out of his butterfly with clear technical skills as well. With the right patience, there’s some serious untapped potential in Yegorov’s game still, too. He has starter upside. 

--[Lachance is] a competitor. He has always had a high hockey IQ. He protects pucks well and is good along the wall in both the defensive and offensive zone. He’s viewed as a leader. He has a more diverse game than the stereotypical wall/net-front guy, but also has the stick for that. 

Lachance works hard, he supports play well, he plays off skill guys effectively and some believe he might become a solid role player at the next level. 

--Fondrk is a very skilled player who can make plays in space and was owed a better fate in his time at the [NTDP] program, both in terms of production and health. He played stretches of hockey where he looked like one of the program’s best and most talented player.

He has a dangerous mid-range shot, individual skill/hands and good overall skating. The talent level and the ability to execute finishing plays have appeared top-end in stretches.  He has made some pretty plays over the years, and he’s definitely a threat when the puck lands on his stick in the slot/with time.  

 

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