Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Player movements, trades, signings



With the 2015-16 season about two months away, there’s some news and some rumors about players, reported by The Boston Hockey Blog.  A few weeks after 2015 recruit class member Sean MacTavish told The Pipeline Show that the BU coaches were helping him find another situation, the former AJHL standout has now committed to Alaska-Anchorage. The other news is less definite. JJ Piccinich had been rumored to be returning to the USHL for next season and then heading back to BU. Now, other reports indicates he will—or has—signed with OHL London. Ryan Cloonan, a speedy, high-scoring wing for the Boston Junior Bruins, who had been tabbed for BU’s 2016 class, now may move up to the 2015 class, replacing MacTavish.  We’ll update this story when more is known.
THFB report on Cloonan commitment  (2-27-15) 
Elite Prospects card


A pair of former Terrier teammates, who spent last season with Vancouver, Nick Bonino and Adam Clendening, were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The pair joins David Warsofsky, a recent free-agent signee, on the Pittsburgh roster. Bonino, a 50-point scorer on BU's 2009 national championship team, spent the first five years of his NHL career with Anaheim before being traded to Vancouver last summer. (Bonino stats).  

A two-year standout defenseman at BU, Clendening reached the NHL last season with Chicago, but was traded at mid-season to the Canucks splitting time with Vancouver and AHL Utica. (Clendening stats)

The Penguins also have a BU presence in the front office. Former Terrier captain Mike Sullivan was named this summer as head coach of AHL affiliate Wilkes Barre/Scranton, succeeding John Hynes who took over the top job with the New Jersey Devils. In addition, Clark Donatelli will begin his fifth season with ECHL affiliate Wheeling. Terrier goalie Sean Maguire is a Penguins draft pick and participated in the team’s recent development  camp.

New contracts were announced for two BU standouts now in the NHL. Following a season that saw Colin Wilson rack up career highs in goals (20), points (42) and plus/minus (+19), Nashville rewarded the former Terrier All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist with a four-year, $15.75 million contract. Wilson scored 90 points in two seasons as a Terrier, including 55 as a member of the 2009 national championship team.
●The Hockey News report
●Career stats

Former BU MVP Alex Chiasson was awarded a one-year, $1.2 milllion contract with Ottawa by the NHL Arbitrators. Chiasson, who had been acquired last summer from the Dallas Stars, scored 26 points last season for the Senators. He’ll be joined in training camp by BU goalie Matt O’Connor, who signed a multi-season, free agent deal with Ottawa, shortly after the end of last season.

Ryan Ruikka, an assistant  captain for BU’s 2012-13 squad, has signed a free-agent contract with the ECHL Wichita Thunder. He spent the past two seasons playing overseas.
●Career stats

When a Bayonne, NJ, high school goalie lost all his equipment during a fire at his family’s home, the NJ Devils and new head coach John Hynes stepped up to keep the young netminder’s ice dreams alive.
●NHL.com video

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

New S&C coach is a Mike Boyle disciple; Wise excels at Select 15s





BU Hockey has a new Strength and Conditioning coach, succeeding Anthony Morando. Sean Skahan is a Mike Boyle disciple (as is Morando) and spent the past 13 seasons as S&C coach for the Anaheim Ducks. While an undergrad at UMass-Boston, he interned at BU (under Glenn Harris) and at the Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning facility (MBSC).  He went on to become an assistant S&C coach at BC and at North Dakota.  During his years with the Ducks, Sean worked with former BU standout Nick Bonino.

Mike Boyle:

“Sean Skahan is not just one of the smartest guys in the hockey strength and conditioning field – he’s one of the smartest people in the industry period. A class act, who never hesitates to help, advise or teach when needed, Sean is what I consider to be a true pro, and above all a gentleman. I’m proud to be part of a profession that includes people like Sean Skahan”




Incoming freshman Jordan Greenway at Minnesota Wild development camp.

Looking ahead
2018 recruit Jake Wise followed up Monday's five-point effort with two goals and two assists today to finish atop the scoring chart at the USA Hockey Select 15 development camp with 15 (6G, 9A) points. On Monday, he led Team Royal to a 7-5 win over Team Forest and today's 4-point performance spurred Royal past Navy, by an 11-2 count.  The left-shot forward from North Andover, Mass., led Royal to a first-place finish in the tournament. He has points in all four games he’s played and his total is five more than any other skater. 

A left-shot center, Wise is expected to spend another season at Central Catholic High School where he scored 42 points (16G, 26A) in 25 games as a freshman. There have been reports that he's already been invited to join the NTDP U17s in 2016.


Elite Prospects card


Looking back
Former Terrier forward and Associate Head Coach Mike Bavis has accepted a position as  an assistant coach with the AHL Springfield Falcons under Ron Rolston.  As a Terrier, Bavis played on four NCAA Tournament teams and three Beanpot Championship teams. His BU coaching career spanned 15 seasons, including four as Associate Head Coach.
  AHL report

Women's Team
BU Today profiles "the unstoppable Marie-Philip Poulin, who led the Terriers to three Hockey East championships and powered Canada to the gold medal in the last two Winter Olympics.  In her senior season, Poulin earned first team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Patty Kazamaier Award as the top college player. The Beauceville, Quebec, native, is considering coaching in the future, but first is taking aim on a third Olympic gold.


Friday, July 17, 2015

Terriers go camping





Goalie Sean Maguire, returning to the BU roster after a medical red-shirt year, is at Pittsburgh Penguins development camp sharpening his game for the upcoming season. The 6-2 Maguire, drafted in the fourth round by the Penguins in the 2012 NHL entry draft, told TribuneLive’s Chipped Ice blog that pushing laterally was the hardest thing to do, followed closely by reading the releases on pucks. However,

“That came back a lot quicker than I thought it would,” Maguire said.  “I think in the next two months everyone is going to forget about this past year. We’re just going to focus on next year. That’s my plan. I want to be the best I can for next year.”

The Penguins’ camp is being led by former BU captain, Bruins head coach, NY Rangers assistant coach, and newly named coach of AHL Wilkes Barre Scranton Mike Sullivan. He’s being assisted by former BU standout and U.S. Olympian Clark Donatelli, now in his fifth year at the helm of the ECHL Wheeling Nailers.
● Chipped Ice report

● Pittsburgh Sports News report




At Bruins’ camp in Wilmington, Mass., former  BU All-American and now Boston Bruins Development Coach Jay Pandolfo is putting the players, including Terrier sophomore Brien Diffley and freshman Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, through their paces. 

Diffley, from nearby Burlington, talked with the Lowell Sun about his first experience in an NHL uniform. “"I thought I was pretty good last year, but if I can get that little more confidence rushing the puck up more, joining the play more when I can, it will be good, but that comes with experience, too," he said. (Full story)

CSNE’s Joe Haggarty commenting on Bruins’ development camp:

Saw some of the athleticism, skill, hands and coordination of Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson on display during the tip drills in the forward session. He seemed to have the most ease redirecting point shots into the net with textbook tips while so many of his fellow forwards seemed to really have trouble with the very fundamental skill. Some of it may have just been fatigue, but some of the B’s prospects need to work on standing in front of the net and tipping pucks. It’s easy for me to say, of course, but still very true all the same.

● BruinsTV interview with JFK

Sophomore goalie Connor LaCouvee completed his second NHL development camp today having skated with the Blackhawks after previously attending Rangers camp.

A College Hockey Inc. article on college sophomores at NHL development camps features defenseman Brandon Hickey, who attended his second Flames camp. Calgary GM Brad Treliving discussed the Alberta native’s progress:


"It was an interesting situation for him, last season, having three freshman defenceman there,’’ Flames general manager Brad Treliving told the Calgary Herald. “So he just kept getting more and more responsibility. The impressive thing is that the opportunity was there and Brandon didn’t sit back; he grabbed hold of it.

“Now he’s going to become a leader on that team, develop in that area. What sticks out with him, obviously, is his skating. He’s an elite skater. It comes easy to him. For me, now, it’s just being a little more on the puck, working on his decision-making in that regard. ... We think the sky's the limit for this guy."


►One drafted Terrier not attending a development camp is Robbie Baillargeon. A 2012 Ottawa draft pick, he is attending the second summer session at BU and the NCAA prohibits a player from missing class to attend development camp. Baillargeon had participated in Senators' camp the previous three summers.

Laser-focused on rebounding from a 2014-15 season that began with a bout of mono and never really got into gear, the right-shot center has been working out every weekday at BU as well as spending three days a week working on his shot with Glen Tucker (AKA Dr. Shot) at his Shoot to Score Academy. Alumni of the Waltham, Mass.-based program include Jack Eichel, Charlie Coyle, Noah Hanifin, Zdeno Chara, Jerome Iginla and John Taveres.

When Baillargeon played in the Frozen Four this past April, he became the second family member to skate in the NCAA tournament. His grandfather, Gil Baillargeon (middle row, third from the right), played three seasons for St. Lawrence, including the Saints’ 1951-52 squad that played in the NCAA finals in Colorado Springs, losing to eventual champion Michigan in the semifinal.


►More video from last weekend’s Comm Ave Charity Classic featuring sharp goaltending by former Terrier Anthony Moccia.


Looking back
Former Terrier Corey Trivino is headed across the pond to play with Admiral Vladivostock in the KHL. He skated for AHL Portland and ECHL Florida last season.

Women’s Team
Senior Sarah Lefort and sophomores Victoria Bach and Rebecca Leslie received invitations to Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp in Calgary beginning August 6.
● GoTerriers.com report
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