Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Standout Swedish defenseman commits to BU; Terriers and Eagles at the top; Goalie honors for Matses

 

Three days after securing a commitment from NTDP U17 defenseman Carter Amico, Terriers have hit blueline gold again, gaining a verbal from Swedish defenseman Sascha Boumedienne. The 6’1” left-shot from Stockholm, who will turn 17 in January, is in his first USHL season, skating for Youngstown, where he has a goal and 12 assists in 13 games, along with a +6. Earlier this season, he represented Sweden in the World U17 Challenge, posting for points in seven games and helping his team win a bronze medal.

►  Video of first USHL goal: at 1:14.

He was tendered by the Phantoms last December when he was putting up strong numbers—eventually 11-31-42 in 49 games-- for the Ohio Blue Jackets 16 AAA.

At the time, Phantoms co-general manager Ryan Kosecki said, "Sascha is an elite hockey player, who is the total package. He can skate, defend, make plays, and has a bomb of a shot. He currently leads his U16 team in scoring as an '07 (birth year) defenseman. His best quality however is that he is a great human being.”

In 2021-22, he had 18 points for the Blue Jackets and also participated in the World Selects Invitational 15U.

While a Swedish national, Sash was born is Oulu, Finland. His father Josef Boumedienne was a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1996 and played 342 professional games in North America between the AHL and NHL over six seasons. Josef is currently a coach in the Ohio Blue Jackets organization and the Director of Professional Scouting for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sascha's younger brother Wilson is a 2010 birth-year forward who also plays in the Ohio Blue Jackets organization.

Following September’s USHL Fall Classic tournament, FloHockey.tv wrote:

There have been little whispers about Boumedienne’s potential around junior hockey circles, but you never really know until the games start just how well a 16-year-old is going to handle the pace of the USHL. Over his first two games, Boumedienne was one of the best players on the ice, playing with poise and almost never putting a puck in a bad spot. His decisions were mature and his skating was very smooth. He scored a goal in his first USHL game on an absolute rocket of a one-timer. I don’t know that I saw a harder shot taken at any point in the Fall Classic. The Swedish import is looking like another big-time youngster for the USHL as a rookie.

In November, The Athletic’s Cory Pronman ranked Boumedienne at #12 for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Boumedienne has been excellent in the USHL as a 16-year-old hovering around a point/game. He has legit offense and puck-moving ability, but it’s his skating that gets you the most excited about his potential. Boumedienne is a powerful, fluid skater with feet that project as an NHL asset and will allow him to be a strong pro defenseman.

In the same ranking, Pronman has three other BU commits in his top 21: #10 RD Charlie Trethewey (NTDP U17); #15 LW Conrad Fondrk (NTDP U17); and #20 RD Amico (NTDP U17).

Sascha isn’t the only tendered Youngstown rookie headed to Comm. Ave. in 2025. Canadian 5-star forward Zachary Morin was tendered by the Phantoms last January. Morin skated for Canada in the World U17 Challenge.The two first-year USHL players are joined on Youngstown by 2024 recruit Brandon Svoboda, who helped the Phantoms win the Clark Cup title last season.

● TheRinkLive  Top USHL Rookies (both Boumedienne and Morin)

● Elite Prospects Page

Congratulations to Jay Pandolfo and master recruiter Joe Pereira for this latest addition to a 2025 class full of blue chip prospects. But also want to give a shout-out to Terrier fan Dave McPherson whose persistence encouraged Joe to be relentless in his pursuit of Boumediene.

Poll Story

Terriers remain at #2 in the USCHO Weekly Poll, right behind BC, with whom BU was tied for second a week ago. The Eagles received 34 first-place votes to eight for BU. Rounding out the top five: #3 Quinnipiac, #4 North Dakota and #5 Denver.

The USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll shows the same top five. Both polls also have four other Hockey East teams in the top 16: Maine, UMass, Providence and New Hampshire.

John Buccigross’ ranking has the Terriers at #4, while Everything College Hockey has BU #2 behind BC, followed by Michigan State, Wisconsin and North Dakota.

The latest Pairwise Ratings have BU at #2, behind Quinnipiac and ahead of #3 Maine, #4 BC and #5 North Dakota. College Hockey News’ Power Ratings (based on KRACH) has Maine at #1, BU #2, Quinnipiac #3, BC #4 and #5 Wisconsin. It also show the Terriers at #1 for Strength of Schedule.

►USCHO’s This Week in Hockey East looks at the unprecedented 1-2 ranking for BC and BU in the USCHO poll as well as the long schedule layoffs both schools are facing, with comments from Coach Jay Pandolfo.

World Junior Championships

                                            

The IIHF WJCs begin on Dec. 26 in Gothenburg, Sweden with three Terriers representing their home countries: Lane Hutson, USA; Macklin Celebrini, Canada; and Tom Willander, Sweden.  Here's a peek at Canada's camp:

● Team USA WJC home page and schedule

● Hockey Canada WJC page

● NHL.com Celebrini among NCAA stars to watch at 2024 World Juniors

 

Looking ahead

Brandon Svoboda’s short-handed goal got Team USA off to a fast start en route to a 7-4 win against Sweden at the World Junior A Challenge in Nova Scotia. The US is 2-0 and next plays Canada West on Thursday.

2024 recruit Cole Eiserman has posted his latest Draft Diary entry for NHL.com. The Newburyport, Mass., native leads the NTDP U18s with a 27-18-45 scoring line in 23 games.

2024 recruit Jack Pridham and 2025 recruit Cal Hughes have been selected to play in the BCHL’s Top Prospects game in Penticton on January 19. Pridham, a right wing who received a B rating on Central Scouting’s Players to Watch list, has a 9-11-20 scoring line. Hughes,  a center who received a C rating, has a 11-3-14 line.

●WestKelownaWarriors.ca report

Last night, Hughes scored his 11th goal, set up by linemate Pridham, in the Warriors' 4-3 shootout win against Salmon Arm.

 

2024 recruit Cole Hutson assisted on a short-handed goal and a power-play tally at the NTDP U18s defeated Chicago, 8-5. Kamil Bednarik also had a helper for Team USA. Hutson, who a the single-season points record for an NTDP defenseman last season with 68 points, now has a 6-17-23 scoring line in 25 games.

2025 recruit Trethewey scored a goal and assisted on two others to lead the NTDP U17s to a 5-3 win over Kölner EC U20 in Cologne, Germany. Fondrk assisted on Trethewey's tally while classmates Jack Murtagh and Amico also recorded helpers. Defenseman Trethewey leads the U17s in scoring with a 7-17-24 line in 23 games.    

Women’s Team  

Alexa Matses Overhead at Walter Brown Arena

 A 21-save effort in BU’s 5-1 win against Providence has earned grad student Alexa Matses Hockey East’s Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Week award. A transfer from Northeastern, Matses has a 2.45 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 12 appearances.

● GoTerriers.com report

 

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