Monday, April 14, 2025

UPDATED: Frozen Four aftermath: disappointment, departures and NHL debuts


          Photo credit Annika Morris


After the merciful final buzzer, sophomore captain Shane Lachance was the first to hop over the boards, headed straight for the freshman goalie Mikhail Yegorov. He wrapped an arm around the 18-year-old Russian, who rested his helmet on the shoulder of his fellow New Jersey Devils prospect. It was probably the first time in the three months since he arrived at BU that the infectious Yegorov, who all weekend had giddily explained to a constant stream of adoring reporters that “goaltending is all about love,” couldn’t find something to smile about.
 
Senior goalie Mathieu Caron was next to console Yegorov. Caron was the one who sat motionless in his net at the Frozen Four last season after Denver ended BU’s run, and he was supposed to be the one who was mobbed after a national title on Saturday, until Yegorov parachuted onto Comm. Ave in January and immediately took his spot. Later, outside BU’s locker room as the Terriers were packing up, Caron would admit their relationship started off “competitive,” but said “once things kinda settled in, he’s probably the guy I spend most time with.”
 
“The amount of work that goes into a season of this length is something that no one understands,” Caron said.
 
“To come this far and lose,” he concluded, “is one of the worst feelings you’ll ever feel in hockey.”

The Athletic’s Frozen Four Takeaways summarized this year’s BU achievements and looked to the future:

Another season to build on for Jay Pandolfo
There has been a lot made of BU’s going to the Frozen Four in each of coach Jay Pandolfo’s three seasons behind their bench. After coming up two wins short in 2023 and 2024, the Terriers got a win closer this year. Pandolfo has also won a Beanpot title and a Hockey East championship in those three years.
 
They’re going to lose a good chunk of their nucleus to pro in the coming days, but they’ll have Eiserman, Hutson, Boumedienne, Yegorov and others back next year, their incoming freshman class is expected to include three of the top players at the NTDP (Jack Murtagh, Charlie Trethewey and Conrad Fondrk), they landed Blackhawks first-round pick Sacha Boisvert in the portal, fellow Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham will join him, and they should again be a top team in Hockey East next year. There could be more recruits from the 2025 class on the way as well.
 
In a separate piece, The Athletic traced how ‘uber talent’ Sascha Boumedienne progressed from a middling start to his college career to re-emerge as a top 2025 NHL Draft prospect.

 “We knew there was going to be growing pains for him, there was going to be no question about that. There is, for any freshman defenseman really, never mind a kid that is 17 years old in Hockey East. But we felt with his skating ability — and we knew we could get him stronger during the season — that he has the ability by the second half to, we thought, really help us,” Pandolfo said. “And it has played out that way.”


Polls

In the final USCHO Division 1 poll, BU finished second behind national champion Western Michigan. Denver is #3, BC #4, Penn State #5.  Terriers also are #2 in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll.   

Heading to the pros
In today’s college hockey with so many drafted players and free agents looking to take the next steps in their careers, departure decisions follow quickly after games end.
 
On Sunday, both Terrier co-captains, Ryan Greene and Shane Lachance, and assistant captain Quinn Hutson signed professional contracts.  
In three seasons as a Terrier, Greene rang up 105 points on 34 goals and 71 assists. 
 
Reporting on the signing, The Athletic points out:  
The Blackhawks drafted Greene, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound center, in the second round in 2022. They envisioned him as a reliable, two-way center who could play in a top-nine role. He’s been that throughout much of his college career, and the Blackhawks believe he might not need any development time in the AHL. They’re penciling him into next season’s lineup.  
Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo thought Greene’s development could lead to that, too. 
“He looks like a pro — his game overall, his details defensively,” Pandolfo said. “He can skate, coming through the neutral zone with speed, attacking with speed, better at protecting pucks. Just all the things that go into making you a good pro, he’s really developed in all those areas in the last three years.    

It is anticipated that Greene will be in the Blackhawks lineup tonight when they take on Lane Hutson and the Montreal Canadians.   


Lachance, originally a sixth-round Edmonton pick in 2021, had his rights acquired just before the trade deadline by the Devils, whose Director of U.S. Scouting is Shane’s father, Scott Lachance. The 6’5” wing compiled a 25-32-57 scoring line in 80 games as a Terrier.




The Edmonton Oilers have inked undrafted free-agent forward Quinn Hutson to a two-year entry-level contract beginning immediately, enabling him to burn a year off his deal. As a result, Hutson will be a restricted free agent (RFA) after the 2025-26 campaign.
 
TheHockeyWriters.com reported that:
The 23-year-old right-shot, right-winger was in his third season with Boston University, recording 56 goals and 114 points in 117 career games, including 23 goals and 50 points in 38 games this season. He’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, but he plays with pace, has a good shot, and is an excellent passer.
 
Hutson arrived in Edmonton and will make his NHL debut tonight against the Kings. In the video contained in the Oilers' press release, he talks about a flight scare getting to Edmonton and some advice received from brother Lane. 
 
It was widely believed that sophomore Tom Willander, a 2023 first-round draft pick of the Canucks, would be signing with Vancouver immediately after the Frozen Four, but that has yet to happen.    

►Three Terriers have entered the transfer portal: senior Jack Page, sophomore Doug Grimes and freshman Alexander Zetterberg. 

 

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