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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