Monday, June 30, 2025

UPDATED Sweden's Vass rounds out BU's D corps; Roster projections; Development camps begin; Fabbro re-ups with Columbus; Coyle traded

 Malte Vass – 2025 NHL Draft Prospect ...                    Photo courtesy of Dan Hickling/Hickling Images.   

As noted in Saturday's post, BU Men's Hockey reposted the Columbus Blue Jackets' post announcing their selection of defenseman Malte Vasse in the third round—#76 overall—of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. We'll now consider his long-rumored commitment to BU to be official and provide some background on the very physical and defensive-minded blueliner.

Vasse, a native of Karstad, Sweden, is a left shot who measured 6'2.5", 195 lbs., at the NHL Combine earlier in June. He is one of five BU D-men—current and future—who were at the Combine and were drafted. 

Playing for Färjestad BK J20, Vass had a 2-9-11 scoring line in 40 games with 53 penalty minutes. He also represented Sweden in international play skating in the Hlinka-Gretzky Tournament, the World Junior A Tournament and the World U18.

Dobber Prospects writes, "Malte Vass is a big, mobile defenseman that flashes the ability to start rushes with his feet. A nasty defender, Vass loves to take his opponents hard into the wall whenever he has the opportunity to, almost to a fault." 

McKeen's Hockey's Felix Robbins says, "I love Vass as a long-term project. Big, mean, and strong. Eager to punish puck carriers skating down his side of the ice. Decent defensive reads that will only get better with reps. Beautiful, long skating strides. Even though his straight-line speed and acceleration need work, he’s got a lot of headroom for growth."

In May, TheHockeyWriters.com wrote: 

 Vass is an extremely reliable and capable of killing plays very effectively. Although he’s not the quickest skater and can improve his speed, he’s very mobile for his 6-foot-2, 183-pound frame. He closes gaps and defends the rush very well, keeping attackers to the outside and displaying an active stick in order to disrupt plays. He’s smart and precise with his timing and with his wingspan is able to knock pucks off sticks and keep players at bay easily. He can get into lanes to sacrifice the body and shows a constant strong and aggressive mindset every time he’s on the ice.

    

With this commitment and the draft results, the Terriers' will have seven drafted defensemen on the 2025-26 roster, as well as four freshmen—Vass, second-round draft picks Carter Amico (#38 Flyers) and Charlie Trethewey (#50 Devils) and Kyle Kim, a 20-year-old right-shot from the NAHL NJ Titans. 
 
The rookies join returnees Cole Hutson, Gavin McCarthy, Sascha Boumedienne and Aiden Celebrini. 


● NHL.com/Bluejackets Instant Analysis: Malte Vass

●TheHockeyWriters.com Draft Profile

BU, with seven players drafted, was second only to Michigan with eight. A total of 76 current or committed NCAA players were selected in the two-day draft. Nineteen of the 76 are from Hockey East schools.

Four Season Roster Projections 

Our friend BurntBoats has updated his roster projections following the draft and recent new commitments. In his post, he wrote:

In totality, it is hard to argue against the past two drafts being the best consecutive drafts in program history. BU may do something previously thought impossible: have 20 draft picks on one roster. Only possible at the place everyone wants to go to develop. 

While it's possible there could be some further tinkering,  here's who will skate out in Scarlet and White next season and beyond. 


 

Development Camps Begin 

In an interview with Devils media, Big Mike oozes a big personalty to go along with his talent. 

If there is one distinguishable trait of Devils goaltending prospect Mikhail Yegorov, it’s his smile.

Whether it’s hiding under his mask on the ice or fully exposed in the locker room, Yegorov sports an ear-to-ear wide grin that rarely leaves his face. He brought his infectious smile, which he said he inherited from his mother, to Newark this week for the Devils’ annual Development Camp.

Yegorov is joined at Devils' camp by Conrad Fondrk and Shane Lachance, whom The Hockey Writers' Daniel Amoias posted is "an early standout."  In addition, BU Women's Head Coach Tara Watchorn is in camp as a guest instructor.

The Bruins' development camp roster includes incoming freshman Jonathan Morrello and former Terrier Ty Gallagher. 

Vass is rostered for the Jets' camp which begins Wednesday. 

Trethewey will be at Penguins' camp which begins Thursday. 

Looking back

2018-19 co-captain Dante Fabbro has signed a four-year, $16.5 million contract extension ($4.125 million AAV) through the 2028-29 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After being acquired from Nashville, who had drafted him in the first round of the 2016 draft, Fabbro set new career marks for goals (9) , points (26) and plus/minus (+20).

“Dante was a great addition to our team last season and keeping him in Columbus was a priority,” said GM Don Waddell. “He is a smart, versatile defenseman who moves the puck very well and can play in all situations."  

Forward Jack Hughes, a second-round pick by the Kings in 2022, has signed an entry-level contract with Los Angeles following a strong second semester and playing a key role in BU's post-season drive to the national championship game. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the Toledo Regional.

Hughes produced 25 points in 40 games last season and had 19 points as a junior after transferring from Northeastern.

Charlie Coyle, whom the Bruins traded to Colorado at the trade deadline, is on the move again. He's been dealt to Columbus, along with former Eagle Miles Wood, for draft picks.

● NHL.com Coyle, Wood traded to Blue Jackets by Avalanche 

Women's Team

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Saturday, June 28, 2025

UPDATED: Boumedienne goes to Winnipeg in first round; 4 recruits picked in 2nd round; Women's team adds assistant

 

DRAFT UPDATE

Four Terriers selected in the second round, three among the first eight picks. San Jose grabs Simon Haoxi Wang with the first pick of the day (#33), followed by the Flyers selecting both Carter Amico (#38) and Jack Murtagh (#40). Then the Devils selected Conrad Fondrk at #50.

In the third round, a pair of defensemen heard their names called. Pittsburgh selected NTDP RD Charlie Trethewey at #73 and Columbus snared Swedish RD Malte Vass at #76.

We've been holding off on calling Vass a confirmed recruit, but since BU Men's Hockey reposted this Tweet, we'll add Vass to the recruits list in the sidebar.  A separate blogpost about Vasse will be posted tomorrow evening (or sooner). 

It's been another strong draft for the Terriers with a total of seven skaters selected--five defensemen and two forwards--in the first 76 picks. Five will be freshmen, including blueliners Amico, Trethewey and Vass, giving BU seven drafted defensemen on the roster.

● Blades of Teal Sharks Make Wang the highest drafted Chinese player in NHL history

●Broad Street Hockey Carter Amico is a toolsy and injury-riddle defenseman 

●Broad Street Hockey Flyers select Jack Murtagh with 40th overall pick

●NHL.com/Devils Fondrk Ready for What Comes Next

●NHL.com/Bluejackets Instant Analysis: Vass is a physical, aggressive defender


Rising sophomore Sascha Boumediennce, following a strong second half of his freshman season and a record-setting performance at the World U18s, was selected by the Winnipeg Jets with the 28th pick of the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.

No NTDP U18s were selected in the first round, but BU's four U18 recruits Jack Murtagh, Carter Amico, Charlie Trethewey and Conrad Fondrk will look to hear their names called when drafting resumes today at Noon ET. 2026 recruit Simon Haoxi Wang and 2025 (likely but so far unofficial) recruit Malte Vass, a Swedish defenseman, also should be picked in the early rounds today.

CHECK BACK DURING THE DAY FOR DRAFT UPDATES

 Boumedienne is the 27th Terrier to be selected in opening round and the 17th during the past decade. 

Boumedienne, whose father, Josef Boumedienne, played for Columbus Blue Jackets and in Europe, is the second Terrier to be drafted by Winnipeg.  Keith Tkackuk, father of current NHLers Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk, was the Jets first-round pick in 1990. Sascha will head to Winnipeg's development camp on Monday.

 “It was [Sascha's] development over the course of the year that really intrigued us. Obviously getting him at 28 was an exciting thing for us,” said Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.

● GoTerriers.com Boumedienne Selected 28th Overall by Winnipeg Jets

● NHL.com Boumedienne ready for next step in development

●NHL.com Behind the scenes of Boumedienne's draft day

Women's Team

Head Coach Tara Watchorn announced of the addition of Megan Quinn as an assistant coach on her staff. Quinn, whose focus will be on defense, spent  the past three seasons as an assistant at Syracuse, her alma mater. 

● GoTerriers.com Quinn Joins Women's Ice Hockey Staff

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Tuesday, June 24, 2025

UPDATED Schedules announced; Draft Day approaches; Parker elected to HHFame; Warsofsky named SC Stingrays' head coach

The Terriers' 2025-26 schedule will feature 19 home dates, ten out-of-conference games (seven during first semester) and a pair of exhibition contests. October will see a season-opener--and first-ever meeting--with LIU. The next two weeks will bring two-game, home series with Colgate and Big Ten champion Michigan State.

In November, BU travels to Quinnipiac on the 15th and then to Madison Square Garden on the 29th for the 10th edition of Red Hot Hockey against Cornell. 

Second semester OOC games are a Jan. 12 game at Harvard and the Beanpot Tournament with the Terriers facing Northeastern in the Feb. 2 opening round.

The two exhibitions are Oct. 5, hosting RPI, and Jan. 3, hosting Simon Fraser. Incidentally RPI's roster includes Jack Gorton who transferred after two seasons at BU.

● GoTerriers.com Men's Ice Hockey Announces 2025-26 Schedule

►BU also announced that a program-record 19 players from the 2024-25 national finalist squad were named to the Hockey East All-Academic

►We're just three days away from the NHL Entry Draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The first round will held Friday at 7 p.m. ET with ESPN and ESPN+ carrying the proceedings. The second through seventh rounds are Saturday, carried on NHL Network beginning at Noon ET.

One current Terrier--Sascha Boumedienne--and six future Terriers--Jack Murtagh, Carter Amico, Charlie Trethewey, Simon Haoxi Wang, Conrad Fondrk and Malte Vass*--are expected to hear their names called over the two days. 

*Vass has been reported to be headed to BU next season, however there has been no official announcement. Chris Heisenberg's recruiting page has Vass in the BU column, but Elite Prospects has not thus far.


Boumedienne is projected as a first-round pick by numerous hockey recruiting journalists, largely due to his strong showing during second semester and at the World U18s where he set a record for points by a defenseman. 

The Athletic (subscription) opines: Could Sascha Boumedienne, with strong Columbus ties, be a draft fit for Blue Jackets?

He’s only 18 years old, but Sascha Boumedienne already has the passport of a diplomat. He’s lived in six countries, including his native Sweden, and traveled to several others. He’s lived in three different U.S. cities and speaks two languages fluently.

Boumedienne, who spent three years in Columbus and whose father, Josef, worked for the Columbus Blue Jackets for more than a decade, will learn of his next destination this weekend when the NHL Draft is staged in Los Angeles.

Boumedienne, the latest product of the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program, is expected to be drafted in the back half of the first round, likely somewhere in the 20s. He’s the type of mobile, skilled defenseman that NHL clubs are looking for, and his speed belies his size. He’s 6-foot-2, 183 pounds, and growing.

“With the way my game grew this year (at Boston University), both defensively and all-around, I see myself being a 200-foot player, a two-way defenseman who can make an impact all over the ice,” Boumedienne said. “I want to log a lot of minutes for my team and compete all over the ice. I play the game the right way.”

● NHL.com Boumedienne has 'got a really big upside' entering 2025 NHL Draft

►2026 recruit Wang, a 6'6" 222 lb., left-shot defenseman has been termed a "unicorn" because of his exceptional skating ability for a player his size and because he came to Canada from China at 12 years old and rapidly progressed to become a bonafide prospect. Wang began the season with King Rebellion in the OJHL before moving up to OHL Oshawa. He'll play a second season with the Generals to prepare for the challenge of NCAA Hockey.

"Simon is an interesting prospect," Central Scouting's Nick Smith said. "His skating, footwork, edges are remarkable for a player his size. He’s a late bloomer who really hasn’t played a lot of hockey so there was definitely an adjustment period entering the OHL. Oshawa has a really deep [defense] corps as well so he may have played more or a different role on another team. His minutes were limited but I give him a ton of credit, he’s really learning how to defend and manage his risk/reward game. He played physical in their playoff run and moved pucks and made good first passes."

● NHL.com Wang could be historic selection at NHL Draft 

● Associated Press Wang's Journey from Beijing to Canada sets him to become 3rd Chinese-born played picked in NHL Draft.

►The Athletic's pre-draft coverage includes asking some top draft eligibles which player they'd like to see drafted along with him. BC recruit and U18 teammate Will Moore offered a very enthusiastic endorsement of Fondrk. (FWIW, Fondrk picked Moore).
Will Moore: Conrad Fondrk. I think he’s the most talented hockey player I’ve ever seen and the injury that has held him back and was super disappointing when it happened, I had great chemistry with him on my line at the time and unfortunately he hasn’t been able to prove himself but I think the world of that kid and I think people are soon going to find out how good he really is.

►From McKeen's Sleepers for the Draft:

Malte Vass - D - FARJESTADS (SWE J20) - MCKEEN'S RANK - #142

I love Vass as a long-term project. Big, mean, and strong. Eager to punish puck carriers skating down his side of the ice. Decent defensive reads that will only get better with reps. Beautiful, long skating strides. Even though his straight-line speed and acceleration need work, he’s got a lot of headroom for growth. He won’t give you much, if any, value offensively, but that’s not what you’re drafting him for. You’re drafting him so he can slot into your bottom four in five years and make your opponents' lives miserable, especially come playoff time. Well worth the gamble in the mid rounds, if you ask me. - Felix Robbins 

In TSN's Bob McKenzie's final draft rankings: Boumedienne is #23, Murtagh #33, Wang #42, Amico #51, Fondrk #60, Trethewey #62 and Vass #68.

Looking back

Legendary Terrier head coach Jack Parker, who led BU to 897 victories, three national championships, 21 Beanpot titles, 22 conference titles (Hockey East & ECAC) and a record 24 NCAA tournament appearances during 40 seasons behind the bench, has been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He's a member of the Hall's 2025 class along with Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith, among others. 

Parker, who was an assistant to Jack Kelley on BU's 1971 and 1972 national champs and previously was a Terrier captain, was elected to the Builders Category of the Hall in Toronto, where his formal induction will take place on November 10. A three-time winner of the Spencer Penrose Award as the top coach in Division 1, Parker is the first Terrier elected to the Hall of Fame.

ESPN's John Buccigross tweeted: "Wow. Congrats Jack Parker. What a deserved honor. No one has a better player/coaching/executive tree. And what a speech he'll give."

●GoTerriers.com Parker Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame

● Sports Illustrated 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class announced   

●Boston Herald Chara, Parker called to Hockey Hall of Fame


►Parker's grandson, Shane Lachance, who co-captained BU's national finalist squad last season, signed an entry level contract with New Jersey days after the Terrier season ended. His rights had been acquired by the Devils from Edmonton, who had drafted the 6'5" left wing in 2021. Does Lachance have a chance to make the jump to the NHL? TheHockeyWriters.com makes the case.

At the time of the deal, LaChance was the captain of Boston University (BU). After BU got eliminated in the championship game, he went on to sign his entry-level contract with the Devils, which ends following the 2026-27 season.

It’s not super common for a player as young as LaChance to crack an NHL lineup, especially when they were a fifth-round pick like him. His college numbers were solid, but nothing earth shattering: he had 12 goals and 30 points in 40 games for BU in 2024-25.

However, it’s how he creates offense that makes him so enticing. He’s a menace in and around the crease, using every bit of his 6-foot-5, 218-pound frame to generate chances. The reality is that he probably won’t ever be more than a bottom-sixer, but he has all the tools to be an effective one.

● TheHockeyWriters.com Devils Should Give Shane LaChance a Long Look at Training Camp  

Former Terrier and NHL blueliner David Warsofsky has been named head coach and director of hockey operations for the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays. An assistant with the Rays last season, Warsofsky retired as a player in 2023 after a 14-year pro career that included 55 NHL games (Boston, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Colorado), 476 AHL games and three seasons in Europe.


As a Terrier he produced 68 points in three seasons and was a member of the 2009 national champions. He has represented the United States in the World U18s (2008), the World Junior Championships (2010) and the 2022 Winter Olympics.

David is the younger brother of San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky, who was the Stingrays' head coach earlier in his career.

● stingrayshockey.com South Carolina Stingrays name David Warsofsky Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations.

Former Terrier Trevor Zegras gets a fresh start in Philadelphia after two injury-plagued seasons in Anaheim. He was the ninth overall pick in the 2019 Entry Draft and was runner-up for the Calder Trophy after ringing up a 23-38-61 rookie season. Zegras has 186 points in his four pro seasons. 

In his one season in Scarlet, Zegras had an 11-25-36 line and earned Hockey East All-Rookie honors. He represented Team USA in the 2020 and 2021 World Junior Championships, earning Top 3 player honors for his team both years and winning a gold medal in 2021.

● NHL.com Zegras traded to Flyers by Ducks for Pohling, draft picks 

Women's Team  

The defending Hockey East champion Terriers have revealed their 2025-26 schedule with 33 contests, including 24 conference games and a trip to Belfast for the Friendship Series. The season kicks off on Sept. 24 with an exhibition game against Concordia. Then BU will host Minnesota for a two-game series, followed by a pair of road games at Colgate and a home contest with Brown--all before beginning conference play on Oct. 24 at home against New Hampshire.

The second half of the season begins with BU competing against Harvard, Quinnipiac and Minnesota-Duluth for the Belpot Trophy at the Friendship Series in Belfast, Jan. 2-3. On January 3rd, the Terriers face Northeastern in the Women's Beanpot with BU hosting this year's tournament at Walter Brown Arena.

BU also announced that 19 members of last season's squad had been named to Hockey East's All-Academic Team.

● GoTerriers.com Terriers Announce 2025-26 schedule

● GoTerriers.com Shanahan chosen 28th, Giaquinto taken 44th at PWHL Draft

►PWHL  Marie-Philip Poulin is our 2025 Forward of the Year and our Billie Jean King MVP

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