BC Eagles 2020-21 - in memory of Steve Gerrish

[eaglekeeper]

BC has two players from BG, goalie & forward and a forward from CC. Three very good additions. They need two actual defenseman that can clear the front of the net and get the puck out of the zone. I think they told Karrow and Lovell to move on to make room for two more transfers. The portal gives BC the chance to reload. I expect we will have 5 transfers this year.

It makes no sense to make kids delay their college career to play junior hockey. This unbelievably happens in D 3 hockey as well. One year of junior or prep hockey and you must be no older than 22 when your senior season starts. That should be the rule. No more 24 & 25 year olds. It’s become a very boring game to watch.

Go Eagles!

 

[J.D.]

With Hreschuk coming, they would have 7 d if those guys don't come back. I would think one transfer dman and not two.

 

[njmav1]

It makes no sense to make kids delay their college career to play junior hockey. This unbelievably happens in D 3 hockey as well. One year of junior or prep hockey and you must be no older than 22 when your senior season starts. That should be the rule. No more 24 & 25 year olds. It’s become a very boring game to watch.

Go Eagles!

I really get that you're still upset about your team losing. But you need to get over it. BC will continue to win games and play in the tournament more often than not.

 

[defkit]

Can someone tell me where BC ranked in terms of age when they won in 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012? It's an honest question and I don't know the answer or if we can figure out how to look it up retroactively but I'll be honest, it seems like EVERY YEAR BC is in the top 5 or 10 for youngest team, often right at the top it seems like. Am I wrong here? Or is the age gap between them and others just getting more significant?

I honestly think pointing to this ignores all the other problems that are more self-inflicted.

May have already been answered (catching up on older posts), but I would venture to guess that BU, BC, Michigan, Minnesota are among the youngest teams every year, simply because they recruit and land USNTDP kids every year. Let's face it, NOBODY else arrives to a D-1 school at age 17 or 18, other than the Ann Arbor (sorry, Plymouth) kids. Twenty-five years ago, HS kids could go straight to D-1. Then it was only Prep kids who might have one PG year, so they might be 19. Now, even the prep kids have to play at least one year in the USHL. So basically, you have USNTDP kids arriving at 17/18, everyone else is 20 or older. I don't love it, but that's how it works these days.

 

[DNAEagle]

This is the state of the college game today, I prefer the game from years ago, generally 4 year players, no or very few transfers, and kids you could watch grow and develop. I am guessing if coaches could answer honestly they would tell you they prefer the old game as well. Not sure how kids who play 4 years at one school go to a grad program at another school (for one year ) have much of a connection to the grad school. I certainly did not connect to my grad school as I did to my undergraduate school. I will still go to the games and root hard for BC, it is the best sports value in town, you can watch future NHLer's, tickets are 20 bucks, parking is free but complicated, ad now they serve beer. Hard to beat that as long as you see it for what it is, entertainment.

 

[Drew S.]

BC has two players from BG, goalie & forward and a forward from CC. Three very good additions. They need two actual defenseman that can clear the front of the net and get the puck out of the zone. I think they told Karrow and Lovell to move on to make room for two more transfers. The portal gives BC the chance to reload. I expect we will have 5 transfers this year.

It makes no sense to make kids delay their college career to play junior hockey. This unbelievably happens in D 3 hockey as well. One year of junior or prep hockey and you must be no older than 22 when your senior season starts. That should be the rule. No more 24 & 25 year olds. It’s become a very boring game to watch.

Go Eagles!

I’m really interested to see how this experiment goes. Has there ever been a good team with say half a dozen transfers? I don’t really see it being super successful but time will tell. Is it a little strange Jerry can’t find some decent freshmen to bring in?

 

[J.D.]

May have already been answered (catching up on older posts), but I would venture to guess that BU, BC, Michigan, Minnesota are among the youngest teams every year, simply because they recruit and land USNTDP kids every year. Let's face it, NOBODY else arrives to a D-1 school at age 17 or 18, other than the Ann Arbor (sorry, Plymouth) kids. Twenty-five years ago, HS kids could go straight to D-1. Then it was only Prep kids who might have one PG year, so they might be 19. Now, even the prep kids have to play at least one year in the USHL. So basically, you have USNTDP kids arriving at 17/18, everyone else is 20 or older. I don't love it, but that's how it works these days.

Imagine seeing a kid like Blake Bellefeuille go from Framingham High straight to BC and be a PPG player right off the bat. I am not well versed enough to know who really started bringing in older freshmen or if it just sorta happened organically over time which probably coincided with the rise of the USNTDP.

 

[J.D.]

I’m really interested to see how this experiment goes. Has there ever been a good team with say half a dozen transfers? I don’t really see it being super successful but time will tell. Is it a little strange Jerry can’t find some decent freshmen to bring in?

I doubt it will be 6. Probably 4 tops but we'll see. How is that any different than bringing in 4 freshmen? And he has brought in decent freshmen but where does it get you when they all leave after two years now? I *think* the class he brought in this year is a good class and they should be at least 3 year players. A different type class then Knight/Boldy/Newhook. Relying on freshmen to make up what you lost from those guys is a losing proposition these days. Just look at how experienced the FF teams are.

 

[Drew S.]

I doubt it will be 6. Probably 4 tops but we'll see. How is that any different than bringing in 4 freshmen? And he has brought in decent freshmen but where does it get you when they all leave after two years now? I *think* the class he brought in this year is a good class and they should be at least 3 year players. A different type class then Knight/Boldy/Newhook. Relying on freshmen to make up what you lost from those guys is a losing proposition these days. Just look at how experienced the FF teams are.

That sounds like a very defeatist attitude. Do you really think there are no good three/four year players anymore? Maybe Cavanaugh identified them a lot better than Jerry and the guys who followed can?

 

[J.D.]

BC will have good 3/4 year players next year...McLaughlin, McBain, Giles, Helleson, Warren, Carreau and St. Ivany if they all come back. That's a decent core of players. It's why last year was really BCs chance. A ton of seniors and the influx of young talent. But if you now have a chance to add quality, experienced players into the mix I don't see why you wouldn't do it.

 

[Cross Check]

It is very fortunate indeed that the transfer portal will likely save BC from a repeat of the 2016 "last one out turn out the lights" disaster. It still stinks to lose four sophomores in the span of a day or two. Really really hope Helleson doesn't end up following them out the door.

 

[Lemonade]

BC will be mid pack in Hockey East next season and not close to a National Title contending team. Ship sailed last year.

 

[J.D.]

It is very fortunate indeed that the transfer portal will likely save BC from a repeat of the 2016 "last one out turn out the lights" disaster. It still stinks to lose four sophomores in the span of a day or two. Really really hope Helleson doesn't end up following them out the door.

Yep, if nobody else jumps ship there's no reason they can't at least be an NCAA bubble team if not more with the additions of Dop and Kruse. Not like any of us have really seen these transfers play. Just basing it on what other people say. Cruikshank is still weighing his options. I think UND is making a run at him. If they don't land him I am sure they have a plan B. Despite what the resident BU troll thinks, when all is said and done I don't think BC will be mid pack in Hockey East.

 

[claver2010]

I guess we have to get use to this but it was nice to have the sophmores for a couple of years

It would have been nice to have Boldy, Knight, Hardman and Newhook one more year but who can now come in early now from the 2022 recruits ?

honestly the biggest difference between the 06 - 13 or so classes and the last couple of years.

even top draft picks with pro ready bodies (kreider, hayes, dumoulin, etc) stayed 3 years.

 

[J.D.]

Jeff Cox says BC is front runner for Matt Brown, UML forward. A lot of teams have been in on him. Played two years at UML, not sure what went wrong there with him and Bazin. Will be 22 at start of the season.

 

[Bomber]

honestly the biggest difference between the 06 - 13 or so classes and the last couple of years.

even top draft picks with pro ready bodies (kreider, hayes, dumoulin, etc) stayed 3 years.

Unfortunately, those days are over. It's one and done now for the top-end talent.

 

[J.D.]

And for those saying BC had gone away from their bread and butter of smaller forwards, Kruse and Brown both listed as 5'9"

 

[Lemonade]

Yep, if nobody else jumps ship there's no reason they can't at least be an NCAA bubble team if not more with the additions of Dop and Kruse. Not like any of us have really seen these transfers play. Just basing it on what other people say. Cruikshank is still weighing his options. I think UND is making a run at him. If they don't land him I am sure they have a plan B. Despite what the resident BU troll thinks, when all is said and done I don't think BC will be mid pack in Hockey East.

So you think BC will still be a top team despite losing Knight, Boldy, Newhook, Hardman...and replacing them with waiver wire transfer guys. I will have what you are having. BC was under .500 (1-2) without Knight this year alone...if they get a few transfers they better be real studs.

 

[J.D.]

Waiver wire? Lol. If you don't want to check into the caliber of transfer they are brining in, so be it. We all know what your agenda is here. You can define top team however you want, I said BC will not be middle of the pack in Hockey East.

Not sure what a miniscule sample of them being 1-2 with Wilder in net has to do with anything. They are bringing in a good transfer goalie, not a "waiver wire" goalie.

 

[defkit]

Imagine seeing a kid like Blake Bellefeuille go from Framingham High straight to BC and be a PPG player right off the bat. I am not well versed enough to know who really started bringing in older freshmen or if it just sorta happened organically over time which probably coincided with the rise of the USNTDP.

It's an interesting question. My recollection is that in the early years of the USNTDP, it wasn't as big a deal - I feel like Freddy Meyer was one of BU's first recruits out of that program, but I could be wrong. As the program grew in notoriety, I think it became a bigger focus for recruiting by the top programs, and Parochial schools and Prep schools became less of a focus. Meanwhile the USHL seemed to improve what it had to offer. I do think it is likely that the schools that struggled to compete in the late 90s and early 2000's did start looking to older kids as a way to make up for the talent gap.