Hello folks!
I had some free time, so I'd thought I'd put an outlook for the 2014-15 Providence College Friars:
Who is leaving?
(1) Derek Army - F - GRADUATION
(2) Kevin Hart - D - GRADUATION
(3) Mark Adams - D - GRADUATION
(4) Steven Shamanski - D - GRADUATION
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...And what they bring with them:
Derek Army (8 G, 10 A, +5)
Kevin Hart (3 G, 6 A, +2)
Mark Adams (1 G, 0 A, +5)
Steven Shamanski (6 G, 10 A, +10)
The departing players will take 18 (out of 115 GFs, 15.6%) total goals from a team, that quite frankly, struggled to score consistently throughout the season. The Friars were 6th as a team in GF in the Hockey East (50 GF) -- they were situated behind: Boston College (75), New Hampshire (64), Maine (59), UMass Lowell (54), and Northeastern (52). They were also 6th in HE in GAs, behind BC (40), ND (40), UML (43), Vermont (48), and Maine (48). Despite finishing 6th both in Goals For, and Goals Against, they were able to secure a 3rd place regular season finish. The Hockey East season formally ended for Providence with a semifinal 3-1 loss to UNH at the TD Garden in the Hockey East Tournament Semifinals.
The Friars were selected to the Men's NCAA Division 1 Tournament for Hockey and were placed in the East regional bracket (Bridgeport, CT) with fellow HE member Vermont, eventual national champion Union College, and Quinnipiac University. As a result of the committee's seeding, Providence drew Quinnipiac and Union faced Vermont. This was the men's program first at-large tournament selection since 2001 and their 10th overall selection in the tournament. More importantly, it was the Friars first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 1991, which was a win over Minnesota.
The Friars defeated Quinnipiac 4-0, and advanced to the East Regional Final, where they fell to eventual National Champion, Union College, 3-1.
Who is returning?
The big key for Providence will be to put the puck in the net on a consistent basis.
Leading team goalscorer, and recently announced captain for the upcoming season, Ross Mauermann will lead the Friars' offense after a stellar junior season that resulted in him being awarded the team's MVP award after posting: 19 goals, 17 assists, and a sterling +20 rating.
The following players will be expected to take steps forward, especially with their goal scoring, if the Friars expect to remain at the top of the Hockey East: Mark Jankowski (13 G, 12 A, +15), Nick Saracino (10 G, 18 A, +5), Shane Luke (10 G, 10 A, +12), and other recently announced captain, Noel Acciari (11 G, 11 A, +3). Transfer from Union College, Trevor Mingoia, showed a nose for the puck after notching 5 goals, 10 assists, and plus-2 rating in 25 games this past year. Personally, I'm expecting Brandon Tanev, arguably the fastest skater on the team, to improve on last year's totals of 6 G, 9 A, and +7 rating. In contract to his freshman year, Tanev posted 4 G, 7 A, and a plus-6 rating.
Given that almost 85% of the team's scoring returns for the following season, there is reason for optimism that the Friars can increase their goal output for the upcoming year. Aside from Mauermann, there remains a concern that no bona fide goal scorer exists on this roster.
The Friars welcome the following additions as part of the class of 2018:
- Alex Cromwell (McKinney, Texas) - F - 6'2", 207 lbs
- Logan Day (Seminole, Fla.) - D - 6'1", 200 lbs
- Robbie Hennessey (Garnet Valley, Pa.) - F - 5'10", 185 lbs
- Brian Pinho (North Andover, Mass.) - F - 6'0", 171 lbs - Drafted by NHL (WSH) - 6th round; 174th overall
- Jake Walman (Toronto, Ontario) - D - 6'1", 175 lbs - Draft eligible - #60 in TSN's best NHL prospects
Brian Pinho is certainly expected to help with the goal scoring for this Friars' team after having a great second half in the USHL. Jake Walman is draft eligible and has been over different analysts boards in the 45-65 range, as a potential selection (mid to late 2nd round).
The goaltending will continue to be the 'Jon Gillies Show' as the rising junior will return to the Friars after mulling about a decision to go pro.
NOTE: Gillies is a 3rd round selection (75th overall) of the Calgary Flames.
Fans may expect to see Nick Ellis (G) potentially get some audition time after going 3-2-1 between the pipes last year.
2014-15 Projections:
This is one of the most talented, experienced teams that the Friars have put together in a long time. The Friars lose 4 players to graduation, but welcome talented additions up front and on the blue line. Jon Gillies’ decision to return for his junior year certainly provides a shot in the arm for a team looking to take their game to the next level, and into national prominence. Based on the publication, the Friars ended last year being nationally ranked 9/10.
Re: Gillies, Friar fans hope to see the player that was named to the 1st Hockey East team as a freshman, while receiving national accolades as well (2nd team All American; 17th in PC history). I would expect the Friars to finish top 2 in the league, and a Hockey East title (regular season and tournament title) should be considered within striking distance this year. The Friars hope to legitimize the program's strides made last year and advance to the 2015 Frozen Four, which will be held in Boston, MA.
Fellow Hockey East competitors Boston College (regular season champions) and UMass Lowell (Hockey East Tournament Champions) both saw major defections after the conclusion of 2013-14 season.
For BC, they lose the über talented line of Bill Arnold (Graduation/NHL), Johnny Gaudreau (NHL), and Kevin Hayes (Graduation/NHL), along with fellow senior Patrick Brown (Graduation/Signed Pro Contract). These four players represent a 57%(!) of the Eagles’ total goal scoring output for the 2013-14 season. The Arnold-Gaudreau-Hayes line was single-handedly responsible for 47% of the team's goals (78 goals). However, one thing I’ve learned being a PC fan, is that you can never count out BC-- they bring in four VERY talented players in Sonny Milano (F), Alex Tuch (F), Noah Hanifin (D), and Zach Sanford (F), and while next year's team may not be as good-- they will certainly contend.
Similar to PC’s situation with Jon Gillies, BC received encouraging news when the school announced that rising junior Michael Matheson, BC’s standout defenseman, will return to the Eagles and serve as the captain for the upcoming year.
UMass Lowell saw their extremely talented netminder and team MVP, Conor Hellebuyck take his talents to the Winnipeg Jets by signing a 3-year pro contract. The other goalie for UML that saw action, senior Doug Carr, graduated (.936 SV; 8-2-2) -- leaving a void in net for the River Hawks. The only goalie remaining from their 2013-14 roster is rising senior Brian Robbins, who did not see action last year. The River Hawks welcome UMass Amherst Transfer, Kevin Boyle (.896 SV%; 2.26 GAA), who sat out the past year due to his transfer from UMass Amherst after being cut by HC John Micheletto.
Boston University and Northeastern are both expected to contend in the Hockey East.
