by Jashvina Shah/Staff Writer (@icehockeystick)
This is a fascinating time for not just Hockey East, but all of college hockey. Players are more transient than ever, changing the recruiting game, and it’s likely CHL players will soon be allowed to play college hockey. So while there’s much to follow with college hockey as a whole, these are some storylines and players specific to Hockey East.
Things to Watch
How Far Can They Go?
Logically, Boston College is the frontrunner in Hockey East, and topped our preseason Top 10. The Eagles are also a solid preseason pick to make the Frozen Four. They were a good team last year and they are also returning a good portion of their roster.
That’s the key — the returners. Mostly because it gives the Eagles the experience needed to win a championship. Last year BC was good, but cracks showed in the playoffs, especially against older and more experienced teams. They ultimately got all the way to the national championship game, but the Eagles had a hard time getting out of their Regional, but that experience is invaluable. Among BC’s list of returning players are Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault and Jacob Fowler.
Of course BC lost big-time players in Will Smith and Cutter Gauthier, but everyone loses big-time players these days. The fact that BC kept three big ones as well, is huge.
An Uncertain Future
Most of Northeastern is a question mark: the team’s future home is still to be determined. This will be their last year playing at Matthews Arena (while it’s sad, the rink cannot be saved — it’s too dangerous and can’t be restored). The city has given Northeastern permission to play at Matthews this season, but no one yet knows what will come next. That’s not an ideal situation for anyone, and won’t help Northeastern regain consistency.
While Northeastern is in the middle of this dilemma, the men’s hockey team is in the middle of its own. The Huskies finished seventh in the league, but that’s because a slow start to the season doomed Northeastern. The Huskies weren’t bad, but they couldn’t win any close games in the first couple of months (they lost seven games in a row from October to November). But they were a very good team last season and should pose a bigger threat this year. And maybe they’ll also find out where they…
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