No. 4 Terriers Host UPEI in Exhibition Opener Saturday
October 1, 2016 | Men's Ice Hockey
| #13 Men's Ice Hockey vs. Prince Edward Island | |
|---|---|
| Date & Time | Saturday, Oct. 1 | 7 p.m. |
| Venue | Agganis Arena | Boston, Mass. |
| Listen | Listen on TSRN |
| Live Stats | GoTerriers.com |
| @BUGameDay | @TerrierHockey | |
BOSTON - The 2016-17 Boston University men's ice hockey team will make its first appearance of the season on Saturday (Oct. 1) when it hosts the University of Prince Edward Island at Agganis Arena for an exhibition contest. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
The Terriers will be facing the Panthers for the first time ever and are 16-1-1 all-time in exhibitions against Canadian universities, including wins in the past four.
Here's a team outlook for BU, which will take on the U.S. National Under-18 Team in an exhibition on Thursday (Oct. 6) before officially opening its season on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Colgate:
With the sting of a first-round exit in last year's NCAA tournament in the back of their minds, the Boston University Terriers and fourth-year head coach David Quinn are eager to get back on the ice and make a deep postseason run in 2016-17.
Despite graduating three of their of top four scorers this past spring, the Terriers bring back 13 of their top 20 point-getters along with one of the most highly touted freshman classes in recent history.
Five members of the Class of 2016 signed professional contracts after their four years at BU with three of them inking NHL entry-level deals. In that group was Danny O'Regan, who scored a team-best 44 points last season to finish his stellar career with 154 points, the most by any Terrier since Chris Drury.
The top five returning scorers are all from the sophomore class, as several members of last year's incoming group quickly adapted to college hockey to become contributors on both ends of the ice.
The freshman class brought in by Coach Quinn and his staff for this season has been regarded as potentially one of the best ever. The class boasts five picks from the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, three of whom were selected in the first 19 picks. Sophomore defenseman Charlie McAvoy was also selected in the first round of this year's draft, making the Terriers only the second collegiate team to ever have four players chosen in the first round of an NHL Draft.
Senior defenseman Doyle Somerby will captain the 2016-17 Terrier squad, taking the reins from two-year captain and fellow blueliner Matt Grzelcyk. He will be joined by junior forward Nikolas Olsson and sophomore forward Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, who each earned the right to don the 'A' on his jersey this season.
FORWARDS (9 returning, 6 lost, 6 new)
Forsbacka Karlsson, who is coming off a 30-point season in which he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, is the team's leading returning scorer. He will be counted on to elevate his impressive two-way game and quickly become a leader for the freshmen to look up to.
Classmate Jordan Greenway also put together a strong rookie year with 26 points on the strength of 21 assists and has shown all the signs of becoming a dominant player in year two.
Like Forsbacka Karlsson and Greenway, fellow sophomores Bobo Carpenter (12g, 4a) and Ryan Cloonan (4g, 10a) played every game last season, and will continue to be important contributors up front.
Olsson, whose season was cut short due to a shoulder injury last year, is ready to bring his physical style of play back to the lineup and be a key cog on whichever line he plays on.
Also in the mix at forward are seniors Nick Roberto (DNP in 15-16) and Tommy Kelley (1-2---—3 in 24 GP), junior Chase Phelps, who appeared in all but two games last season, and sophomore Oskar Andrén. Roberto put up 30 points (11g, 19a) during his first two seasons and is suddenly an important veteran for this unit. Andrén joined the team in January and he and Phelps each registered five points.
Joining BU's nine returning forwards will be six new additions to the offensive attack, two of whom were linemates with the U.S. NTDP and taken in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Clayton Keller (Arizona, seventh overall), a playmaker that also possesses the ability to finish, and Kieffer Bellows (N.Y. Islanders, 19th overall), a pure scorer who was one of only four players to ever record 50 goals in a season for the NTDP, should make immediate contributions.
They will be joined by Nashville fifth-round pick and Avon Old Farms standout Patrick Harper, as well as Gabe Chabot, Patrick Curry and Johnny McDermott, who will all have the opportunity to contribute to the Terriers' success in 2016-17.
DEFENSEMEN (6 returning, 2 lost, 2 new)
The Terriers' defensive corps should absolutely be a strength this season and be in the discussion as one of the best units in the country. After losing two blueliners from 2015-16, the rest of the group brings back plenty of experience and is bolstered by a pair of first-round draft picks.
After posting a career high 13 points and blocking a team-high 77 shots in 2015-16, Somerby will captain the group with high expectations. The 6-5 blueliner has made great improvements each season and is set on making his final season at BU his best.
Other upperclassmen joining Somerby are juniors Brandon Hickey, John MacLeod and Brien Diffley, who all have been important contributors since arriving in 2014. Hickey will look to rebound offensively after following up a 17-point freshman campaign with just eight points as a sophomore.
After making a statement as a freshman at BU (3g, team-high 22a, +10 rating), McAvoy was selected 14th overall by the Boston Bruins in this summer's NHL Entry Draft. Three picks later, incoming freshman Dante Fabbro was selected at No. 17 by Nashville. McAvoy is poised for an even better sophomore year and Fabbro will be a difference maker after being named the best defenseman in the BCHL last season.
Chad Krys, son of former BU captain Mark Krys, was selected by Chicago in the second round and his skating and puck-moving skills that were honed at the NTDP will be immediate assets for the Terriers.
Sophomore Shane Switzer will also stiffen the d-corps depth chart after appearing in six games as a rookie.
GOALTENDING (2 returning, 1 lost, 1 new)
Connor LaCouvee returns in net for the Terriers and will have an opportunity to take over the starting role. During a sophomore season in which he split time with senior Sean Maguire, LaCouvee posted an 8-4-4 record with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage.
He is expected to receive a strong push for the job from freshman Jake Oettinger, who excelled with the NTDP and is one of the top netminders eligible for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Also returning in between the pipes is sophomore Max Prawdzik, who served as the team's third goalie as a freshman.
