The Boston University men’s hockey season officially ended in Hartford last weekend in a loss to the University of Connecticut in the Hockey East quarterfinals. As the BU faithful have processed the stages of grief in the days since the heartbreaking loss, the makeup of next season’s roster has become a big question mark.
The Terriers currently have 14 risin seniors who all played a crucial role in the group’s successes this year. The class has some of BU’s top talent and NHL teams waiting for them to make that jump. But who will actually leave the nest of Agganis Arena?
While initially writing this article, I had Alex Vlasic written down on the watch list –– and then he signed his entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks an hour later. The six-foot-six junior defenseman will forgo his senior season with the Terriers and head back to the Windy City to start his professional career with a team that needs all the help they can get.
Chicago has held its place at 25th in the league, unable to find a stride or much motivation. After the golden years from 2010-2015, when the team won the Stanley Cup three times, the franchise has gone silent and is in need of a boost.
Vlasic is a classic stay-at-home defenseman whose size and strength make him a threat at the blue line. He’s not always the star of the game, but that’s because he bears down and does his job so well –– there’s not many flaws that stick out night in and night out.
The Blackhawks have a big defensive core that Vlasic will fit into nicely, but it’s also hard to break into the league with a team that’s faced as much adversity as Chicago has. Nonetheless, Vlasic will definitely be a positive piece to the puzzle –– and the $824,167 paycheck doesn’t hurt either.
Graduate student transfer Max Kaufman also inked a contract after his concluding run with BU as one of the group’s biggest leaders. Kaufman signed a one-year, two-part contract with the ECHL Trois-Rivières Lions of the Laval Rocket, an affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Kaufman will have the chance to prove himself and hopefully work his way up to the main show.
As an undrafted and relatively older player, this signing is huge for Kaufman and wildly deserved after his stint in Boston. He is a heart-and-soul forward who hustled with nothing but pride during his two years in Beantown.
Left on my list for guys that could be on their way out are Robert Mastrosimone, Jay O’Brien and Domenick Fensore. It’s been rumored they’ll return for their senior campaigns, which I think would make the most sense, but their impressive BU careers thus far could arguably lift them to a spot in the next level of the game.
The Detroit Red Wings picked up Mastrosimone in the second round of the 2019 draft, and since then he’s blossomed into a core leader on Comm Ave. This season alone he garnered 25 points (11g, 14a) and always pushed the play with his nose for the net.
Currently sitting in 24th place in the league, the Red Wings have had sparks of competitiveness throughout the season, but remain in the bottom chunk of the standings where they’ve been for the past six years.
A young, hungry and offensively productive player like Mastrosimone could help this Detroit squad. He’s not going to turn the organization around by any means, but there’s nothing like a rookie’s determination and awe for the sport in their first year to inspire the locker room and fanbase alike.
O’Brien’s Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a similar position. The team has not been able to do much positive this season as franchise names begin to age out and the group’s golden years are now in the rearview mirror. The Flyers have held the low 28th slot after finishing 6th in the 2019-2020 season.
O’Brien has consistently strung together standout performances this season after being out due to injury for a portion of the beginning of the year. He ended with 22 points (10g, 12a) and stepped up in big-moment games like the Feb. 7 Beanpot semifinals and the Feb. 10 matchup against Providence College.
He’s no doubt a personality on and off the ice and has some highlight reel goals that any team would want on their side. Philadelphia’s pride and production has plummeted the past two years with the firing of head coach Alain Vigneault in December — chemistry’s just not clicking for the Broad Street Bullies.
O’Brien would join BU men’s hockey alum Joel Farabee, who has made a name for himself in Philly since entering the league in 2019. He’s collected 23 points (11g, 12a) so far this season and is proof that a young guy –– and Terrier –– can find success in a black and orange jersey.
The Carolina Hurricanes, Fensore’s new team, have been strangers to the struggles the two other teams have faced. Carolina holds third place in the NHL and second in the Eastern Conference, proving themselves a force to be reckoned with the past three seasons.
The group has undeniable depth, grit and are simply having fun with the game while racking up points. Accordingly, they’re pretty happy with the state of their roster –– the back-end included.
Fensore, a Hobey Baker nominee and the team leader in points, is one of Hockey East’s best offensive defenseman with 31 points (5g, 26a) in his junior campaign. Despite his smaller size, he demands a strong presence all over the rink, pitching in all three zones. There’s not much to critique of his grind-it-out style of play.
However, he’s more needed on Comm. Ave than in Raleigh in the near future. Hopefully he recognizes the tremendous role he has and continues to play in the scarlet and white. He’ll make it to the bright lights eventually, but I don’t think it has to be next year.
College hockey, in all of its glory, has players go from school heroes to big stage pros in a matter of years — and that comes with the hurt of having to watch your favorite players take the next step in their careers. As a devout BU hockey fanatic, the last thing you want to see is any of the Terriers in different jerseys come October, but the dream is the big leagues.
