Boston College Men’s Hockey Recruiting Update

With some of our readers/followers/writers getting nervous about the lack of high draft picks for BC hockey in the 2016 and 2017 NHL drafts, we figured now would be a good time to check in on BC recruits. I’m sticking to recruits for the 2018-2020 draft classes because any farther out than that and things can change a lot. The Eagles have some of the top ranked NCAA draft classes over the next few years, so if we can just get through another rebuilding year things should be rosy again. There are a number of incoming recruits that should be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd rounds, meaning they have the talent but are unlikely to leave after a season. Previous mid to high round draft picks from BC include Tommy Cross (2nd), Brian Dumoulin (2nd), Johnny Gaudreau (4th), Brian Gionta (3rd), Jimmy Hayes (2nd), Ian McCoshen (2nd), Zach Sanford, (2nd), Steve Santini (2nd), and Miles Wood (4th)

So without further ado, here are the players currently set to join the Eagles over the next few seasons:

Matthew Boldy: Boldy should head to BC in 2019. A short, quick forward, he scored 25 points in 13 games for the Cape Cod Whalers U16 team this past year, 15 of which were goals. Boldy is heading to the USNTDP in the fall, which should get him more exposure and should get him onto scout’s radars. As a 5’9”, 160 lbs forward, expect that Boldy’s talent exceeds what is suggested by his draft projections (or lack thereof).

Jaques Bouquot: Bouquot is currently scheduled to join BC in 2018. Bouquot is a tall center who scored 29 points in 30 games for Salisbury this past year. Bouquot is the type of player that has raw talent but will benefit from the NCAA format and scheduling.

Patrick Giles: Giles is expected to join the Eagles in 2018. A 6’4” center from the USNTDP, Giles is currently expected to be a mid-round draft choice in 2018. Giles is the type of player that will benefit from the structure and hands on coaching style of the NCAA. He has a lot of talent, but needs a little bit of work to reach his full potential. He is a difficult player to defend against, so he should make a quick impact for BC and will just keep improving as he continues to develop his game.

Drew Helleson: Helleson could join the Eagles in 2019 or 2020. A solid two-way defensive player, he had 31 assists for Shattuck St. Mary's this past season. He is known for his strong puck handling. Helleson will join the USNTDP in the fall. He currently is not projected to be drafted.

Spencer Knight: Knight is a top goaltending prospect who should be one of the first goalies selected in the 2019 draft. He could join BC in 2019 or 2020, depending on whether or not Joe Woll stays for his senior season. Knight, who will join the USNTDP next season, had a 1.89 GAA and .935 save percentage for Avon Old Farms this past season.

Jack McBain: McBain, set to join BC in 2018, was drafted in the 1st round of the OHL draft, so he is a flight risk. The Canadian center is 6’3” and has stated his intent to go the college route, which is encouraging. He had 41 points in 42 regular season games and 12 points in 11 post-season games in the OJHL this past season. He should be a mid- to high-round draft pick in 2018.

Marc McLaughlin: McLaughlin is expected to join the team in 2018. He went undrafted in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and is known primarily for his toughness.

Patrick Moynihan: Moynihan is committed to join the Eagles in 2019. He scored 35 points in 27 games for Noble & Greenough this past season, and is currently projected to be a mid to high pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He will be joining the USNTDP in the fall, so don’t be surprised to see his draft stock rise.

Alex Newhook: Newhook should be joining the Eagles in 2019. He put up 74 regular season points in 33 games in the ETAMMHL this past year, and added 8 points in 7 post-season games. If he continues that prolific scoring in the BCHL, he could easily be a first round draft pick in 2019.

Adam Samuelsson: Samuelsson is a defender currently set to join BC in 2018. He is the brother of former Eagle Philip Samuelsson, and has a similar style of play. Samuelsson is strong defensive defenseman who uses his big frame and long reach to stop players from reaching the net. He’s also known for having great hockey sense. Samuelsson is currently projected to go somewhere between the 3rd and 5th rounds, but could easily go higher with a strong, injury-free 2017-18 season for the USNTDP.

Jason Siedem: Siedem is a quick playmaker from New Jersey that is short in stature but big in offensive output - sound familiar? He had 18 goals and 39 points in 17 games this season. He is the type of player that might get overlooked because of his size, but should thrive at BC. Siedem is currently set to join the Eagles in 2020.

Ryan Siedem: Siedem is expected to join his brother Jason at BC in 2020 and is a good sized defenseman. He is not expected to be drafted, but could serve the role of a Scott Savage for the Eagles, developing into a vital part of the defense over 4 years and earning and ATO upon graduation.

TJ Walsh: Walsh is a short, fast forward expected to join BC in 2018. Walsh had 24 points in 23 games at Cushing in 2015-16, and put up 16 points in the USHL this past season. Walsh is the type of skilled, small player that often goes lower in the draft than his talent suggests he should due to his size - BC has seen a lot of success for similar players (for example, Johnny Gaudreau was a 4th rounder and Cam Atkinson was a 6th rounder).

Danny Weight: Weight announced his intent to play at BC this past week, and would likely join the team for the 2020 season. The son of Doug Weight, this 6’0” forward will play for the USNTDP next year. Scouting reports suggest that Weight can be rather inconsistent, but is showing significant improvement as he ages. He scored an impressive 38 points for the P.A.L. Junior Islanders 16U in 2016-17, and if he can continue to improve with the USNTDP, he could catch the eye of some scouts.

Cam York: York is another player that probably has the skills to be a first rounder, but will likely go somewhere from the 2nd to 4th round due to his size. (He’s 5’10” and 155 lbs.) York, who is expected to join BC in 2019, will head to the USNTDP next year. York had 48 points in 54 games for Shattuck St. Mary's in 2016-17. Pretty much all scouting reports say that he is terrific at all aspects of the game, and his only downside is that he needs to bulk up a bit - which college should help with.

• It is unclear whether Joey Cassetti, Mitchell Martan, Jacob Tortora, Casey Carreau, and Chris Grando will be joining the team in 2017 or 2018 - sources differ. Cassetti is not a prolific scorer, but is a tough player that makes his presence known. He went undrafted this year. Martan is a small, quick forward that put up 17 points in 29 games in the OJHL this past season. Tortora is small, quick scorer that should make a big impact despite being undrafted. Grando has good hockey sense and scored 33 points in 60 games in the USHL this season. At the moment, he projects as a player that likely won’t be drafted but will get an ATO with an AHL team upon graduation. Carreau is a small player that has put up solid offensive numbers for Thayer and the Cape Cod Whalers.)
• Stephen Davis could join BC in 2020 or 2021. Davis is too young to be able to form much of an opinion on him, but he allegedly has the talent to develop into a top defensive prospect.