BC Men’s Hockey: Previewing the Sophomore Class

The fall season has finally hit New England which means it’s time for Eagle’s Men’s hockey installments! We kick things off by previewing the Sophomore class on BC’s 2018-19 roster, some of whom had a great first year on the heights.

(# 22) AAPELI RÄSÄNEN

• Position: F
• Last Season’s Stats: The Finnish born forward was quite a presence in the offensive end for the Eagles last season and was a consistent starter playing in 32 games all season. He registered sixteen total points including four goals and twelve assists. He also notched the highest face-off win percentage on the Eagle’s squad with .565%
• Expected Impact: Expect Aapeli to break more into the offensive attack this season and win more critical face-offs in the opposing zones to set up some assists for Hutsko and Tortora.

(#21) Christopher Grando

• Position: F
• Last Season’s Stats: One of only seven Eagles to play in all 37 games, Grando was another dominant forward that BC leaned on for scoring potential. In his Freshman year, Grando notched 18 points over six goals and twelve assists. He also had the most game winning goals on the team with three.
• Expected Impact: York clearly likes what this kid has to offer as he was leaned upon to lead the charge in a lot of BC’s offense throughout the season. He did experience a long 23 game drought without a goal, but I expect this to be an anomaly that is typical of Freshman. Now that he better understands the pace, competition and skill present in the Hockey East, I anticipate that Grando will have much more of an impact on the scoring end be the go-to-go player in crunch time when a goal is necessary.

(#9) Logan Hutsko

• Position: F
• Last Season’s Stats: Fantastic rookie season for the Tampa native as his name became a staple in each of the 37 games he played last season. He led the Eagles in scoring with 31 points through 12 goals and 19 assists. He was voted BC’s eighth Hockey East Rookie of the Year and finished second overall in scoring amongst Freshman in the Hockey East. Furthermore, he finished with a whopping +10 rating.
• Expected Impact: This kid is going to be the bread and butter of this team from a scoring perspective. In my mind, he is a Johnny 2.0 with his speed, handling and all around attacking mentality close to the net. He will be the star of the first line and will continue to be a thorn in the side of defenses across the Hockey East. Hustko has a high ceiling and I only expect this kid to get better as the season progresses.

(#19) Jacob Tortora

• Position: F
• Last Season’s Stats: In the 34 games he played last season, Tortora showed some upside recording 13 points over six goals and seven assists. He was used as another option on our offense but by no means was our go-to forward. He finished with a .130 shot percentage and a -1 rating.
• Expected Impact: Tortora is a player that I have a lot of interest in seeing how he progresses. He had a mediocre Freshamn season and showed a lot of potential but was essentially living in the shadows of Grando and Hutsko who did a lot of the work around the net. Tortora was able to show that he can have a strong presence in the opponent’s zone, but he simply did not have many opportunities to show his scoring strengths. With some chemistry between his teammates now being a little more solidified, I can expect to see a little more from Tortora this upcoming season. Things can really only get better for him going forward.

(#2) Michael Karow

• Position: D
• Last Season’s Stats: Despite having a showing in 34 games, Karow did not have much of an impact in his Freshman campaign finishing with only six points on six assists.
• Expected Impact: To be honest, I do not think I can recall much of Karow’s play to reach a verdict on what to expect from him this season. Most of the defensive work was carried by the upperclassman in Fitzgerald and Kim as well as Sophomore Jesper Mattila who had a fantastic season. Only time will tell for Karow, but I would like to see him on the ice more to see his true potential, especially since he is lined up to be a future Arizona Coyote.