Meet The Eagles, Boston College Men’s Hockey: Graham McPhee

Name: Graham McPhee

Number: 27

Position: Forward

Class Year: Senior

Drafted: #149 by the Edmonton Oilers in 2016

Background: It’s hard to describe McPhee’s junior season as anything but a disappointment, as many BC fans were very high on him coming into last season. McPhee took a big leap from his freshman year to his sophomore year, where he scored 12 goals (good for a tie for second on the team) and had 24 points (fourth on the team) in 36 games. His 2018-19 was a definite step in the wrong direction, however, as McPhee scored just three goals and had only nine points in 29 games. He did have his season cut, however, as he missed the final 9 games of the season with a hand injury. Still, it was not the season McPhee or BC fans envisioned after his strong sophomore year.

2019-20 Outlook: Graham McPhee is an interesting case for the 2019-20 season. On the one hand, his raw scoring numbers dipped so drastically from his sophomore year to his junior year that you would almost have to assume they’d bounce back and at least be in the ballpark of the 24 points from 2 years ago. On the other hand, McPhee scored on 17% of his shots as a sophomore, a number that proved to be unsustainable last season when his shooting percentage dipped to 7.5%, which was just about in line with the team’s shooting percentage overall. My gut says that with a (hopefully) improved forward group, McPhee can settle in to a middle six role, maybe get some power play time, and pick up a few more points than his nine from last season. I’m just not sure his numbers bounce all the way back to where they were in his sophomore season.

Fun Fact: McPhee was drafted 5 spots before current teammate Aapeli Räsänen in the 2016 NHL draft. Both were taken by the Edmonton Oilers.