Should They Stay Or Should They Go? An Early Look At Which BC Hockey Players May Jump Ship

Thatcher Demko
Junior Goaltender
Vancouver Canucks, 2nd Round, 36th Overall

Flight Risk: 9/10 

Thatcher Demko is an elite talent, he's already completed his junior year, and he's likely going to win the Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender. Most depressingly, Vancouver's GM is in Tampa to meet with Thatcher and his family this weekend.

The last word: Time to face the music: Our beloved goalie is movin' on up. Leaving

Colin White
Freshman Forward
Ottawa Senators, 1st Round, 21st Overall

Flight Risk: 8/10 

He's not Jack Eichel, but he's an elite talent who showed tremendous development as a freshman. Whenever there are articles talking about how a player might go pro, it's a good sign that that player is probably going pro. And as the article notes, the Senators' Assistant GM is at the Frozen Four.

The last word: Unfortunately, White is likely to sign, starting the clock toward his second contract where the kid is going to get paidddddd. Leaving

Ian McCoshen
Junior Defenseman
Florida Panthers, 2nd Round, 31st Overall

Flight Risk: 6/10 

Like Thatcher, he's a junior, and after Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Vesey recently left the teams that drafted them at the altar after playing four seasons at the college level, there is going to be huge pressure for these teams to sign their picks before they play their senior season. Ian McCoshen probably isn't as polished as Florida would like him to be (his Hockey East semifinal against Northeastern is probably one everyone would like to forget), but he has an NHL-caliber shot and his game against the Huskies was really more of a fluke than anything.

The last word: It wouldn't be a shocker to see Ian finish out his four years, but I'd give it a better than 50/50 shot that he signs. Leaving

Ryan Fitzgerald
Junior Forward
Boston Bruins, 4th Round, 120th Overall

Flight Risk: 5/10 

Another junior, but as a 4th round pick, there's not quite as much pressure on the Bruins to get Fitzgerald under contract. Fitzgerald would, in all likelihood, be looking at a season or two at the AHL level rather than cracking the Bruins' lineup right away. Knowing that, it might behoove him to play another year in college, finish up his degree, and either see where that puts him in the Bruins' plans next season or sign with someone who might hint at immediate NHL playing time.

The last word: This really could go either way, but I have a hunch Fitzgerald sticks around. Staying

Alex Tuch
Sophomore Forward
Minnesota Wild, 1st Round, 18th Overall

Flight Risk: 5/10 

I originally had Tuch above Fitzgerald at a 6/10. But his comments after the loss to Quinnipiac kind of make you scratch your head: "No answer. All I know is for now that I'm coming back. No answer." What?

That could be a nothing answer from a kid who just lost in the Frozen Four and doesn't want to think about anything beyond the flight home. He could be implying that until pen hits paper, he's an Eagle, saying nothing about who he's meeting from the Wild and when.

The last word: There was a chance that he left last season as a 1st round draft pick, but he came back. He had a rough first half of the season and missed World Juniors, but came on strong in the 2nd half. My guess is that the Wild would want to give him one more season at BC to show some more consistency. Staying

Steve Santini
Junior Defenseman
New Jersey Devils, 2nd Round, 42nd Overall

Flight Risk: 4/10 

After his freshman season, had you asked if Santini would see his senior year at BC, most of us would have said no way. But his injuries sophomore year threw a wrench into his development and while he's been a great defenseman for BC, it's hard to call him NHL-ready.

The last word: He's in a similar position as Ryan Fitzgerald in that he has shown he is clearly a very successful college hockey player, but he might be riding around in the AHL for a bit if he signed right now. The flexibility of holding out until after his senior year might do him some good. Staying

Miles Wood
Freshman Forward
New Jersey Devils, 4th Round, 100th Overall

Flight Risk: 3/10 

There's no "Certified Wagon" emoji (that I can find anyway) so I went with the freight train. Wood is going to win a Hobey Baker Award for BC someday, because he's an elite talent that might actually stick around for three years or so. Wood and his family have a very high regard for education, as evidenced by his family's refusal to accelerate last year so he could finish prep school, and there have been hints of him sticking around so he can get in position to finish his degree.

The last word: Wood is just a hair behind White in terms of talent in this freshman class, and even if he wasn't as into his education as he is, I still think he'd stick around for one more year. But I'd go so far as to expect at least another two from Wood. We're really going to love this kid. Staying

Zach Sanford
Sophomore Forward
Washington Capitals, 2nd Round, 61st Overall

Flight Risk: 2/10 

As good as Sanford is, he somehow flies under the radar behind the bigger names. I'm not even sure how that's possible. He's been consistently one of BC's most important players the last couple years. But he's not the one-and-done type. There's a possibility that he makes a big jump to his junior year to that next level, but we'll talk about it next year if it happens.

The last word: Sanford's not leaving. He's in that college hockey sweet spot of being very talented, but not such that his NHL team is going to putting his feet to the fire to sign. Staying

Adam Gilmour
Junior Forward
Minnesota Wild, 4th Round, 98th Overall

Flight Risk: 2/10 

Gilmour, like Sanford, is a great depth guy who can score. But despite staying relatively flat with 27 points last year and 26 points this year, he went from 2nd on the team in scoring to t-8th because of the overall improvement of the offense as a team.

The last word: Gilmour is a critical part of the team, but the Wild shouldn't be putting a ton of pressure on him to sign. Staying

Chris Calnan
Junior Forward
Chicago Blackhawks, 3rd Round, 79th Overall

Flight Risk: 1/10 

Calnan missed a lot of time this year due to injury and was shuffled around the bottom couple lines while he was back. He's a good candidate to make the patented "Jerry Jump" his senior year, but he's not going to leave early.

The last word: Good candidate for some senior leadership. Staying

Christopher Brown
Freshman Forward
Buffalo Sabres, 6th Round, 151st Overall

Flight Risk: 1/10 

Joey Dudek
Freshman Forward
New Jersey Devils, 6th Round, 152nd Overall

Flight Risk: 1/10 

Chosen back to back in the later rounds of the 2014 draft, Dudek and Brown were shuffled through the lines this year, mostly on the lower groups, but both showed flashes later in the season -- especially Brown with 11 points in 41 games, mostly on the lower lines.

The last word: Good depth guys who are both good candidates to develop over four years and build a strong foundation for the incoming classes. Staying