Thursday, March 24, 2011
An NHL Fan’s Guide to the Regionals
92 NHL Draft picks will participate in this weekend’s NCAA Regionals
By Jared Shafran, College Hockey, Inc.
The NCAA Tournament is upon us and the 16 teams will battle it out for national supremacy starting this Friday. Here’s an update on the 92 NHL draft picks in action this weekend (* indicates a player is injured).
Anaheim
Kevin Lind (Notre Dame)
Justin Vaive (Miami)
The Ducks have two CCHA prospects playing in this year’s tournament. Kevin Lind, a freshman defenseman for Notre Dame, and Justin Vaive, a senior forward at Miami. Vaive has been a nice role player for the Redhawks in his final season, playing in 38 games and posting 9 goals and 7 assists for one of the best offensive teams in the country.
Atlanta
Jesse Martin (Denver)*
Boston
Tommy Cross (Boston College)
The Boston College defenseman came through in big games once again this weekend, as the Eagles captured their second straight Hockey East Tournament championship. In the semis, Cross scored a goal in the final seconds of the second period, widening BC?s lead over Northeastern to two goals, a lead they never surrendered. In the final, Cross was on the ice for four of the five BC goals. Cross will look to continue his dominant play as the Eagles travel to St. Louis to take on Colorado College on Friday.
Buffalo
Connor Knapp (Miami)
Brad Eidsness (North Dakota)
Although the Sabres already have a former college goaltender in Ryan Miller, they also have the rights to Miami backstop Connor Knapp and North Dakota goalie Brad Eidsness. While splitting his duties in net this season, Knapp has a goals-against average of 2.03 through 17 games.
Calgary
Bill Arnold (Boston College)
Nick Larson (Notre Dame)
The Flames have a pair of forwards in the tournament in Bill Arnold of Boston College and Nick Larson of Notre Dame. As a freshman, Arnold has been centering the third line for this dominant Eagles team all season, scoring 10 goals and adding 9 assists. Larson, a sophomore, has improved from his freshman season to also net 10 goals and has assisted on 8 others.
Carolina
Brian Dumoulin (Boston College)
Justin Faulk (Minnesota Duluth)
Carolina has two solid defensemen waiting in the wings. BC sophomore Brian Dumoulin is third on the team in scoring with 30 assists, plays a pivotal role at the point on the Eagles’ power play, and has only taken three penalties all season. He was named first-team All-Hockey East and the conference?s best defensive defenseman. At Minnesota Duluth, freshman Justin Faulk has been a great addition to the Bulldogs, earning third-team All-WCHA and WCHA All-Rookie Team honors. In 35 games, he has 8 goals and 19 assists, helping lead UMD into the NCAAs as a No. 3 seed.
Chicago
Dan DeLisle (Minnesota Duluth)
Joe Gleason (North Dakota)
Paul Phillips (Denver)
Jimmy Hayes (Boston College)
Kevin Hayes (Boston College)
Steven Johns (Notre Dame)
Joe Lavin (Notre Dame)
Chicago has seven experienced players on tournament rosters this season: Joe Lavin and Steven Johns at Notre Dame, Dan DeLisle at Minnesota Duluth, Paul Phillips at Denver and Jimmy and Kevin Hayes at Boston College. Lavin and Johns have been solid defensemen for the Irish, racking up 17 and 12 points, respectively. The Hayes brothers have been key contributors at BC, with Jimmy ranking third on the team in scoring (20 goals, 12 assists) and Kevin posting 13 points as a freshman.
Colorado
Luke Moffatt (Michigan)
Paul Carey (Boston College)
Gus Young (Yale)
Brad Malone (North Dakota)
The Avs have some high scoring forwards that will be on display this weekend. Paul Carey has been a bright spot all year for Boston College, scoring 12 goals and adding 13 assists. Brad Malone is fifth on the top-ranked North Dakota team in scoring and scored a critical goal in the WCHA semifinal last Friday against Colorado College. In Ann Arbor, Luke Moffatt has scored 13 points as a freshman for Michigan.
Columbus
Drew Olson (Minnesota Duluth)
Cam Atkinson (Boston College)
Will Weber (Miami)
Trent Vogelhuber (Miami)
Kevin Lynch (Michigan)
Blue Jacket prospect and current BC forward Cam Atkinson continued to draw praise this weekend. After helping his Eagles to a Hockey East title, he was named to the All-Tournament Team, as well as MVP. Before that, at the Hockey East awards ceremony, Atkinson was named to the all-conference first team and was announced as one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker. He leads one of the top offenses in the country in scoring with 30 goals and 21 assists. Atkinson, however, isn?t the only Hockey East player affiliated with the Jackets. The Springfield Falcons, the team?s AHL affiliate, also signed two Hockey East players whose college careers recently ended this week. Both Northeastern forward Wade MacLeod and UMass goaltender Paul Dainton received amateur tryout contracts and will now look to continue their hockey careers professionally.
Dallas
Curtis McKenzie (Miami)
Reilly Smith (Miami)
Scott Winkler (Colorado College)
Mike Bergin (Rensselaer)
The Stars have a strong presence at Miami, having drafted Redhawk forwards Reilly Smith and Curtis McKenzie. As a sophomore, Smith has fit in to one of the best offenses in the country, scoring 28 goals and 26 assists while his 1.46 points per game mark is fourth in the country. McKenzie has also reached double digits in points this season with 12. Miami will be in Manchester to take on the hometown UNH Wildcats in the regional semifinals this Saturday. Also look out for RPI defenseman Mike Bergin, who is second among Engineer defenseman in scoring with 18 points.
Detroit
Riley Sheahan (Notre Dame)
The Red Wings’ only player in action this weekend is Riley Sheahan of Notre Dame. The sophomore forward has 15 assists this season while helping his team to a third seed in the Northeast Region. The reports from South Bend have been positive and if he continues on his pace, Detroit may just have another top notch forward to add to the mix in a few seasons.
Edmonton
Kyle Bigos (Merrimack)
Merrimack defenseman Kyle Bigos is the only Oiler prospect playing this weekend as the Warriors take on Notre Dame in the Northeast Regional in Manchester. Bigos has been a big part of the turnaround for the Warriors this season, who have secured their first bid in the NCAAs since 1988. At 6?5?? and 230 pounds, his size is a big reason for excitement among Edmonton fans.
Florida
Sam Brittain (Denver)
John Lee (Denver)
Drew Shore (Denver)
Corban Knight (North Dakota)
Derrick LaPoint (North Dakota)
Ryan Watson (Western Michigan)
Matt Rust (Michigan)
Joe Basaraba (Minnesota Duluth)
Panthers fans will have a lot to watch over the next couple weeks as they have eight prospects in the tournament this year, the most of any NHL team. North Dakota forward Corban Knight is in the midst of a terrific season, racking up 42 points (second on the team). Knight’s teammate and senior defenseman Derrick LaPoint has 10 points on the blue line after being in the starting lineup all season for the Sioux. Florida also holds the rights to Denver’s leading scorer, Drew Shore, who has 45 points this season, and two of his teammates in starting goaltender Sam Brittain and junior defenseman John Lee. The three of them will lead the Pioneers against Western Michigan on Saturday in Green Bay.
Los Angeles
Derek Forbort (North Dakota)
Kings fans can check out North Dakota freshman defenseman Derek Forbort, who has played in 35 games this season and picked up 15 assists for the Sioux who will face RPI on Saturday in Green Bay.
Minnesota Wild
Sean Lorenz (Notre Dame)
Jason Zucker (Denver)
Wild fans have two chances at getting to see one of their team?s prospects at the hometown Frozen Four as they have the rights to Jason Zucker, the high scoring Denver forward and Notre Dame defenseman Sean Lorenz. Both freshmen, Zucker has 21 goals and 20 assists for the Pioneers and Lorenz has been reliable on the back end while providing some offense for the Irish, playing in 41 games and accounting for 13 points.
Montreal
Mac Bennett (Michigan)
Greg Pateryn (Michigan)
Danny Kristo (North Dakota)
Michael Cichy (North Dakota)
Scott Kishel (Minnesota Duluth)
The Canadiens will be rooting for the Wolverines and Sioux this weekend as they have two prospects on each team. Michigan defensemen Mac Bennett and Greg Pateryn will go up against Nebraska-Omaha in St. Louis on Friday and North Dakota forwards Danny Kristo and Michael Cichy will take on RPI in Green Bay on Saturday. Kristo accounted for two goals and an assist last weekend, as his team took home the WCHA crown.
Nashville
Ben Ryan (Notre Dame)
Jeff Foss (Rensselaer)
Nashville has the rights to RPI defenseman Jeff Foss who will lead the Engineers against North Dakota on Saturday. In 37 games this season, Foss has scored 3 goals and assisted on 11 others. Notre Dame’s Ben Ryan has also been drafted by the Predators, and has given the Irish some veteran leadership this season, amassing a scoring line of 6-18-24 through 41 games.
New Jersey
Brandon Burlon (Michigan)*
Jon Merrill (Michigan)
David Wohlberg (Michigan)*
Derek Rodwell (North Dakota)
Devils fans should be watching Michigan closely in the tournament as they have the rights to two Wolverine defensemen in Brandon Burlon and Jon Merrill, who have ratings of +14 and +10 respectively. Burlon may miss the tournament due to injury. In addition to their defenseman, the team has also drafted North Dakota forward Derek Rodwell. Rodwell has 9 points this season and will be in the lineup for the Sioux when they play Rensselaer this Saturday.
New York Islanders
Matt Donovan (Denver)
Jason Gregoire (North Dakota)
Brock Nelson (North Dakota)
Blake Kessel (New Hampshire)
Anders Lee (Notre Dame)
The Islanders will have top-notch talent on display this weekend in the Northeast and Midwest regionals. Blake Kessel, brother of Toronto’s Phil, is one of the best defensemen at New Hampshire and should play a key role for the Wildcats as they look to return to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2003. Also in the Northeast, Notre Dame freshman Anders Lee has had a breakout season for the Irish, scoring 41 points. The Islanders also have teammates Jason Gregoire and Brock Nelson (North Dakota) as well as Matt Donovan (Denver), who will all play in Green Bay this weekend. Gregoire has had an outstanding junior year for the Sioux, scoring 24 goals and adding 17 assists. Nelson has also had an impressive freshman campaign, centering the third line and posting scoring totals of 7-12-19. Donovan leads all Denver defensemen in scoring with 30 points.
New York Rangers
Carl Hagelin (Michigan)
Max Campbell (Western Michigan)
Chris Kreider (Boston College)
The Rangers prospects in action this weekend both lead their respective CCHA teams in scoring. But it hasn?t been necessarily about how much they’ve scored, as much as when they?ve gotten their goals. Michigan’s Carl Hagelin has 18 goals on the season and six of them have turned out as the game winner. Max Campbell leads Western Michigan with 35 points on 18 goals and 17 assists, but he is also the one responsible for getting the Broncos this far. Campbell scored the game-winning goal in the quarterfinals of the CCHA Tournament 2:23 into overtime to send WMU to the semifinals, eliminating Ferris State in dramatic fashion.
Ottawa
Ben Blood (North Dakota)
Brad Peltz (Yale)
Jeff Costello (Notre Dame)
Chris Wideman (Miami)
Louie Caporusso (Michigan)
Bryce Aneloski (Nebraska-Omaha)
Senators fans don’t have the NHL postseason to look forward to this year, but six of their prospects have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Michigan senior Louis Caporusso will look to continue his strong play as the Wolverines take on Nebraska Omaha in the West region. This season Caporusso is second on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 17 assists. The Senators also have rights to North Dakota defenseman Ben Blood. The Sioux have captured the WCHA title and maintained their number one ranking going into the tournament. Blood, who has played all 41 games, has 11 points on the season after picking up an assist in the semifinal game against Colorado College. Sophomore Bryce Aneloski is the second-leading scorer among defensemen on Nebraska-Omaha with 19 points.
Philadelphia
(None)
The Flyers don?t have any prospects in action this weekend but they do have a few former college players on their NHL squad. Philadelphia has dressed five NCAA alums this season: James Van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire), Ben Holmstrom (UMass Lowell), Darroll Powe (Princeton), Andreas Nodl (St. Cloud) and Matt Carle (Denver).
Phoenix
Chris Brown (Michigan)
Brett Hextall (North Dakota)
Coyotes prospect Brett Hextall, a junior forward at North Dakota, racked up 26 points in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. Through 36 games this year he?s at 26 for the third straight year. Hextall will look to set a career high when he steps on the ice in Green Bay in the Midwest Regional for the Sioux. Prospect Chris Brown (9-14-23) will look to reach double-digits in goal scoring this weekend for Michigan.
Pittsburgh
Beau Bennett (Denver)
Kenny Agostino (Yale)
Phillip Samuelsson (Boston College)
Bryan Rust (Notre Dame)
Sophomore defenseman Phillip Samuelsson is looking for his second straight NCAA title with Boston College, while freshman forward Kenny Agostino is coming off an ECAC title victory with Yale last weekend. Both players play important roles on their teams and should see plenty of ice time this weekend.
St. Louis
Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College)
Max Tardy (Minnesota Duluth)
Colorado College got the wins they needed and are in the tournament led by freshman forward and Blues prospect Jaden Schwartz, who has put up 42 points in his first season. Schwartz had five assists in the WCHA Tournament before his team lost to eventual champion North Dakota. The Tigers are in the West Regional in St. Louis and will face BC on Friday night.
San Jose
William Wrenn (Denver)
Issac MacLeod (Boston College)
Lee Moffie (Michigan)
Sharks prospect Lee Moffie will be in the lineup for the Wolverines this weekend in St. Louis at the West Regional. Moffie, a sophomore defenseman, has 15 points this season and scored a goal last Friday in the team’s loss to Western Michigan.
Tampa Bay
Luke Witkowski (Western Michigan)
Lightning prospect Luke Witkowski, a defenseman for CCHA’s Western Michigan, has played in all 41 of the Broncos games this season, registering nine points.
Toronto
Andrew MacWilliam (North Dakota)
Matt Frattin (North Dakota)
Ben Winnett (Michigan)
The talents of Leafs’ prospect Matt Frattin, a Hobey Baker finalist, were on display once again last weekend in the WCHA Final Five. The senior forward scored the tournament-winning goal in double overtime to clinch the title for the Sioux. With two goals and an assist on the weekend, Frattin is continuing to build his resume. This year for North Dakota, Frattin has a scoring line of 35-22-57. His 35 goals lead the country and he is second in overall scoring. Frattin and his defensive teammate Andrew MacWilliam, also a Toronto prospect, will play RPI in Green Bay to start the weekend. But that’s not all.
Vancouver
Joe Cannata (Merrimack)
Canucks fans only need to have their eyes on one player this weekend and that’s Joe Cannata, starting goaltender for Merrimack. Cannata has been one of the biggest reasons for success in North Andover this season, posting 25 wins with a goals against of 2.44 and a save percentage of .911 in this his junior year. Merrimack will play Notre Dame in Manchester in the Warriors first NCAA Tournament game since 1988.
Washington
Patrick Wey (Boston College)
Phil DeSimone (New Hampshire)
Greg Burke (New Hampshire)*
Both Capitals draft picks in action this weekend come from the Hockey East, in Phil DeSimone of New Hampshire and Patrick Wey of Boston College. DeSimone’s teammate, fellow Caps pick Greg Burke, has been out due to injury lately. DeSimone centers an all-senior first line for the Wildcats that is one of the top forward units in the nation – all three players have at least 40 points. Wey is one of the Eagles’ top defensive defensemen, having posted eight points in 36 games as a sophomore.
* – Denotes player is injured