Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects. Today we start previewing the NCAA, looking for our next National College Hockey Champion. We will first take a look at Hockey East, always one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and always featuring a few National Championship contenders. As always, you can check out the previous Top Shelf Prospects articles here.

“Realignment” has been the buzzword of NCAA Hockey this season, and Hockey East is no different as Notre Dame joins the conference, giving them 11 teams. Next year they will be at 12 as Connecticut will also be joining.

Top Contenders

University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks: The River Hawks enter the season at the top of the national preseason polls, so who am I to argue with that? They must be considered a top contender in the conference. For the River Hawks it all starts in goal where sophomore Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) and senior Doug Carr might be the best 1-2 punch in the NCAA. Christian Folin leads a deep defensive core, while Scott Wilson (PIT) and Joseph Pendenza lead the forwards. There aren’t a lot of superstar names on this team, but what they do have is incredible depth. There are no weak spots on the roster and they are have four solid lines; six good defencemen, and two good goaltenders. Its all about playing strong systemic defense and capitalizing on chances for UMass Lowell.

Boston College Eagles: The Boston College Eagles are almost always in the mix when it comes to competing in Hockey East and the NCAA and this year should be no different. Johnny Gaudreau (CGY), a Hobey Baker finalist last year, is back and will lead the offense. The Eagles will be getting Kevin Hayes (Chi) back after he missed much of last year due to injury. They should team with centre Bill Arnold to be one of the best lines in the country. On the blueline BC has a young group that is extremely talented. This is no more evident than in sophomore Michael Matheson (Fla) who is already turning into one of the NCAA’s top defensemen. Freshman goaltender Thatcher Demko is a player to watch for the 2014 NHL draft. How quickly he can provide capable goaltending will tell the story for BC this season without Parker Milner.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Last year’s CCHA champs are the new kids on the block in Hockey East. They return a strong lineup and should push UMass Lowell and BC this season. Senior forward T.J. Tynan (CBJ) holds the keys for the Irish up front. The diminutive right wing is used in all situations, and provides huge minutes for the the Irish. Thomas DiPauli (WSH), Mario Lucia (MIN), Jeff Costello, and Bryan Rust, provide an excellent group of secondary scoring options for the Irish. The defense is strong once again with Stephen Johns (CHI) leading a group that includes Kevin Lind, Robbie Russo, and Shayne Taker. In net, Steven Summerhayes was solid last year and expected to provide the same this season.

Players to Watch

Johnny Gaudreau, Left Wing, Boston College Eagles: This Calgary Flames prospect put up 51 points in 35 games the best PPG average of players playing more than 10 games in the NCAA last season. He finished amongst the top 3 in Hobey Baker voting, and also participated in the World Juniors, leading the entire tournament in goals with 7 in 7 games, and helping Team USA win the Gold Medal. Coming on the heels of a successful freshman season in 2011-12 where he was an integral part of BC’s Frozen Four Win, Gaudreau has proven to be a producer and a winner at the NCAA level over the last two years. Listed at just 5’8″ and 153 lbs, he may be small, however, what Gaudreau lacks in size he makes up for in pure skill and heart. He is an explosive skater who leaves opponents in his dust, and is able to cut wide on defenders and take the puck to the net. He also has very good hands, and a wide variety of moves that enable him to beat defenders one on one. His great agility, and quick lateral movement make him extremely hard to contain one on one, and when he gets up a head of steam on the rush, he’s a defender’s worst nightmare. Gaudreau has excellent puck handling ability, along with good puck control and protection. Couple those with good vision and passing skill, and he becomes a dynamic and creative player who is willing to try plays that many other players never would, and has found these moves work against NCAA competition. Gaudreau has shown no fear at the NCAA level, challenging opponents in the corners and the front of the net. He has high level hockey IQ and is often able to find the soft spot in a defence and get open to unleash his powerful and accurate one timer. Gaudreau is my pick to win the Hobey Baker this season.

Michael Matheson, Defence, Boston College Eagles: The Panthers first round pick in the 2012 Draft, Matheson had an outstanding freshman campaign for Boston College. Joining the 2012 National Champions wasn’t easy for an 18-year-old, but Matheson quickly earned top 4 ice time and was great offensively with 25 points in 36 games for the Eagles. A little overwhelmed by the faster NCAA game at the start of the year, Matheson adjusted and became a better defender as the year went on, and was one of the best defencemen in the NCAA down the stretch. Matheson is an excellent skater. His stride is extremely smooth, and very powerful. He has a great first step, and excellent acceleration which helps him reach top speed extremely quickly. He has excellent edgework, agility, and pivots. This sublime skating helps him in all aspects of his game. Matheson’s offensive game really took a step forward at Boston College. His slapshot isn’t a howitzer, but it does have decent velocity. What’s more important is that Matheson keeps his shots low and accurate, allowing teammates to screen goalies, tip-in pucks, and pounce on rebounds. Matheson also makes a great first pass. He has also shown a willingness to pick his spots and join the rush. Matheson has also used his vision and passing skills to make strong plays on the BC powerplay. Defensively, he has excellent instincts, and plays a solid positional game. Matheson angles attackers to the outside and forces them into non-dangerous areas of the ice. He tries to keep the front of the net clear, and is quick to pounce on loose pucks. Matheson is willing shot blocker and understands how to cut down passing lanes. Matheson is willing to engage in battles for the puck but he needs to improve his upper body strength at this level and going forward.

Danny O’Regan, Centre, Boston University Terriers: A fifth round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2012, O’Regan scored 38 points in 39 games for Boston University as a freshman. Another pint-sized score, this 5’9″ centre has very good speed and skating ability, and the ability to make plays with the puck while skating at top speed. He has great vision, and has excellent passing ability, able to thread passes tape to tape through the smallest of openings. He can score a few goals, as O’Regan has good hands, and a good release on his shot, but will need to improve its power to become a big-time goal scoring threat. He also must improve his strength in order to be a better player on the boards and in front of the net, as well as in the defensive end of the ice.

Devin Shore, Centre, Maine Blackbears: Selected 61st overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2012 Draft, Shore put up 26 points in 38 games for the Blackbears as a freshman. He has good speed and agility, but could work on his first step quickness going forward. As he gains experience he’ll be expected to improve on those numbers. He has great poise with the puck and outstanding stickhandling, allowing him to extend plays and become a playmaker for the Blackbears. While Shore, scored just six goals last year, he did show off a good release on his wrist shot as well as a willingness to go to the net hard. These attributes should help him grow into a goal scoring threat as well. A hard-worker and team first player, Shore is also a good shot blocker and defensive player.

Connor Hellebuyck, Goaltender, UMass Lowell River Hawks: A fifth-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, Hellebuyck stole the starting job from Doug Carr last season. Considering that Carr was one of the best goalies in the NCAA in 2011-12 and when he took a small step back last year, the fact that once Hellebuyck got the net, he didn’t give it up often to give Carr another chance shows how good Hellebuyck was. Another indication of how well he played, a 1.37 GAA and .952 Save percentage. Those are what I like to call, “video game stats”. At 6’4″ Hellebuyck takes up a ton of net, and is an imposing target for shooters. He has quick legs and uses his frame to cover a ton of net when he’s down in his butterfly. Hellebuyck also shows good poise, and maturity. He is calm and relaxed, and seems to shake it off even when a goal gets past him.

Ben Gallacher, Defense, Massachusetts Minutemen: A 2010 fourth round pick of the Florida Panthers, Gallacher is the only NHL drafted player on UMass this season. Gallacher started his NCAA career with Ohio State before transferring. As he had to sit out a year, he played in the USHL last season. At 5’11” Gallacher is slightly undersized but that does not stop him from playing a solid two-way game. He works hard along the boards, or in front of the net and has even been known to throw a big check on occassion. He adds some offensive skill as well, with quick skating, and

Chris Leblanc, Right Wing, Merrimack Warriors: The 6th round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2013 is the only NHL drafted player on Merrimack this year. Leblanc has great size at 6’3″ and over 200 lbs. Last year he played for the South Shore Kings in the EJHL. While I haven’t personally seen Leblanc yet, I’m told this incoming freshman is a big, powerful winger who likes to throw his weight around and to drive the net off the wing. He is said to have a good shot, and can create havoc down low. Merrimack will likely have a rough year in the conference, but Leblanc gives them someone to watch going forward.

T.J. Tynan, Right Wing, Notre Dame Fighting Irish: At just 5’9″ tall, Tynan is undersized, but he makes up for it with his great speed and playmaking ability. He is one of the rare forwards with the ability to control the puck at top speed and this makes him very dangerous off the rush. He has great hockey sense, fantastic vision, and is one of the best passers in college hockey. He can thread the puck through the eye of a needle at times, and can be deadly accurate with a saucer pass. Tynan should be the main setup man for the Irish this season, and if he can bulk up a little the Columbus Prospect could see himself playing pro hockey at this time next year. His defensive game and penalty killing ability is well developed and will help him to make the jump once his NCAA career is done.

Brett Pesce, Defence, University of New Hampshire Wildcats: A third round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, Pesce is a defense first player who will be tasked with shutting down all the offensive talent I’ve mainly focused on in this section. Pesce is very solid in the defensive zone. He’s not one to lay huge hits, but he plays a physical game, rubbing out opponents along the boards, and battling in front of the net and in the corners. He lacks muscle right now, so he isn’t as effective as he will be when he bulks up, but he’s pretty good as is. Pesce maintains very good gap control which keeps him in great position to make those plays. Pesce has a quick stick and is able to steal pucks with a poke check or by anticipating passes well. The strong defensive game is built around Pesce’s skating. He has great pivots, edgework, and agility, which gives him really good mobility on the ice. He is able to make quick cuts and changes in directions in all 360 degrees. Pesce has good top end speed both forwards and backwards, generated from a long and powerful stride. However his startup is sometimes a bit choppy, and this can rob him of his acceleration at times. He is strong on his skates and has decent balance, but it can be improved if he can add some lower body muscle. Offensively there isn’t much to write home about with Pesce. He is a stay at home defender. He makes good outlet passes to start the transition game, but rarely attempts to join the rush. His skills in the offensive zone aren’t much to write home about, and his slapshot is not going to scare anyone.

Kevin Roy, Left Wing, Northeastern Huskies: A fourth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2012, Roy is a pint sized offensive dynamo who led the USHL in scoring by a mile in 2012 and put up 34 points in 29 games as a freshman for Northeastern. Roy has incredible offensive ability. He is blessed with top-notch hockey IQ and great instincts. He has the ability to slow the game down when the puck is on his stick, and draw defenders towards him, which then opens up his teammates for a pass and goal scoring opportunity. He has tremendous vision and passing abilities and can thread needles to put the puck right on the tape. Roy also has very slick hands and often leaves defenders and goalies shaking their heads as he gets them leaning one way, but Roy goes the other. His ability to “dangle” is extremely high, and he protects the puck very well. His shot has an excellent release and is deadly accurate, however it could use a little more velocity. Some increased upper body strength would help with this, and would help him in board battles.

Mark Jankowski, Centre, Providence Friars: An off the radar first round in pick out of the Quebec Prep League High School circuit by the Calagary Flames in 2012. A player from excellent bloodlines. He is the nephew of Ryan Jankowski, current head scout for Hockey Canada, and a former scout for the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders His grandfather was Lou Jankowski who enjoyed an 18 year pro career including NHL stops in Detroit and Chicago. His great uncle is Hockey Hall of Famer Red Kelly. Jankowski’s numbers last at Providence, 7 goals, 11 assists for 18 points in 34 games may seem underwhelming for a first round pick. However the NCAA is a big step up in speed and physicality from where Jankowski played last year, and is often tough on freshmen. Overall it was a decent, but not great year for Jankowski. However now that he is acclimated to the NCAA, (and he was better down the stretch), bigger things are expected in his second year. Jankowski is a tall and lanky centre, who has a long, smooth skating stride. He has very good top speed and reaches it quickly with good acceleration. He has a long reach, but soft hands that allow him to be a talented stickhandler and to protect the puck well. He has shown good vision and made some nice passes to teammates. His shot could use a bit more power but he does have a good release. Overall though he seems to need to add some upper body mass as he can be outmuscled at times. With a quick growth spurt at 17, Jankowski’s bulk hasn’t quite caught up to his height yet. When it does he can be very dangerous as the skill set is there.

Connor Brickley, Left Wing, Vermont Catamounts: A second round draft pick of the Florida Panthers at the 2010 draft, he has fought through injuries throughout his NCAA career and this has really limited his contributions in both his sophomore and junior years. Now a senior, Brickley is looking to stay fully healthy and needs a bit of a breakout offensive season in order to earn a contract from Florida. Vermont could certainly use a big offensive performance from him, as goals may be hard to come by for the Catamounts. Brickley is already a good defensive forward, who understands his assignments and is used to check top lines, but the Catamounts and the Panthers want a little more offence from him. He needs to get a little stronger to win more board battles and be more of a force in front of the opponents net.

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