NHL prospects to watch at Beanpot
There will be plenty of future NHL stars playing in this year’s Beanpot, which kicks off Feb. 6 at TD Garden in Boston, with the championship game on Feb. 13.
The annual battle for bragging rights between Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern University has produced many of the NHL’s best players over the years.
Players such as Tony Amonte (1991, ST), Chris Drury (1996, ST), Chris Kreider (2011, BC), Johnny Gaudreau (2012, BC) and Kevin Hayes (2014, BC) earned MVP honors in the Beanpot during their college days.
There are 47 NHL draft picks on the four schools’ rosters, including three first-round, eight second-round and eight third-round, as well as free agents and players eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.
Here are 10 players to watch when defending champion Boston University meets Northeastern on Monday. Last week’s On Campus looked at players to watch from Boston College and Harvard.
UNIVERSITY OF BOSTON
Matte brown
On a team loaded with NHL draft picks, the undrafted senior forward is their leading scorer with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 25 games. He is tied for seventh in the NCAA in points.
Brown, 23, helps drive the offense with his speed and has improved his defensive game this season, according to coach Jay Pandolfo. He transferred to BU in 2021 after two seasons at UMass Lowell and will have free agent offers at the end of the season.
Drew Commeso
Commesso, a junior goaltender, has had his ups and downs this season. He was retired after allowing five goals on 17 shots in a 9-6 win over Maine on Jan. 21, but bounced back to stop 64 of 68 shots in a two-game sweep over Boston College on the weekend. end last. He is 14-4-0 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 19 games.
The 20-year-old was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (No. 46) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Ryan Green
A freshman center who got off to a strong start to the season, Greene was one of only two NCAA players invited to Canada’s World Junior Championship camp (along with Adam Fantilli), although he didn’t is part of the team.
The 19-year-old, who has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 23 games this season, was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round (57th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Lane Hutson
Hutson, 18, became one of college hockey’s most dynamic players as a rookie. He is the best defenseman in the country with 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists) in 24 games and four game-winning goals, including two in overtime.
Hutson, who played for the United States at the World Junior Championship, was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (No. 62) in 2022.
Wilmer Skoog
Skoog, 23, centers BU’s front line with Brown on his wing. He started slowly while recovering from an injury sustained at Vegas Golden Knights development camp last summer, but has averaged a point per game since November (20 points in 18 games).
Skoog, who is a sizeable free agent (6-foot-2, 196 pounds), has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 24 games.
NORTHEAST
Jack Hughes
Hughes, a talented sophomore center, has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 21 games this season.
The 19-year-old, who is the son of Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes, was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (No. 51) in 2022.
Devon Levi
Levi won the Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s top goaltender as a junior a year ago when he was 21-10-1 with a 1.54 GAA, save percentage and .952 saves and 10 shutouts in 32 games.
His numbers aren’t as strong this season, but he’s been playing well lately, allowing five goals in the last four games (all wins). Levi is 12-8-3 with a 2.37 GAA, .926 save percentage and four shutouts in 23 games.
The 21-year-old was selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (No. 212) in 2020. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabers with a first-round draft pick for Sam Reinhart on July 24, 2021.
Cam Lund
Lund, an 18-year-old offensive-minded freshman center, scored a hat trick in a 4-4 tie against Boston College on Nov. 11, including two goals in the 2:07 final for send the game to overtime. He then scored the only goal of the shootout for Northeastern, earning the extra point.
Selected by the San Jose Sharks in the second round (34th) in 2022, Lund has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 24 games.
McDonald Hunter
McDonald, a sizeable defenseman (6-foot-4, 205 pounds), had a positive impact as a rookie with a plus-18 rating and had nine assists in 24 games.
The 20-year-old was selected in the sixth round (No. 165) by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022.
Aidan McDonough
A 23-year-old senior forward, McDonough is one of the most dangerous shooters in college hockey. McDonough, who is the team captain, leads Northeastern with 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games.
He was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh round (195th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft.