By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
It was a relatively light week for Bruins’ prospects, with several players not in action because their teams were eliminated from their respective conference playoffs or their seasons were over. Boston College faced a do-or-die situation on Friday night against UConn at TD Garden, while others made the trip to Lake Placid for the ECAC Semifinals. How did everybody do?
Europe
Vashek Blanar this week for HV71 U20 (U20 Relegation): Two games played, one goal, one assist, 27 penalty minutes, +4 rating.
HV71 are sitting pretty in the U20 Nationell relegation standings, with four wins in four games. Blanar has played a big part in that, with a goal and an assist, as well as a +6 rating.
Kirill Yemelyanov this week for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL): One game played, two goals, no penalties, +1 rating.
Yemelyanov came up big for Loko in a 5-4 win over AKM-Yunior Tula Region on Tuesday, scoring two goals. He had seven shots on goal.
Juniors
Cole Chandler this week for the Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL): Two games played, two assists, no points, +3 rating.
Chandler had two assists in a 7-2 win on Friday over Victoriaville.
Cooper Simpson this week for the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL): Two games played, three goals, two assists, no penalties, +4 rating.
After a quiet stretch, Simpson broke out of it with a massive offensive weekend. In a two-game set against the Chicago Steel, Simpson had a hat trick in the first game and two assists in the second. He’s up to 33-39-72 in 59 games in the USHL.
NCAA
Andre Gasseau this week for Boston College (Hockey East): One game played, one assist, six penalty minutes, -1 rating.
Gasseau’s collegiate career came to an end Friday night in a 4-3 OT loss to UConn. The Garden Grove, California, native finishes his NCAA career with an impressive 43-68-111 in 135 games with BC. I’d imagine he ends up in Providence in the near future.
James Hagens this week for Boston College (Hockey East): One game played, two assists, no penalties, -1 rating.
Oskar Jellvik this week for Boston College (Hockey East): One game played, no points, two penalty minutes, -2 rating.
Like Gasseau, Jellvik’s college career is over. After battling injuries the past few seasons, the Taby, Sweden, native ends his career with the Eagles with 23-52-75 in 107 games. A few years ago, I thought Jellvik signing with Boston would be a lock; it might not be a slam-dunk anymore, given his recent struggles to stay healthy.
Kristian Kostadinski this week for Boston College (Hockey East): One game played, no points, no penalties, -1 rating.
Dean Letourneau this week for Boston College (Hockey East): One game played, two goals, no penalties, -1 rating.
Letourneau came up big for BC in the Hockey East Semifinals with two goals, but it wasn’t enough for the Eagles to advance. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic season for Letourneau, as he finished the season with 22-17-39 in 36 games as a Sophomore. He will return to BC for his Junior season.
William Moore this week for Boston College (Hockey East): One game played, no points, no penalties, Even Plus/Minus.
Moore ended his Freshman season without a point in his last nine games and ended the season with 4-6-10 in 33 games. His ice time was pretty limited down the stretch for the Eagles, playing between nine and 12 minutes most games. Next season is huge for the Mississauga, Ontario, native.
Ryan Walsh this week for Cornell University (ECAC): One game played, one goal, one assist, no penalties, -1 rating.
Cornell dropped their ECAC semifinal matchup against Princeton 3-2, despite Walsh factoring in on both Cornell goals.
NCAA Tournament matchups
The NCAA field is down to 16 teams, and a few B’s prospects remain in the mix for a National Championship. Cole Spicer and the reigning National Champion Western Michigan Broncos host Minnesota State in round one, while Ryan Walsh and Cornell take on Denver in the other matchup in the Loveland, Colorado, regional. Meanwhile, Will Zellers and UND take on Hockey East Champions, Merrimack in the first round, while Elliott Groenewold and Chris Pelosi take on Philip Svedeback and Providence in the other matchup in Sioux Falls. Best of luck to all.
Providence and Maine
It was a very busy week for the Providence Bruins, both on and off the ice. Lukas Reichel was called up to Boston, scoring a goal in his B’s debut against Winnipeg. Both Fabian Lysell and Frederic Brunet are currently out with injuries. On the ice, the team went 2-1-0 this week, with two wins over the Utica Comets and a loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Alexis Gendron picked up his first goal as a P-Bruin in Friday’s win.
However, the biggest news of the week dropped late last night. James Hagens is turning pro and will make his professional debut tomorrow night against the Springfield Thunderbirds after signing an AHL Amateur Try-out with Providence. He skated on a line today at practice with Patrick Brown and Matej Blumel.
Meanwhile, the Maine Mariners went 3-0-1 this week, with wins over the Reading Royals and Worcester Railers, and an overtime loss to the Adirondack Thunder. Luke Cavallin was spectacular in goal for Maine, shutting out Reading on Sunday, and stopping 24/26 against Worcester on Friday in a 6-2 win.
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