Kyle Connor leads 10 players to watch as Frozen Four tournament begins
Here's a look at 10 players you should know heading into college hockey's national tournament, which begins Friday.
By
Chris Peters
•
6 min read
The puck is set to drop Friday on the 2016 national tournament in college hockey. Sixteen teams are vying for a trip to the Frozen Four in Tampa. This year’s field should make for a verwide-open tournament where each team has a good case for reaching the final weekend of the season.
This college hockey season has been full of some incredible individual performances and offers a host of outstanding NHL prospects to watch. There’s a good chance some of the players you see in this tournament will be seen in NHL arenas either before this season is over or definitely next season.
With that in mind, here’s a look at 10 player to know heading into the tournament:
1. Kyle Connor, Michigan: Selected 17th overall by the Winnipeg Jets at last year’s NHL Draft, Connor has somehow exceeded expectations. As one of the best recruits in the country, he was expected to have an impact, but he’s been arguably the best player in the NCAA this year. The 19-year-old Michigan native leads the nation with 69 points, just two shy of Jack Eichel’s point total last year with a max of four games remaining. With Connor leading the way, Michigan boasts the nation’s most productive line. Teammates J.T. Compher, a Colorado Avalanche prospect, and Chicago Blackhawks pick Tyler Motte join Connor in the nation’s top-five in scoring. All three are Hobey Baker finalists, but Connor is the front-runner and a pretty good candidate to be a one-and-done in college hockey. Next stop: Winnipeg.
2. Jimmy Vesey, Harvard: The Nashville Predators will be watching the tournament very closely in the hopes that Vesey will sign as soon as his season is over. The Crimson aren’t expected to go all the way, but anything can happen in college hockey. If they do have success in the tournament, it will probably be with Vesey leading the way. The senior forward could have turned pro last year, but opted to finish things out at Harvard. He has 46 points in 32 games this year and has been one of the nation’s best goal scorers with 56 over the last two seasons. He could either sign with the Predators or wait until Aug. 15 and be an unrestricted free agent. Pretty much every team would be lined up to sign him, but if he decides to stick with the Preds, he’d be eligible to play in the playoffs this year.
3. Thatcher Demko, Boston College: One of the nation’s top goaltenders this season, Demko has improved each year at BC. The Vancouver Canucks prospect saw his save percentage shoot up in each of his three seasons, while also taking on a heavier workload. This year, he is a candidate for both the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Awards thanks to his .935 save percentage, 25-7-4 record and nation-leading 10 shutouts.
4. Brock Boeser, North Dakota: Kyle Connor has been getting a lot of the attention, but freshmen in general have been making a huge impact across college hockey this year. Boeser has been one of the first-year players making big waves this season. A first-round pick for the Vancouver Canucks in 2015, Boeser has been a dominant offensive force for North Dakota. He leads the team with 25 goals and 51 points in 38 games this season. He’s the “B” in UND’s vaunted CBS Line, which also features senior standout Drake Caggiula and Blackhawks first-rounder Nick Schmaltz. These three have some incredible chemistry, which makes them one of the most fun trios to watch in all of college hockey.
5. Danton Heinen, Denver: One of the big questions early in the season was “What’s wrong with Danton Heinen?” The Boston Bruins prospect was incredible last year as a freshman at DU, putting up 45 points in 40 games, but started this year a little slower. He had 14 points in his first 25 games. Then he heated up in a big, big way. Heinen is currently on a 16-game point streak over which he has put up 28 points. Looks like there’s nothing wrong with him at all. In 38 games, the sophomore has 42 points. His speed and offensive skill allows him to control games when he’s on the ice, making many wonder if he's ready to make the jump to the pros.
6. Ethan Prow, St. Cloud State: The nation’s leading scorer among defensemen is an undrafted free agent. Prow has been a driving force for one of the nation’s top teams in his senior season. A solid puck-mover with advanced offensive instincts, Prow put up 37 points in 36 games so far for the Huskies, establishing new career highs in goals (8) and assists (29) along the way. He was named the NCHC’s Player of the Year and is one of the 10 players still in the mix for the Hobey Baker. He may end up with an NHL contract when all is said and done.
7. Mark Jankowski, Providence: The former first-round pick of the Calgary Flames took a while to get things rolling in his college career, but he’s having his best season as a senior. Jankowski has 40 points this year, surpassing his previous career-best by 13 points. Providence has a lot of veterans that contribute, but having Jankowski going as well as he is heading into the tournament is going to be huge for the defending champs’ repeat hopes. Jankowski had four points in last year’s tournament and will be leaned on heavily to produce again this time around.
8. Kevin Boyle, UMass-Lowell: If there’s one thing we’ve come to expect from UMass-Lowell in recent years, it’s exceptional goaltending. Kevin Boyle has provided just that this season, putting up a .935 save percentage and 23-9-5 record. He was named Hockey East’s co-Player of the Year with Demko and has the ability to steal games. His 58-save performance in a three-overtime win against Providence in the Hockey East semis showed he can do some heavy lifting.
9. Nolan Stevens, Northeastern: The turnaround engineered at Northeastern this year is one of the most stunning the college hockey world has seen. They enter the tournament on a 13-game winning streak and have gone 20-1-2 since Dec. 19. One of the players that has been a big part of that turnaround is sophomore Nolan Stevens. The son of Los Angeles Kings assistant coach John Stevens is second on the team with 41 points in 40 games. It’s a stunning jump from his freshman total of 12 points in 36 games last year. The 6-foot-3 forward has 22 points over the last 13 games, which includes two points in the Hockey East championship game. Others like Stevens' brother John, Zach Aston-Reese and Kevin Roy have also been propelling the Huskies.
10. Sam Anas, Quinnipiac: After getting injured in the ECAC championship game, Anas may not be able to play in the national tournament. His status has not been updated, but he’s the top player on the nation’s best team and we’d be remiss to not mention him. The junior forward is dynamic and has been one of the most productive players in college hockey over his three years. With 48 points in 39 games, he is having a career year for the Bobcats. Hopefully it's not over prematurely due to the injury.
There are a lot of other players that are going to be worth watching, too, as college hockey continues to be a breeding ground for some of the game’s best prospects. It was just last year that Jack Eichel was tearing up the NCAA en route to the Hobey Baker and the second-overall pick in the NHL Draft.
This is the time of year where the stars really tend to shine, but keep an eye out for the unlikely heroes in this wildly unpredictable and compelling tournament.
North Dakota and Northeastern will open tournament play in the Midwest Regional in Cincinnati at 2 p.m. Friday. The full NCAA bracket with times and TV listings is here.
