1st-rounders abound
June 28 was a great night for college hockey.
The first round of the 2023 NHL Draft was held on that date at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and it was a bonanza for college hockey, underscoring again the role it plays in developing up-and-coming players.
Of the 32 players picked in the first round, nine were either headed to college or already playing there, including three of the first eight selections.
Leading the way was forward Adam Fantilli, who was taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 3 pick after winning the Hobey Baker Award, voted the top men’s player in NCAA ice hockey, as a freshman at the University of Michigan.
Also selected in the top 10 were forward Will Smith of Boston College, chosen No. 4 by the San Jose Sharks; and Ryan Leonard, Smith’s linemate at BC, who went to the Washington Capitals at No. 8.
Fantastic Fantilli
Fantilli became the third freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award, joining Paul Kariya (University of Maine, 1993) and Jack Eichel (Boston University, 2015). Fantilli tied for the NCAA lead in goals (30) and was the leader in points (65).
Current NHL forwards Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes) and Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs), teammates at Minnesota, were the other Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalists.
Impact rookies
A number of top college players from 2022-23 are making an immediate impact as NHL rookies.
Among the best first-year players are Fantilli, defenseman Luke Hughes (Michigan) of the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Brock Faber (Minnesota) of the Minnesota Wild.
Other notable players who were in college a year ago and are making a splash in the NHL are Cooley, Knies and goalie Devon Levi (Northeastern University) of the Buffalo Sabres.
Richter scale
Capping a standout college career, Levi won his second straight Mike Richter Award, given to the top goalie in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey.
He led the NCAA with a .933 save percentage and had a 2.24 goals-against average with six shutouts.
Levi was the Hockey East Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award Top Ten Finalist for the second year in a row.
The other Richter Award finalists were Quinnipiac’s Yaniv Perets and Michigan Tech University’s Blake Pietila.
Big change at Wisconsin
One of the most attractive jobs in college hockey opened up in March when the University of Wisconsin fired Tony Granato, an alumnus and a longtime NHL player and coach.
The school moved quickly to hire Mike Hastings, who guided Minnesota State University to 11 straight winning seasons as well as appearances in the Frozen Four in 2021 and 2022 and in the NCAA championship game in 2022.
After finishing last in the Big Ten last season, Wisconsin is second in the conference and 14-4 overall.
Arizona State finds a home
The powerhouse National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced in July that Arizona State University would become the conference’s ninth member starting with the 2024-25 season.
It’s a massive step forward for the school, which has played as a Division I independent since 2015-16 and earned an at-large invite to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
With a 13-3-4 record this season, Arizona State is ranked 13th in the most recent national polls.
Robert Morris returns
Division I men’s and women’s hockey returned at Robert Morris University for the 2023-24 season after a two-year hiatus.
In a controversial cost-cutting move, the school eliminated both programs in 2021 months after it hosted the men’s Frozen Four at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
A fundraising campaign by alumni and hockey supporters succeeded in reviving the programs, which each returned to its previous leagues, the men to Atlantic Hockey and the women to College Hockey America.
Augustana joins the party
Augustana University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, played its first game as a Division I program on Oct. 7, a 4-0 loss at Wisconsin.
The Vikings, with 15 players who transferred from other schools, have been very competitive under rookie head coach Garrett Raboin, a former assistant at Minnesota, reaching the holiday break with a record of 6-8-2. A 5-5 tie Oc. 27 at the University of Denver, which was ranked No. 2 in the polls at the time, raised eyebrows around college hockey.
Augustana is playing a 16-game Central Collegiate Hockey Association schedule for two seasons until playing a full league schedule beginning in 2025-26.
The school is scheduled to open Midco Arena, a 3,000-seat on-campus facility, in January.
For all the Beans
For the first time in the 70 editions of the Beanpot, the annual February battle for Boston bragging rights, Northeastern and Harvard University met in the championship game.
Northeastern claimed its eighth title with a 3-2 shootout win. Forward Aidan McDonough, about a month away from signing an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks, scored the deciding goal, and Levi was named tournament MVP.
