Prospect Q&A: Finkelstein on USHL, Transfer to Boston College

After being selected by the Florida Panthers with the 195th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Benjamin Finkelstein posted a since-pinned tweet saying, "Honored to be selected by the @FlaPanthers in the NHL draft. Couldn't be more excited to be a part of a great organization. #Panthers."
A source of inspiration, Finkelstein doesn't expect to un-pin the message anytime soon.

"It was obviously one of the most special moments of my life, also for my friends and family back home," Finkelstein told FloridaPanthers.com in a recent telephone interview. "It means a lot to me. Whenever I go back, I can see that. It's a cool memory."
Coming off a strong freshman season at St. Lawrence University in which he ranked second on the team in assists (18), Finkelstein recently made the decision to leave the program in favor of joining the USHL's Waterloo Blackhawks - a quick pit stop before enrolling at Boston College in 2018-19.
In just his third game for Waterloo, Finkelstein recorded a goal and five assists to lead the Hawks to a 7-3 win over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Jan. 27, marking the first time a Waterloo player has tallied six points in one game since 2012.
From New York to Iowa, from NCAA hockey to the USHL, it's certainly been a wild few weeks for the 20-year-old defenseman. But the road to the NHL isn't always a straight line, and FloridaPanthers.com's Jameson Olive recently sat down with Finkelstein to discuss all of the exciting twists and turns.
OLIVE: It's fairly uncommon for a player to go from the NCAA to the USHL. What has that transition been like?
FINKELSTEIN: It was obviously a tough decision. Leaving my teammates at St. Lawrence was pretty tough, but they're pretty supportive honestly. Knowing that they had my back no matter what made it a lot easier. As far as going to the USHL, it's my first time playing juniors. I went right from high school at KUA (Kimball Union Academy) to St. Lawrence. It's been a fun experience so far.
OLIVE: How big a gap was there between your last game at St. Lawrence and your USHL debut?
FINKELSTEIN: I want to say it was all within a week.
OLIVE: A week!? That must have been a pretty crazy seven days.
FINKELSTEIN: Yeah, it was pretty hectic. I left St. Lawrence and then I went home for, I want to say, three days. Then the Monday and Tuesday after I was home I visited a few schools and then Wednesday morning I flew out to Waterloo.
OLIVE: There are 17 teams in the USHL. How did you end up in Waterloo?
FINKELSTEIN: They claimed me right after I announced I was leaving St. Lawrence. I was actually never drafted in USHL, so it was kind of a first come, first served thing. They claimed me right away.
OLIVE:How much did it benefit you to only be off the ice for a week during this transition?
FINKELSTEIN:I definitely wanted to get playing right away. It's never easy just sitting at home and playing the waiting game. I wanted to get out and start playing right away, get adjusted to the team and the atmosphere out there. I thought it was in my best interest to do that.
OLIVE: You were named the USHL's Defenseman of the Week for Week 17 of the 2017-18 season. With already nine points (2-7-9) in just four games, are you pretty happy with how things have gone thus far?
FINKELSTEIN: So far, so good. We've got a group here, good coaching staff and good facilities. It's been a pretty easy transition. It's a little different. The guys are a little younger than in college, but it's fun. We're having a good time.
OLIVE: I imagine another big change has been your living arrangements. No more dorm life, correct?
FINKELSTEIN: I'm living with a billet right now, me and two other kids from the team. It's a great family, great house, good setup. It's obviously different, but I was kind of getting sick of the dorms. I'd been in the dorms for the last seven years or so, so I was ready for something new.
OLIVE: You grew up in Vermont, went to high school in New Hampshire and then attended college in New York. After spending your whole life in the northeast, how big a change is living in Iowa?
FINKELSTEIN: It's definitely a big change. But the past few schools I've been to have been in a pretty rural area as well. It's not something crazy or out of the blue. But it's absolutely different than the East Coast.
OLIVE:After this season, you'll be heading back to the East Coast to play for Boston College. You said you toured a few colleges after leaving St. Lawrence, so what was it that really sold you on joining the Eagles?
FINKELSTEIN: It was everything I was looking for. It felt right. It felt like the place I wanted to play my college hockey.
OLIVE: You were a top-pairing defenseman at St. Lawrence. Do you feel like it's up to you to re-earn that spot in the coming seasons at Boston College?
FINKELSTEIN: Absolutely. I'm not going to be able to play until Christmas, so I'm going to have to just go in there and get to work right away and hopefully prove that I can play with them.
OLIVE:When you toured Boston College, how much of a selling point was the opportunity to play for a legend like Jerry York, the only Division I head coach with over 1,000 career wins and five national championships to his credit?
FINKELSTEIN: Like you said, he's a legend. Just hearing him talk and seeing how much knowledge he has about the game, it's pretty evident. Just having him right there and having him say that he wants you absolutely means the world.
OLIVE:The Panthers currently have two defensemen that played under York at Boston College in Ian McCoshen and Mike Matheson. How nice is it to see two players that have already carved out the path you hope to take to the NHL?
FINKELSTEIN: Yeah, absolutely. I remember when I was talking to Coach York, he reached out to McCoshen after I told him that I decided I want to come to BC. McCoshen responded saying, "I wish you all the best." Hearing those words meant a lot.
OLIVE:At 5-foot-9, you don't quite possess the size of Matheson (6'2) or McCoshen (6'3), who but that's no longer the detriment it was for a defenseman, say, 10-15 years ago. Who are some of the undersized NHL players you look up to or try to model your game after?
FINKELSTEIN: I grew up watching guys like [Penguins defenseman] Kris Letang, those skilled defensemen that aren't huge but use their bodies positionally well on ice. They make an impact with their sticks and with their creativity.
OLIVE: Who from the Panthers would you say you keep in touch with most throughout the season?
FINKELSTEIN: I've been in touch with [Director of Player Personnel] Bryan McCabe. We've probably connected two or three times over the year already. I know he saw me when we were at Wisconsin, and we caught up then.
OLIVE: Before he joined Florida's front office, McCabe patrolled the blue line for 15 seasons in the NHL. In your conversations, what has he told you he'd like to see you improve upon in the coming seasons in order to further your development?
FINKELSTEIN: He told me to just stick to the process, show up every day and work hard. Obviously one aspect of my game I need to improve on is the defensive side. It's just about really taking that to heart and playing with pride in the d-zone.
OLIVE: Speaking of pride, your draft-day tweet about the Panthers showed a lot of that. With only 17 selections left in the seventh round before you were picked, did you begin to think there was a good chance you weren't going to be drafted that year?
FINKELSTEIN: Honestly, just kind of watching the draft, I wasn't expecting to be drafted. But once I saw they took me in the late round, I was like "wow, that's pretty cool." I was excited to get things going and get to development camp. I'd never been to Florida before. I thought it was pretty exciting.
OLIVE: How much do you look forward to development camp every summer?
FINKELSTEIN:Just being able to get on the ice with a group of great players like Florida's drafted, it's just really something you can take away from every summer. Whether you're learning from the coaches or just being able to go up against that good competition, it really does make you better.
OLIVE: Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future?
FINKELSTEIN: Obviously my end goal is that I want to play pro hockey. I obviously also want to get my degree (he's an education major). That's a really important thing to me that I've talked about doing ever since I was a little kid. Having the opportunity to do get it at Boston College is something pretty special. I'm definitely looking forward to that. But at the same time, I do want to play pro hockey sometime in the near future.
\Photo Credit: Stephanie Lyn Photography*