NHL Notebook: Bruins expected to be in the mix for a top NCAA free agent

A lot to unpack this week. Let’s empty the notebook…

The Bruins are reportedly making a push to land the NCAA’s leading goal-scorer, Western Michigan captain Jason Polin, according to Mark Divver. 

Divver reported that it could come down to which NHL team would be willing to offer games right away before the end of the regular season. Polin would be ineligible for the playoffs, too. 

The Broncos’ season ended on Thursday with a 5-1 loss to Boston University in the Manchester Regional semifinal of this year’s Division I tournament. Polin scored his 30th goal of the season in the second period, redirecting a saucer pass out of mid-air in the slot on an odd-man rush to break the NCHC single-season goal record.

Boston has just three picks in the first three rounds in each of the next three drafts, slated to go without a first in 2023 and 2024, a second from 2023-2025 and a third in 2024. Given the draft capital that Don Sweeney has shipped out in recent deadline deals, the Bruins will assuredly be scouring the college free-agent market to restock the cupboard efficiently. 

The B’s have hit on a couple of undrafted college players in the past. Torey Krug and Noel Acciari come to mind. They brought in three just last year that have shown promise in Georgii Merkulov, Marc McLaughlin and Brandon Bussi. 

Boston also had quite the contingent in Manchester on Thursday, per Divver, including general Sweeney and assistant GM Evan Gold. BU defenseman Ty Gallagher, a Bruins 2021 seventh-rounder, had one shot on goal, a block and a plus-two rating against WMU (he added two shots, four blocks and a plus-two against Cornell on Saturday). The Broncos also have two intriguing undrafted forwards in Ryan McAllister and Max Sasson.

Here’s a look at Polin’s game:

The six-foot, 198-pound right-hander can play both wing and center. 

He has steadily upped his production from his freshman season to his senior year. Polin had 7-2–9 totals in 31 games as a freshman before adding 14 points (7g, 7a) in 23 contests his second year. He broke out as a junior with 16 goals and 26 points in 39 games last year. This season, Polin caught fire, putting up 30 goals and 17 assists for 47 points in 39 games to go along with a plus-26 rating. 

Head coach Pat Ferschweiler deployed Polin in all situations between even-strength, power play, penalty kill and overtime. A fifth of his goals (six) came on the power play this season, and he added two shorthanded tallies and two overtime winners as well. 

Polin and linemates McAllister (49 points as a freshman) and Sasson (42 points) made up one of the best lines in college hockey. 

He had pockets of the season where goals came in bunches, including five hat tricks, which all came in the first half of the year. He netted back-to-back hat tricks against Michigan Tech and Ferris State as WMU went on to claim the Great Lakes Invitational at the end of December. 

Consistency was key for the 23-year-old as he never went more than three games without a point for the Broncos this season. The NCHC Player and Forward of the Year may be best suited on the wing, even if he can play center, too. 

His collegiate numbers aren’t a fluke either, as he was a productive player in juniors with Cedar Rapids of the USHL, increasing his totals in each of his three seasons. He exploded with 30 goals and 50 points in 59 games before his freshman year at WMU, finishing his USHL run with 50-34–84 in 157 games. 

He’s a pure shooter, given his assist numbers, but drives play off the rush and has a nose for the net. Ferschweiler also trusted the Hobey Baker top-10 finalist’s two-way game enough to put him out on defensive assignments and the penalty kill. 

Some college free-agent centers the Bruins could be after

Center in particular is a position of need in the future for Boston, given the eventual retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, potentially as soon as this offseason. 

With the NCAA tournament underway and several programs’ seasons already over, some dominoes have begun to fall on the free-agent front. 

Here are some pivots that could be on Boston’s radar:

Jaxon Nelson, Minnesota – Nelson is a very big body, standing at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. He’s been a solid secondary contributor on a stacked Minnesota squad, putting up nine goals and 25 points in 37 games this year (21-33–54 in 127 career games). The assistant captain plays a good two-way game for the Golden Gophers. His size and defensive ability make him an attractive option at center, although his speed may hold him back. He had a goal and an assist for Minnesota in their regional final win over St. Cloud State on Saturday. 

Austen Swankler, Bowling Green – Swankler has taken an interesting path. He put up 18-27–45 in 59 games with the OHL’s Erie Otters in 2019-20 before sitting out a year to use his NCAA eligibility at Bowling Green. He had 26 points in his first season before becoming one of the nation’s top scorers with 44 points (19g) in 35 games. The 6-foot, 185-pound left-shot is aggressive, putting pucks on net and unafraid to play with physicality. There are concerns about his skating, though. 

Max Sasson, Western Michigan – Polin’s WMU counterpart is likely to garner plenty of interest. He makes plays and scores very well in his own right, centering the nation’s highest point-producing line with Polin and McAllister. Sasson has the speed, two-way ability and sandpaper that make him a good option coming out of college. He had 42 points (15g) in 38 games as a sophomore, following up a 22-point freshman year. Made quite a living around the front of the net, too. Update: Sasson inked a two-year entry-level deal with Vancouver on Sunday.

Wilmer Skoog, Boston University – Skoog is a do-it-all type of player. Has come into his own as an upperclassman with 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points as a junior. This season he has 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points. The senior is a solid two-way player with a bit of a mean streak to his game and can score in the dirty areas, too. Fun player with four “Michigan” goals in his NCAA career. The Swede attended Vegas’ development camp in the offseason. 

We're taking a 1-0 lead into the third period thanks to Skoog's career-best 16th goal of the season!

📺: ESPNU
💻: https://t.co/WkYa70e2pG (ESPN+) pic.twitter.com/cINrm9eviv

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) March 25, 2023

Justin Hryckowian, Northeastern – Hyrckowian is remaining at Northeastern for another year, recently named captain for his junior season, but he is absolutely worth keeping an eye on in the future. He is good at the dot and is a very solid playmaker, seeing the ice well. The Quebec native also won Best Defensive Forward in Hockey East this year. Instantly made an impact at NU with 22 points (7g) in 27 games as a freshman in 2021-22. He followed it up with 36 points (15g) in 35 this past season. He was at Washington’s development camp last summer.

B’s miss out on Parker Ford

Boston could have been in on one domino that has already fallen, former Providence center Parker Ford. 

The Bruins have made the trip down I-95 to Providence plenty of times in the past. Current Friars forward Riley Duran and goaltender Philip Svedeback are Bruins draft picks. They brought in Acciari as a free agent in 2015, and acquired defenseman Michael Callahan last season.

Boston had been Ford in the past, and he was once a development camp invitee. But Winnipeg landed the 22-year-old center on Saturday.

Ford is a heavy, two-way player, similar to Acciari. What he lacks in size (5-foot-9, 181 pounds), he makes up for in speed and tenacity, willing to finish checks, put himself in front of pucks and be a menace. The Wakefield, R.I., native has been a solid offensive contributor, too, with 41 goals and 94 points in 134 career NCAA games (12-14–26 in 37 games this year). 

The fit would have made tons of sense, but alas.

Lohrei impresses in NCAA regionals

Defense prospect Mason Lohrei put up a goal and two assists for Ohio State in the Buckeyes’ 8-1 drubbing of Harvard in the Bridgeport regional semifinal. He also had two blocks, four shots on goal and a plus-four rating. He was physical and moved the puck well in transition, too. 

The 6-foot-4, 209-pound blue-liner has four goals and 28 assists for 32 points, an NCAA career-high, in 39 games for OSU this season. He had 29 points (4g, 25a) in 31 games as a freshman last season. 

Divver reported that Boston’s contingent in Connecticut was impressed with the 2020 second-rounder’s game as his skating is in a “different stratosphere” since the last time Ohio State played out east, an 0-1-1 weekend at UConn in October. Lohrei was coming off an off-season knee procedure at the time. 

Can’t help but think he could be in line to sign his entry-level contract once his collegiate season is over. 

The Buckeyes will face second-seed Quinnipiac in the Bridgeport regional final Sunday at 4 p.m. in what should be a great game. It’s a good opportunity to catch him in action live if you can.

Update: Ohio State lost, 4-1, to Quinnipiac in the Bridgeport Regional final on Sunday. Lohrei had three shots and a minus-three in a tough day all around for OSU. Divver reported Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold raved about Lohrei. Sweeney was also in Bridgeport for the game.

Hall begins practicing, Foligno returns to the ice

Taylor Hall returned to practice with the Bruins this week, donning a red no-contact sweater.

Jim Montgomery was mum on whether or not Hall would return before the end of the regular season.

“He’s got some hurdles here still in our process of return to play to go through,” Montgomery said Thursday. “Not certain either way. I don’t have a definitive answer.

Nick Foligno had been skating on his own before the team sessions at Warrior this week. The next box for him to check is practicing with the team.

Hall has been dealing with a lower-body injury since Feb. 25. Foligno sustained a lower-body injury on Feb. 28. 

“They’re checking boxes and progressing well,” Montgomery said on Tuesday. “There’s no timeline for us, yet.” 

Their potential returns give Boston a bevy of bottom-six options, but Montgomery hasn’t factored them into the plans yet.

“I still think they’re a ways away,” he added. “It’s not at the point where I’m starting to think about lines and stuff. … I don’t think it’s a problem. I think it’s a great situation. When they get back, you get to see who plays with who. A deep lineup is going to get even deeper. It’s a great problem to have.”

The regular season wraps up on Thursday, April 13. The playoffs will begin the following week.

World Baseball Classic shines a light on what hockey is missing

This month’s World Baseball Classic classic gave us a glimpse of what hockey has been lacking since 2016: best on best. 

Tuesday’s finale featured a final at-bat with Japan’s Shohei Ohtani staring down USA’s Mike Trout with the game on the line. Two MLB teammates and arguably the two best ballplayers on the planet facing off on a massive stage with massive stakes. Trout bit on a magical Ohtani slider on a 2-2 count as Japan took the win.

This year’s tournament was a hit, according to data from Forbes. Attendance was up 20 percent for the tournament. Ratings in the United States were up 69 percent for the final game over the previous high. The game was at 8 p.m. local time in Japan, but 42.4 percent of households tuned in.

It has its flaws, one being that some players tend to opt-out, similar to each year's IIHF World Championships that feature skaters from non-playoff teams, youngsters and more during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Meanwhile, looking at the NHL, Connor McDavid has not played for Canada in the Olympics, Auston Matthews hasn’t played for the U.S., Mikko Rantanen hasn’t played for Finland, Mika Zibanejad has not played for Sweden and so on. 

The last time NHL players participated in the Olympics was in Sochi in 2014. They were slated to go to Beijing in 2022, but COVID concerns put a stop to it.

Some players had the chance to compete in the most recent World Cup of Hockey, which was six seasons ago. 

McDavid made his feelings known to reporters in Edmonton this week.

“That’s what we’ve been asking for in hockey for a long time, right? Best on best.” McDavid said. “Look, everyone’s talking about baseball, 'did you see Ohtani vs. Trout?' And that’s what hockey has been missing for almost a decade now.”

Some of the game’s brightest young stars, like McDavid, Matthews and Jack Eichel were relegated to Team North America. Players from countries who would normally be in the Olympics, but were not included in the World Cup, like Leon Draisaitl (Germany), Roman Josi (Switzerland) and Anze Kopitar (Slovenia) made up Team Europe. While the North Americans and Europeans may have captured the admiration of fans and featured future Hall of Famers, those teams can’t equate to representing your country.

The players want it to happen. 

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that 23 of 26 general managers in an “unofficial flash poll” are in favor of NHLers participating, but want it in September instead of February because of injuries. Fair, but the tournament will have to compete with the NFL and a pennant race in the MLB. 

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman floated the idea of round-robin action in September and championship rounds during the All-Star break. Creative thinking, but doesn’t quite eliminate injury concerns.

Friedman, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and TSN’s Pierre LeBrun have all acknowledged the Russia factor because of the war in Ukraine. Russia and ally Belarus are barred from IIHF events through the 2023-24 season, at least. It’s why a potential World Cup in 2024 was postponed to “hopefully” 2025. 

It may simply have to forge on without the Russians, leaving out Alex Ovechkin, Kirill Kaprizov, Artemi Panarin and more. Certainly a big hole in the talent pool. 

On top of Gary Bettman’s smoke signal about the salary cap last week, NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh may already have another point to squabble with the commissioner over during their first meeting, apparently set for Monday.

Fanatics to take over NHL jersey supply

Adidas will no longer be supplying NHL jerseys, beginning next season.

That news alone isn’t surprising. ESPN reported in July that the manufacturer opted not to extend its seven-year deal with the league. Also not surprising, given where hockey is on the priority list for the company, likely behind soccer, basketball, football, etc. 

So, in comes Fanatics with the announcement coming earlier this week that the company and the league have agreed to a 10-year deal. No financial terms were made available. Friedman said on the latest '32 Thoughts' podcast that he assumes the company made an offer the NHL couldn't refuse, given the robust length of the deal.

Fanatics already manufactures jerseys for the MLB, doing so since 2017, but the Nike swoosh is slapped on, making it a Nike product.  They make nearly 100,000 uniforms each season. They also sell authentic Nike-branded NFL jerseys. 

Adidas had a good run. There were the two Reverse Retro campaigns that both felt like home runs, on top of many well-executed throwback jerseys. Some alternates and outdoor game jerseys were hit or miss, but the company wasn’t afraid to be creative. 

Fanatics will use the same factory in Quebec that Adidas used. There are also executives at the company who were around for the days of Reebok and Adidas. NHL executive and vice president of marketing Brian Jennings said the new sweaters “will be almost indiscernible” from the current ones, via ESPN. The first major changes on the horizon will be new fabric options and safety precautions to guard against skate lacerations.   

As opposed to potential suitors like CCM (who supplies jerseys for the CHL and AHL), Under Armour (who supply several of NCAA programs like Boston University, Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin and Notre Dame) and New Balance (who supplies Boston College and Maine), Fanatics likely had an inside track because of its existing partnership with the league and some teams.

The deal was met with backlash. Fanatics has a checkered history with customer service and product quality. 

Friedman shared a story of a Jared Spurgeon Minnesota Wild jersey being printed as “Spurgeno.” He also reported that some teams “were nervous about this.” He went on to mention that there’s a belief if Fanatics screws up, they’ll likely never get another chance with a different league. So, it may “drive Fanatics to be better” with the NHL as the “test driver.”

Icethetics, who is on top of uniform leaks, reports and concepts, recently did a short YouTube series breaking down the potential successors to Adidas before the deal, as well as a debrief on the new deal and the concerns it may pose. Worth giving a watch if you're into this type of thing.

Between already having experience with MLB and an apparent need to put its best foot forward, Fanatics may be in a position to do well. We’ll have to wait and see.

“I’m just here for the riot”

ESPN Films announced this week that production has wrapped on a 30 for 30 documentary called, “I’m Just Here for the Riot,” documenting the Vancouver riots following Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. 

As you may recall, on June 15, 2011, the Bruins shut out the Canucks, 4-0, at Rogers Arena to win their first Stanley Cup Championship in 39 years. No big deal, right?

Well as you may also recall, Vancouver fans were understandably not happy. The city devolved into bedlam. The mob turned over police cars and set them ablaze, stores were looted, windows shattered and more. Chaos. 

Directors Asia Youngman and Kathleen Jayme document “the aftermath of the event captured on hundreds of cell phone cameras, with the rioters outed, shamed, and their lives altered forever,” according to the release.

“Taking a subject like Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and the ensuing riot – and using that event to tell an even bigger story about society – is what makes 30 for 30 so special,” ESPN Films vice president and executive producer Marsha Cooke said in a statement. “The filmmakers had a clear POV: they wanted to explain not just what happened, but WHY. Why do we get so caught up in the emotions of winning and losing? Why do normal people sometimes run amok and do things they regret? And in a world dominated by cell phones and social media, why do we feel compelled to capture everything, no matter how destructive it might be? It is a story about regret and shame, but profoundly, it’s also about how you rebuild, forgive, and try to find something meaningful in the aftermath.” 

The city also rioted when the Canucks lost Game 7 of the 1994 final to the New York Rangers. Sensing a pattern.

There are no details on a release date yet.