Boston Bruins: Future on Display in NCAA Tourney With Multiple Prospects Involved
The NCAA Division 1 Men’s Ice Hockey Championship begins plays tomorrow in four sites around the country, and with the Boston Bruins reeling after a horrendous four game road trip in which they returned home with no points, at least fans can have a glimpse of the future as the Bruins have nine prospects competing for a trip to next month’s Frozen Four in Tampa. For General Manager Don Sweeney, he may not want to wait for one, in particular.
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Some of these prospects have well-known names in hockey circles. Matt Benning (2012, 6th round) plays for the hottest team in the nation right now, Northeastern University. His father Jim is the General Manager in Vancouver right now, after working for the Bruins as the Director of Player Personnel before being named Assistant General Manager in July of 2007. Northeastern in is the Midwest Regional in Cincinnati, and will take on North Dakota in the first game of the tournament tomorrow. Also playing in Ohio will be Anders Bjork of Notre Dame (2014, 5th round), as the Fighting Irish take on Michigan tomorrow. The sophomore forward led the Irish with 11 goals and 22 assists in 34 games.
Closer to home, former Bruin Ted Donato has his Harvard Crimson ready to take on the Boston College Eagles tomorrow night in Worcester. Donato’s son Ryan (2014, 2nd round) is having an impressive freshman year with 13 goals and 8 assists in 31 games. Also playing for Harvard is giant (6’6”, 196 lbs.) shut-down defenseman Wiley Sherman (2013, 5th round.)
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Sherman, a sophomore, will have his hands full with the Eagles leading scorer Ryan Fitzgerald (2013, 4th round) who had 22 goals and 22 assists in 37 games this year. Ryan is the son of Tom Fitzgerald, who played in the NHL for 19 years, ending his career with the Bruins in 2005-06. He is currently the Assistant GM of the New Jersey Devils.
For Bruins fans in the Midwest, Matt Grzelcyk (2012, 3rd round) and Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (2015, 2nd round) of Boston University hope to return to Tampa to accomplish what they came so close to last year. Grzelcyk’s father John is a long time member of the TD Garden’s ‘Bull Gang’ and his son is a senior defenseman who will most likely be in Providence of the AHL next year. There is much speculation that the Bruins may try to sway Forsbacka-Karlsson to leave school early and turn pro, as they are very high on him. The Terriers will take on Denver University, and the Pioneers have sophomore forward Danton Heinen (2014, 4th round) who averaged over a point per game this year.
Next: Road Trip Reaps No Rewards
If you’re in upstate New York, Yale University will square off against Umass Lowell. Rob O’Gara (2011, 5th round.) Senior defenseman Rob O’Gara has had a solid career in New Haven, and the Bruins have until August 15th to sign him or he would become an unrestricted free agent.