Bruins Prospects: Who’s playing college hockey this season?

College hockey season is officially here. A number of schools played in exhibition matches this past weekend as team get into shape for a full season. With those teams are a number of Boston Bruins prospects.

Boston has a total of nine draft picks playing collegiately this year. Of the nine, three will be play in Hockey East, two in the Big 10, two in NCHC, one in ECAC Hockey and one with an independent team. Of the nine, none are on the same team.

Recently, the Bruins have had success drafting and developing those that come through the college ranks.

Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk both played at nearby Boston University before going pro. Jeremy Swayman was stellar at the University of Maine, winning the Mike Richter Award in 2020 as the top college hockey goalie. Trent Frederic played at the University of Wisconsin for two years and Karson Kuhlman captained the University of Minnesota-Duluth that won the National Championship in 2018.

With those prospects set to take the ice for their colleges, let’s look at those Bruins prospects participating in college hockey.

Arguably the best conference this season, the Big 10 features two top prospects out of the Boston Bruins organization.

Mason Lohrei and John Beecher will both participate with Big 10 teams this season. Lohrei enters his first year at Ohio State and John Beecher returns to Michigan.

Mason Lohrei – Ohio State University

The Ohio State Buckeyes may have the Bruins’ best prospect. No, it’s not Fabian Lysell, it’s Mason Lohrei. The 2020 second-round pick from Boston is set to partake in his freshman season with Ohio State.

Lohrei was tabbed the USHL’s Defenseman of the Year last season, with 19 goals and 40 assists in 48 games playing for the Green Bay Gamblers. The 6-foot-4 defender is exactly what the Bruins need — a big, elusive left-handed defender who can excel in all three zones — and it was on display at development camp

Playing in the Big 10, Lohrei will certainly have his work cut out for him, which is good for his development. In the conference is the powerhouse Michigan team, with Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Kent Johnson, Luke Hughes, Thomas Bordeleau … you get it. There’s a ton of talent. Also there will be Minnesota, who is arguably better than the young Michigan squad. Can’t forget Wisconsin and Notre Dame as well.

Bottom line — Lohrei not only is going to be making the transition to the college level, but he’ll be facing some of the toughest competition DI has to offer. If he can hold his own in his freshman year, it’s a good sign for things to come for the 20-year-old.

John Beecher – University of Michigan

Speaking of that stacked Michigan squad, John Beecher is entering his junior season with the Wolverines. He’s coming off a sophomore season that was cut short with a shoulder injury. He took some time this summer to decide his plans for the fall, but decided on going back to Ann Arbor for another season.

The 30th overall selection in the 2019 draft doesn’t wow on the scoresheet. Through two seasons at Michigan, Beecher has13 goals and 24 points in 47 games. With all the offensive talent Mel Pearson’s squad already has, Beecher won’t be relied on heavily to put up numbers, but rather used in a shutdown role.

Beecher sported a non-contact jersey through development camp, still recovering from the torn labrum, so we couldn’t get a fair assessment of the 20-year-old’s performance. And it’ll be another month or so before we see Beecher on the ice again. Pearson confirmed Beecher would be out at least four weeks with an upper body injury, different than the shoulder injury suffered last season. Hopefully Beecher can get healthy and back skating soon.

Boston has three draftees that will be skating in the Northeast this season — Trevor Kuntar for Boston College, Riley Duran for Providence and Ty Gallagher for Boston University.

Both Duran and Gallagher enter their first seasons playing collegiately while Kuntar’s second season is set to get underway.

Trevor Kuntar – Boston College

After a promising freshman season at Boston College, Trevor Kuntar is back at Chestnut Hill for his second-year campaign. The third-round pick from 2020 skated in 23 of 24 games for Jerry York last season, registering six goals and four assists.

With BC losing top scorers in Alex Newhook, Matthew Boldy and Mike Hardman to the pros, Kuntar is in line for a bigger role this season with the Eagles. In BC’s exhibition game against AIC on Saturday, Oct. 2, Kuntar registered an assist playing on a line with Marc McLaughlin (a participant at Bruins development camp) and Nikita Nesterenko, two of BC’s top four point scorers from last season.

At development camp, Kuntar flashed his speed and finesse with the nifty between-the-legs goal. However, it’s his heavy shot that is his best weapon, along with a big frame that allows him to create separation from defenders. If Kuntar continues to play with talent like McLaughlin and Nesterenko, he should see a significant increase in not only production on the stat sheet, but development in his game.

Riley Duran – Providence College

Duran is coming off a rough season with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. After lighting it up with Lawrence Academy in 2019-20 (44 points in 27 games), Duran struggled at the junior level, with just 19 points in 47 games.

The sixth-round selection from the 2020 draft looks to prove last season was a fluke, and will have plenty of time to show that to Boston as he enters his freshman season at Providence College. He already had a strong showing at development camp, and he’ll look to continue that momentum into his season with the Friars.

Duran secured an assist in the Friars’ season opener on Saturday against Army, playing on a third line alongside Chase Yoder (Penguins’ draft pick) and Jamie Engelbert in the scrimmage. Duran’s in good hands under Nate Leaman and is just a short ride away from the staff with the Providence Bruins, who will surely be keeping an eye on the youngster.

Ty Gallagher – Boston University

The final pick from this summer’s draft, Ty Gallagher was the second of back-to-back picks made from the Bruins from the U.S. National Team Development Program. He’s skating this season in his first year with Boston University.

Gallagher wasn’t a regular on the USNTDP for the USHL. Gallagher split team between the U17 team, U18 team and the junior team. With the USHL team, Gallagher had 12 points in 25 games, while he most excelled with U18 team, registering 27 points in 48 games.

The 18-year-old skated on the top defensive pair for BU in the exhibition game Saturday against Holy Cross with Alex Vlasic. Gallagher didn’t waste time in his first NCAA game, finding the back of the net in the Terriers’ 5-1 win. If he keeps producing, he will continue to get top minutes from Albie O’Connell, who also has former Bruins assistant coach Jay Pandolfo on staff.

Next up is a couple of lower-ranked draftees playing in the NCHC.

Quinn Olson is going into his third year with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, while Jake Schmaltz is gearing up for his first season at the University of North Dakota.

Quinn Olson – University of Minnesota-Duluth

Quinn Olson is entering his junior season with Minnesota-Duluth this fall. After being a point-per-player in the AJHL, Olson’s offense hasn’t quite transitioned to the NCAA level.

After a 15-point freshman campaign, Olson decreased to 11 points in three less games. He has a total of 28 points in 59 games with the Bulldogs. However, he’s developed into more of a two-way player on a stacked UMD team.

In the exhibition game on Sunday against Wisconsin, Olson lined up as the third-line left winger, playing alongside Dominic James and Luke Loheit (Ottawa Senators draft pick). Olson needs to take the next step forward this season, as he’s an upperclassmen with experience at the college level. The improvements needs to start.

Jake Schmaltz – University of North Dakota

Another Bruins prospect going into his first year in college, Jake Schmaltz is the Bruins’ seventh-round selection from 2019. He spent the last two seasons in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers, playing with Mason Lohrei. He finished with 53 points in 51 games last season, totaling 85 points in 91 career games with the Gamblers.

Schmaltz centered the second line for North Dakota in its exhibition matchup with Bemidji State on Saturday. He skated alongside Riese Gaber and Judd Caufield (Penguins draft pick). With North Dakota losing its top five scorers from last season, Brad Berry could give Schmaltz a top-line role if in return, the Bruins prospect can answer the bell.