Jim ConnellyIn any sport it’s difficult to string together wins, but this season for the Boston College Eagles, winning two games in a row has been nearly impossible for the perennial powerhouse. So there’s little surprise that the Eagles were celebrating their 4-1 victory over Merrimack on Wednesday night, giving the club back-to-back wins for the … Read more
The NHL Central Scouting Service (CSS) released its midterm rankings for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft Wednesday, with New Hampshire recruit James van Riemsdyk leading the list of players with college affiliations. Van Riemsdyk, currently a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program, led a list of seven current or incoming college players ranked … Read more
Hi, my name is Jim and I’m a slacker. That’s right, it’s been way too long since I last wrote, so I’ll bow my head, do a mea culpa, and tell you the good news. The good news of course is that I’m back. The better news is that the college hockey season is officially … Read more
Hi, my name is Jim and I’m a slacker. That’s right, it’s been way too long since I last wrote, so I’ll bow my head, do a mea culpa, and tell you the good news. The good news of course is that I’m back. The better news is that the college hockey season is officially … Read more
Every once in a while, 35 years of experience pay off for a coach. On Saturday night, that certainly was the case for Boston College head coach Jerry York. The Eagles mentor gave simple advice to his captain, Brian Boyle. “Coach told me to go to the net and get more involved [physically],” said the … Read more
A raucous capacity crowd at Boston College’s Kelley Rink made for an incredible atmosphere as the Eagles faced their most hated rival, Boston University, on Friday night. Unfortunately, it also helped force the postponement of the game. As temperatures reached close to 70 degrees outside, the indoor mark soared upwards of 80 degrees, forcing a … Read more
As much as coaches preach Xs and Os in hopes of finding the winning formula, sometimes it’s equally as effective to have power plays and puck luck on your side. In Wednesday’s pre-Thanksgiving matchup between New Hampshire and Boston College, the Wildcats feasted. UNH scored twice on the power play and benefited from two key … Read more
Army head coach Brian Riley said he felt like it was Christmas in the fact that his team tried to gift wrap Friday night’s game against Bentley. Truly, it was more like Groundhog’s Day. In their first trip to Bentley’s John A. Ryan Rink since losing, 4-3, in double overtime in last year’s Atlantic Hockey … Read more
First off, let me say that I was really impressed with the response I got from my first Blog post. And even more impressive is that what was written didn’t turn into a message-board-like flame fest. That said, I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to a couple the comments that were left by readers. … Read more
First off, let me say that I was really impressed with the response I got from my first Blog post. And even more impressive is that what was written didn’t turn into a message-board-like flame fest. That said, I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to a couple the comments that were left by readers. … Read more
The title basically says it all. When USCHO.com asked me to write a blog for them this year, I figured it was a nice opportunity to throw away the deadlines and topics that have buried me for years and take the chance to do what I’ve wanted to for a long time now: screw around. … Read more
The title basically says it all. When USCHO.com asked me to write a blog for them this year, I figured it was a nice opportunity to throw away the deadlines and topics that have buried me for years and take the chance to do what I’ve wanted to for a long time now: screw around. … Read more
In mid-July, Boston College fans were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing that offensive powerhouse Brian Boyle would be returning for his senior year on the Heights. In Tuesday’s night’s season opener, those same fans got to witness the fruits of his return. With two goals and two assists, including a backbreaking … Read more
Keith Seabrook may not have been on the scouts’ consensus hot list, but that didn’t stop the Denver recruit from becoming draft day’s biggest jumper, Jim Connelly says.
Phil Kessel was indisputable college hockey’s hottest incoming commodity a year ago. Saturday, the Minnesota sophomore-to-be saw his stock drop a bit, Jim Connelly reports.
Former U.S. National Team Development Program and current Minnesota freshman-to-be Erik Johnson was the number-one selection in Saturday’s NHL Entry Draft, marking the first time since Rick DiPietro in 2000 that a player with college ties was the top player taken. Johnson’s march to the draft stage began a parade of players with college connections … Read more
As the cream of the crop of young hockey talent strides to the podium Saturday, Jim Connelly says you can credit an American flavor partly to the growth of the U.S. National Team Development Program.
There’s plenty going on in Vancouver around the NHL Draft, and Jim Connelly is there to soak it all up.
Bets, anyone? With the 2006 NHL draft looming, Jim Connelly takes a crack at picking this season’s top 10 selections.
Players with college ties could take the top three slots in this weekend’s NHL Draft — and Jim Connelly finds that there’s plenty more where that came from.