BC's Perreault Gets First NHL Hat Trick

Gabe Perreault (Boston College) has notched his first NHL hat trick. 

The right wing from Sherbrooke, Quebec. tallied three goals in the New York Rangers' 4-1 win over visiting Detroit today. He collected his first goal late in the second period, added another midway through the third, and completed the trifecta by scoring into an empty net with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. He now has 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 45 outings so far this season for the Rangers, who had been previously eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff consideration for this year.

Perreault, 20, made his NHL debut last spring by going scoreless in a five-game audition with the Rangers, who drafted him 23rd overall in 2023 out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. He spent two years at BC, collecting 35-73—108 points in 73 appearances with the Eagles, while helping them to two Hockey East regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament berths, including the 2024 national championship game.

BC's Leonard Named Hobey Baker Finalist

The accolades keep rolling in for Boston College men's hockey for its completed 2024-25 season.

Ryan Leonard, who recently signed with the Washington Capitals and made his NHL debut on Tuesday after two seasons at BC, is a Hobey Baker Award hat trick finalist long with Denver sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium and Michigan State junior forward Isaac Howard. The winner will be announced on April 11 at the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis.

Leonard, a sophomore forward, led all NCAA Division I men's hockey players with 30 goals this season, and finished his college career with 61 goals and 109 points. He also won this season's Walter Brown Award as the top American-born men's player in Division I hockey, the 25th BC player ever to do so. 

Also from the Heights, forward Gabe Perreault signed with the New York Rangers and made his NHL debut on Wednesday, while goaltender Jacob Fowler just signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Both were sophomores and 2023 NHL draft choices. Perreault tallied 35 goals and 108 points in two years with BC, while Fowler fashioned a 57-13-3 career record with a 1.90 goals-against average and seven shutouts while with the Eagles. Along with Leonard, they led BC to last year's national title game, and a Hockey East regular-season title this year. 

NCAA Undergraduates Jumping to NHL

A number of NCAA hockey underclassmen, with their team's 2024-25 seasons having recently coming to an end, have signed professional contracts with NHL organizations. Some of the more notable recent signings, as listed by player's last name:

Player, Class, Position (School)           NHL Team

Damien Carfagna, Jr., D, (Ohio State) #    Edmonton

Trevor Connelly, Fr., F (Providence)       Vegas

Karsen Dorwart, Jr., F (Michigan State) #  Philadelphia

Connor Kurth, Jr., F (Minnesota)           Tampa Bay

Joey Larson, Jr., F (Michigan State) #     NY Islanders

Ryan Leonard, So., F (Boston College) *    Washington

Dans Locmelis, So., F (Massachusetts)      Boston

Gabe Perreault, So., F (Boston College)    NY Rangers

Chase Pietila, So., D (Michigan Tech) #    Pittsburgh

Isak Posch, So., G (St. Cloud State) #     Colorado

Jimmy Snuggerud, Jr., F (Minnesota) *      St. Louis

Trey Taylor, Jr., F (Clarkson) #           Dallas

Callum Tung, Fr., G (Connecticut) #        NY Rangers

Matthew Wood, Jr. F (Minnesota)            Nashville

More signings can be found here. 

# Signed as free agent

* 2025 Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist

U.S. Drops Swiss in WJC Quarterfinals

Fresh off a convincing 4-1 victory over host Canada in its last game of round-robin play on New Year's Eve, the United States moved closer to defending its gold medal status at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa with a 7-2 win today over Switzerland in the quarterfinal round.

James Hagens (Boston College) and Ryan Leonard (Boston College) each scored two goals for the Group A champion Americans, who also got 17 saves in goal from Hampton Slukynsky (Western Michigan) and three assists offensively from Gabe Perreault (Boston College).

The U.S. will now face Czechia in the WJC semifinals on Saturday. The other semifinal will match Sweden and Finland, with the winners to meet on Sunday for the championship.

ADDENDUM: Team USA defeated Czechia, 4-1, and will face Finland on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET (NHL Network) for the gold. Czechia will meet Sweden for the bronze.

USA Routs Germany in WJC Opener

Team USA is off to a good start at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

The United States routed Germany, 10-4, in its tournament opener today, as over a dozen American skaters recorded at least one point on the scoresheet. Cole Hutson (Boston University) set up five goals, while James Hagens (Boston College) scored two goals and assisted on two others. Gabe Perreault (Boston College) and Brodie Ziemer (Minnesota) scored twice apiece, with Perreault also adding an assist. Trey Augustine (Michigan State) stopped 18 shots for the Americans in earning the win.

The U.S. returns to WJC action on Saturday against Latvia.

ADDENDUM: Team USA topped Latvia, 5-1, before falling to Finland, 4-3, in overtime on Sunday.

Six Eagles Named to 2025 WJC Team

A half-dozen Boston College Eagles have been named to the final U.S. roster for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship (NHL rights): 

D Drew Fortescue (NY Rangers)

D Aram Minnetian (Dallas)

F Teddy Stiga (Nashville) 

F Ryan Leonard (Washington)

F James Hagens

F Gabe Perreault (NY Rangers)

Hagens is projected to go first overall in the 2025 NHL Draft next summer. 

Leonard has been named U.S. team captain, according to USCHO.com. This season's WJC will be contested from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Ottawa, after the U.S. won the gold medal in last year's tournament in Sweden.

BC Edges Providence, 3-2, in OT

Ryan Leonard took a penalty in the third period that negated what would have been a Boston College power play, then scored the tying goal late in regulation and the game-winner in overtime to lift third-ranked BC to a 3-2 victory at No. 10 Providence last night.

After Gabe Perreault had put BC ahead in the first minute of play, the host Friars responded with second-period goals less than three minutes apart by Clint Levens and Ryan O'Reilly to put Providence ahead, 2-1. That lead stood up until Leonard tapped home a pass from the far wing with less than four minutes remaining in regulation to tie the contest, before he backhanded home a loose puck in front just over four minutes into OT to end it.

Jan Korec stopped 24 shots for the visiting Eagles (8-2-0 overall, 3-1-0 Hockey East) in making his first start of the 2024-25 NCAA season, while Philip Svedebäck made 36 stops for the Friars (7-3-2, 5-2-2). Leonard and Perreault tallied three points apiece for BC, while James Hagens set up two goals for the Eagles. The two Hockey East rivals will close out the season series on Jan. 17 at BC.

BC, Denver to Meet Saturday for NCAA Crown

The national title game is set. It will be Denver against Boston College on Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn., for the 2024 NCAA Division I men's hockey championship, after both teams won national semifinal contests today at the Xcel Energy Center.

In the opening game this afternoon, Tristan Broz scored just over 11 minutes into overtime to lift Denver to a 2-1 win over Boston University. Luke Tuch opened the scoring for BU (28-10-2 overall) with a shorthanded goal in the first period, before Tristan Lemyre tied it for DU in the second. BU outshot DU, 34-29, overall, even though the Terriers did not receive any power plays. Matt Davis made 33 saves in net for the Pioneers (31-9-3), while Mathieu Caron finished with 27 stops for the Terriers.

In the nightcap, Will Smith opened the scoring just over a minute into the opening stanza as top-ranked Boston College blanked Michigan, 4-0. The Eagles (34-5-1), who set a school record for most victories in a single season with tonight's win, broke the game open with goals 49 seconds apart in the second period from Smith and Cutter Gauthier (NCAA-high 38th goal of the year) while the two teams were skating 4-on-4. 

Gabe Perreault, who also assisted on both of Smith's goals, closed out the scoring early in the third period with an unassisted tally for the Eagles. Jacob Fowler stopped all 32 shots he faced in earning his third shutout of the season for BC, which was outshot by a 32-22 margin. Jake Barczewski had 18 stops for the Wolverines (23-15-3), who were making their third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four, and who were shut out for the first time in a Frozen Four appearance.

BC and DU will now meet for the national title on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2). It will be a rematch of a game from October at BC, where the Pioneers edged the Eagles, 4-3. DU is seeking its record 10th NCAA men's hockey title all-time, and second in three years, while BC is after its sixth national championship ever, and first since 2012.

USA Wins 2024 World Juniors

Exactly 20 years after winning its first-ever gold medal in the competition, the United States is again king of the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Issac Howard (Michigan State) scored two goals, and Gabe Perreault (Boston College) notched a goal and two assists as the U.S. broke open a two-all game with four answered scores Friday in a 6-2 win over host Sweden in the gold medal game of this year's event. Trey Augustine (Michigan State) made 24 saves in net to help the Team USA win its sixth WJC gold medal ever, and first since 2021 when it defeated host Canada.

The Americans, who finished with a perfect 7-0-0 record in this year's tournament, advanced to the title game following a 3-2 victory over Finland in the semifinal round on Thursday. Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) tallied the decisive power-play goal late in regulation after Team USA fought back from a 2-0 first-period deficit, while Augustine made 21 stops. Gauthier tied for the tournament scoring lead with 12 points, on two goals and 10 assists, while Howard led all WJC goal scorers this year with seven goals in all.

Sweden made it to the final after downing Czechia, 5-2, in the semifinals. Czechia then won the bronze medal after defeating Finland, 8-5, earlier Friday. Next year's WJC is scheduled to be held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for the first time since 2009.

USA Upends Latvia in WJC Quarterfinal

The United States has advanced to the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Team USA made it to the WJC final four by routing Latvia, 7-2, on Tuesday in Sweden.

The U.S. tallied three goals in each of the first two periods to win going away. Gabe Perreault (Boston College) scored twice and asded an assist for the Americans, who also got three assists apiece from Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) and Seamus Casey (Michigan). Jacob Fowler (Boston College) finished with 25 saves in goal for the U.S., which went 1-for-5 on the power play. 

The U.S. will face Finland (1:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network) in one of the two semifinal contests on Thursday. The other will feature Sweden, which edged Switzerland on Tuesday, vs. Czechia, which upset defending WJC champion Canada in the final minute of regulation in their quarterfinal matchup.

Boston College No. 1 in the Nation

Following a two-step sweep of eighth-ranked Michigan State, Boston College is the new top team in the USCHO.com poll for NCAA Division I men's hockey.

The Eagles garnered 36 first-place votes in raising their overall record this season to 5-1-0, after former No. 1 school Minnesota was swept by No. 14 Wisconsin last weekend. It is the first time that BC has been ranked first overall since March 15, 2021. Denver, North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Providence, Quinnipiac, Boston University and Cornell round out this week's top ten.

BC opens Hockey East conference play this weekend in a home-and-home series against UMass Lowell.

ADDENDUM: The Eagles improved to 6-1-0 with a 3-2 win over UML on Friday night at Kelley Rink. Freshman defenseman Aram Minnetian notched the game-winning goal for BC, which added a second 3-2 victory Saturday night in Lowell as freshman forward Gabe Perreault recorded three assists. 

Fantilli Leads All NCAA-Related Players Drafted in 2023 NHL First Round

Adam Fantilli (Michigan) was taken third in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft tonight in Nashville, the highest-ranking college-related player selected among the 32 NHL teams.

Projected to be tabbed as high as second overall, Fantilli, 18, was chosen by the Columbus Blue Jackets following a freshman campaign that saw him tally 30 goals and 35 assists for a nation-best 65 points as he led the Wolverines to a Big Ten tournament title and the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa. He also won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey, and earned All-Big Ten Rookie of the Year and First Team All-America accolades. The Toronto native, who also won gold medals this year at both the IIHF World Junior Championship and IIHF World Championship with Canada, has not yet indicated whether he will return to Michigan for his sophomore season or not.

The only other skaters chosen in the first round who played in the NCAA last year were Matthew Wood (UConn), who went 15th overall to the host Nashville Predators, and Charlie Stramel (Wisconsin), who was taken 21st overall by the Minnesota Wild. Wood tallied 11-23—34 points in 35 games last season for the Huskies, while Stramel posted 5-7—12 points in 33 outings for the Badgers. Fantilli, Wood and Stramel are all forwards, with Fantilli and Stramel lining up at center, and Wood at right wing.

Six other players—five forwards and one defenseman—were taken in the first round who are scheduled to begin their NCAA careers this fall. They include (name, position, selection, NHL team, school):

• William Smith, C, 4th, San Jose (Boston College)

• Ryan Leonard, RW, 8th, Washington (Boston College)

• Tom Willander, D, 11th, Vancouver (Boston University) 

• Oliver Moore, C, 19th, Chicago (Minnesota)

• Gabe Perreault, RW, 23rd, NY Rangers (Boston College)

• Bradly Nadeau, C, 30th, Carolina (Maine)

Smith, Leonard and Perreault were all linemates with the U.S. National Team Development Program last season in Plymouth, Mich., combining for an outstanding 353 points with the U.S. Under-18 Team. Willander played junior hockey with Rogles in his native Sweden, recording 25 points, and also helped his home country to a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Moore put up 75 points this past year with the U.S. Under-18 Team, while Nadeau skated the past two seasons with Penticton (BCHL) and totaled 159 points over that span.

Rounds Two through Seven, the conclusion of this year's NHL Draft, will begin Thursday morning at 11 a.m. ET (NHL Network, ESPN+, SportsNet, TVA Sports).

ADDENDUM: Fantilli subsequently signed an entry-level contract with Columbus, relinquishing his remaining NCAA eligibility ... The full list of players with NCAA ties who were drafted this year can be found here. Boston College led all schools with six current/incoming players drafted, all of them incoming freshmen.