2025-26 Hockey East Season Preview: Boston University Terriers

So close. So, so close ...

A new college hockey season is underway and no team has more motivation to win this year than the Boston University Terriers, considering they were the team that lost to Western Michigan in the 2025 NCAA Championship Game. Motivated and skilled, the Terriers aren’t just the tog dog in Hockey East this year, again, they are one of the best teams in the nation.

With the Hockey East coach’s preseason poll winners, with seven coaches believing BU will finish first this year, the team started out with two tone-setting wins last weekend, one over LIU by a score of 4-2 at home, followed by a 3-0 exhibition win over RPI the next night. Head coach Jay Pandolfo has built a terrific roster as well, with more NHL-drafted players, 19, than any other college this season. In short, the Terriers can go after opponents in waves of talent.

We'll start with the fresh faces.

On top of the returning players from last year, the program has added 14 new players to the roster, with 12 being freshmen: Steven Luciano, Jonathan Morello, Carter Amico, Conrad Fondrk, Jay Feldberg, Jack Murtagh, Ryder Ritchie, Ben Merrill, John McNelis, Kyle Kim, Malte Vass and Charlie Trethewey. Something important to note with this incoming freshmen class, eight were drafted by NHL teams this offseason.

The remaining two players are transfers: sophomore Sacha Boisvert and senior Owen McLaughlin, both from North Dakota.

There's also a new face behind the bench as Cam Doomany has been named an assistant coach tasked with developing and working with the Terries netminders.

Doomany, a graduate of Merrimack in 2019, arrived in Boston after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence. Previously he was the goaltending coach at Bentley for two seasons, and served as the director of goaltending development and marketing manager with Stop It Goaltending (2016-23).

"I'm excited to welcome Cam to our coaching staff," Pandolfo said. "Cam brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to BU and he will be a great asset for our goaltenders."

2025-26 Boston University Terriers

Head Coach: Jay Pandolfo (BU’96)
Associate Head Coach: Joe Pereira (BU’11)
Assistant Coach: Kim Brandvold (Lowell’06)
Assistant Coach: Cam Doomany (Merrimack’19)

Arena: Agganis (Opened 2005)
2024-25 Record: 14-8-2 (Finished 3rd last season)

Last Hockey East Championship: 2023

It's difficult to pinpoint the key players on this team because Boston University has so many potential contributors, but one is Carter Amico, who was selected in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round, 38th overall. He spent two seasons with the U.S. National Development Program, where he only played in 13 games before a season-ending injury cut his time short with the program. Amico will look to bounce back with the Terriers this season in a big way.

Conrad Fondrk was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round, 50th overall, in this year's draft. He also spent two seasons with the U.S. National Development Program, where he was able to score 13 goals and bank 14 assists in 40 games for the under-18 squad.

Ryder Ritchie was selected 45th overall, in the second round by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 draft. Last season he helped lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Western Hockey League championship and finished as the runner-up for the 2025 Memorial Cup. In 53 regular season games, he netted 29 goals and assisted on 32 more. His stellar numbers continued come playoff time, where he averaged a point a game, scoring nine goals and registering nine assists in 18 games. He's a true playmaker who has a chance to develop into an elite player at the collegiate level.

There's also Jack Murtagh, who went to the Flyers 40th overall this year. Just like some of his teammates, he too also spent two seasons with the U.S. National Development Program. For Murtagh, he totaled six points, two goals and four assists en route to winning bronze at the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Furthermore, he recorded 53 points on 22 goals and 31 assists in 56 games with the Under-18 Team.

We could go on, but you get the idea. As for the returning core, one player's numbers absolutely jump off the stat sheet, sophomore Cole Hutson.

Just to briefly summarize his dominance, here's a list of all the awards he won during his first collegiate year of hockey — as if his NCAA rookie-leading 48 points and 34 assists weren't enough of a telling sign:

• National Rookie of the Year
• First Team All-American
• New England Rookie of the Year
• New England Top Defenseman Award
• New England Division I All-Star
• Hockey East Rookie of the Year
• Hockey East First Team All-Star
• Hockey East All-Rookie Team

With this group of players the Terriers shouldn't just win games in a competitive manner, they are expected to win them in dominating fashion. Last year, they scored the most goals in all of college hockey, with 150 overall and 89 in conference play, the most in both categories by a comfortable margin in Hockey East.

It will be up to the leaders of this team to keep the group locked in, to keep their eyes on the prize come March. Gavin McCarthy was named the captain back in early September. The assistant captain spots are filled by junior Jack Harvey, sophomore Cole Eiserman and, for his previously mentioned performance last year, Hutson.

"I'm excited that Gavin, Jack and the Coles were voted to lead our team this season," Pandolfo said. "They have all certainly made an impact for us on the ice during their time here, but they've also set a great example of what it takes to succeed in the weight room and in the classroom. It's clear when being around them that they're all proud to be Terriers and all four of them will continue to be great representatives of the University as we once again compete for a national title."

Leadership and discipline, that will be the Terriers key to success this season. On paper they're not just the top team in Hockey East, but the entire east coast that should make a serious run at returning to the Frozen Four.