Boston College Hockey Preview: Defense
(Photo Courtesy of BCEagles.com)
Boston College will return five of its top seven defensemen from a year ago, but the two departures will be felt. Captains Casey Fitzgerald and Michael Kim both graduated after the 2018-2019 season. While the duo only contributed 5 goals during their senior seasons, Fitzgerald and Kim each suited up in all 39 of the Eagles games during their final season on the Heights.
This season, the Eagles defense corps will consist of four seniors and a junior, plus three freshmen, most of whom are expected to start right away for BC.
The senior class is led by Jesper Mattila. While he didn’t recorded a goal last season, Mattila matched Fitzgerald and Kim in games played last season, marking him as steady blue-liners who has the potential to mentor and play alongside some of the talented freshmen. Other seniors include Connor Moore and Luke McInnis; the two often split time as the team’s seventh defenseman.
Perhaps the most intriguing senior is Ben Finkelstein. A transfer from St. Lawrence, Finkelstein was only eligible to play the latter half of the 2018-2019 season, but he made the most of his opportunity immediately upon arrival. Despite appearing in only 22 games, Finkelstein tallied nine assists, good for third best among BC defensemen, behind only Kim and Fitzgerald. A high-IQ player, Finkelstein knows when to enter the play on offense without being reckless and allowing odd-man rushes the other way. Projected out to a full season, Finkelstein should be good for about 5 goals and 18-20 assists, making him BC’s top offensive option on defense entering the season.
The only non-freshman or senior on the BC defense is junior Michael Karow. In 73 collegiate games, Karow is without a goal, but he serves as one of the Eagles most reliable shutdown defensemen. His versatility allowed him to appear in all 39 games last season and move all over the depth chart on the left side, playing with a handful of different partners.
The Eagles will also welcome three freshmen to the defense, one from the BCHL and two from the USNTDP. Mitch Andres will join the Eagles after two seasons in the BCHL, mostly with the Vernon Vipers. During his first season in the league, Andres recorded 11 points in 47 regular season games but turned it on in the postseason, tallying 6 more points in the Vipers 10 postseason games. Last season, he split time between the Vipers and the Chilliwack Chiefs, scoring 4 goals and assisting on 17 more. He’ll most likely see sporadic playing time to start the season as the Eagles ease him into the lineup.
Drew Helleson and Marshall Warren, teammates on the USNTDP, will both be joining the defense after being selected in the 2019 NHL Draft. The two are built very differently and, as a result, perfectly complement each other on the defensive end. Standing at six feet two inches, Helleson is more of a traditional stay-at-home defenseman.
Warren, by contrast, is BC’s smallest, lightest defenseman, coming in at 5 feet 11 inches and 163 pounds. He uses his quickness and high hockey IQ to generate offense from the point. Where they’re both freshmen, Helleson and Warren likely won’t see time this season, but they provide an interesting pairing down the road, possibly serving as the Eagles version of the Brandon Carlo-Torey Krug combo that has worked so well for the Boston Bruins.
Possible line combinations could look like:
Mattila-Helleson
Warren-Finkelstein
Karow-Moore/McInnis