Season Preview: Boston College Men’s Hockey Roundtable

On Friday night at Conte Forum, the Eagles return to the ice. The #6 Boston College men’s hockey team will face off against the #13 Quinnipiac Bobcats at 7PM to open a brand new 2025-26 season. After a dominant regular season and disappointing postseason last spring, and a lot of significant offseason departures, our emotions are all over the place. Let’s get into it.

Hockey season is finally here! What gets you most excited for another year at Conte Forum and beyond?

Curtis: There aren’t many better feelings than a good game at Conte Forum, at least for me. I’m excited to see where this season takes us with so much unknown and so many opportunities for new stars to emerge.

SB: This felt like a really long offseason! I’m ready to get back to watching this team compete and seeing how much more the players have developed from last year.

Curran: The schedule is brutal, but it should lead to some entertaining games! I’m just excited to get back into Conte.

BC was ranked #6 in the national USCHO preseason poll. Too high, too low, or just right?

Curtis: A tad too high. I think BC will solidly be in contention for the NCAA tournament field, but it’ll be closer to 16 than 6.

Steve: Higher than I would have guessed but there’s plenty of talent left on this team even after losing some of their biggest names after last season.

SB: I feel like that’s fine. I can see them being a top-15 team over the course of the season, which honestly in retrospect I’m okay with 😅

Curran: Too high — for now. There’s high-end talent with Hagens and Stiga returning, but there’s more questions than in the past few years. A lot rides on the development of guys like Dean Letourneau and Jake Sondreal.

What do you think will be the greatest strength of this BC team?

Curtis: Their defensive structure. Scoring may come and go, but BC has a solid corps of veterans on defense. They were the #2 unit in the nation last season and I expect them to stay in that top tier.

Steve: Even with Eamon Powell and Aidan Hreschuk moving on, I think this should be a solid blue line group for the Eagles. A top four of Aram Minnetian, Lukas Gustafsson, Drew Fortescue, and then either Will Skahan or one of the incoming freshman has the potential to be the core of a really strong defensive group

SB: I think their defense. Year in and year out in the Greg Brown era, the defense has been airtight. Although they’ll feel the loss of Eamon Powell and Aidan Hreschuk, I believe Lukas Gustafsson, Drew Fortescue, and Aram Minnetian are more than well prepared to take on those roles on the d.

Curran: Top-end talent. I know I keep harping on it, but the chemistry that Stiga and Hagens — not to mention Jellvik and Gasseau — are the basis for a top six that should be as good as anyone’s.

Who is your player to watch this season?

Curtis: I think sophomore Teddy Stiga and UNH transfer Ryan Conmy could be real difference makers. If Conmy is able to keep up his scoring output on his new team, and Stiga can take a leap forward as a real top line threat, it will go a long way towards making BC competitive.

Steve: I feel like it almost has to be Dean Letourneau, right? I’m mostly willing to write last year off as a wash due to the fact that he was at BC a year earlier than planned, but there are some big holes in the top six of the forward group and he’s one of the guys who can make up for some of the offense they lost last season. If he looks like the player who was taken with a first round pick a few seasons ago, we could be in good shape. If he looks similar to how he did last year, we could be in for some trouble.

SB: James Hagens – I think without the added pressure of the draft he’ll be able to play more free than he may have last year. He also will be able to drive play on his line this season more than he did last, which I’m really excited to see.

Curran: Oskar Jellvik. He broke out as a point-per-game player in 2023-2024, but injuries derailed him last year and the lineup sorely missed his offense. I’m excited to see him as one of the leaders on this team and a core piece of the top six.

What about this team has you most worried for the upcoming season?

Curtis: Scoring depth. It was already pretty rough last season and now we’ve lost the top two forwards. James Hagens should be able to improve his game from last season, but the pieces around him might not have enough firepower to truly contend in Hockey East. We’ll need great years from Stiga, Conmy, Gasseau, and Jellvik.

Steve: Losing your two best players on offense is tough, but it has to be goaltending for me. Jacob Fowler might have been the best goalie I’ve ever seen at BC and it’s going to be a real issue replacing him. Even if they get good goaltending this year, the drop off from Fowler’s .940 save percentage to something in the.915-.920 range is pretty massive.

SB: The loss of the big three – Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, and Jacob Fowler – and what they brought to this team last season. I believe that Jan Korec will be a good successor to Fowler, and that James Hagens will score more than he did last year – but those three players were able to mask a lot of offensive depth issues that affected the roster last season. I’d be worried if a similar scoreless streak strikes the roster at the same time next year and there’s not a few players that can overcome it the way that Leonard and Perreault did.

Curran: Depth. Both in the forward group and along the blue line, the Eagles have great top-end talent. But further down the lineup is a bit shakier. The lack of scoring depth ultimately doomed the team last year; I’m hoping it’s not the same story this season.

What’s your hottest take?

Curtis: Jan Korec will be a stud in goal!

Steve: Aram Minnetian is the team’s best returning player and will be a Hockey East first team all star at the end of the season.

SB: Ugh, I honestly don’t know that I have one. Maybe that we’ll have one Hobey Baker finalist – but I don’t think that’s necessarily a hot take.

Curran: James Hagens wins the Hobey Baker.

Putting you on the spot: will BC take home at least one trophy this year?

Curtis: If I had to be money on it, I would say no. Harsh but fair!

Steve: Yes, this is the year the Beanpot drought ends.

SB: I want it to happen so badly. I don’t even want to answer this and tempt fate!

Curran: Yes. Given the amount of talent Chestnut Hill has seen the last few years, the fan in me thinks we should have more to show for it. I think the Eagles take home the Beanpot this year.

What are your overall expectations for the season? What would you count as a success?

Curtis: I’m expecting an NCAA tournament appearance and a top-4 finish in Hockey East. A Beanpot win would be nice, too. I was a freshman in the fall of 2016 and I still have not seen them eat those dang beans.

Steve: I think a step back from the last two seasons is almost inevitable, but I don’t think that means this will be a bad team. I think there’s still going to be a lot of talent in the lineup on a nightly basis, there are just more questions than we’ve had recently. Give me a finish in the top three or four of what should be another strong Hockey East conference and an NCAA Tournament birth and I’m willing to call it a good season.

SB: I’m not really expecting anything, but to me a successful season is one in which 1) the team is playing a 60-minute game night in and night out (all the comebacks last season were SO fun, but unsustainable, as we learned later on in the year), and 2) they are actively making runs for trophy season from February-April.

Curran: Take home the Beanpot and make the NCAA Tournament. Once you’re in, anything can happen.