[Editor-in-chief’s note: University of Michigan product Adam Fantilli, due to an oversight in both the writing and editing phase of the initial published version of this article, was mistakenly referred to as the second overall pick in 2023. This has since been corrected.]

The 2022-23 season was a memorable one for the Boston University Terriers and first-year head coach Jay Pandolfo. In the regular season, the Terriers went 29-11-0 en route to winning both the Hockey East Regular Season and Postseason titles before a trip to the Frozen Four. The Terriers were exceptional last season all the way up to their National Title aspirations being dashed 6-2 by Minnesota. Pandolfo and company will look to repeat as Hockey East champions, which is a realistic goal as Lane Hutson will be back as their top offensive defenseman, and they have brought in the top prospect in the class of 2024 in Macklin Celebrini. Let’s jump into this.

Boston University has a very exciting incoming freshman class this season, that may only be rivaled or exceeded by their cross-city rivals at Boston College. Headlining the group is the aforementioned Macklin Celebrini, who posted 86 pts in 50gp for the Chicago Steel of the USHL a year ago. Celebrini is an exceptional talent in the offensive zone, rivaling the likes of Michigan standout and 2023 3rd overall pick Adam Fantilli. The Terriers have a solid-core group returning from last year’s run, and a player of Celebrini’s caliber only elevates this forward group to a whole new level. BU also adds a Celebrini teammate in Jack Harvey who posted 74 pts in 62gp last season, and has great skill handling ability. Also at the forward position, the Terriers brought in two historically productive middle-six players in Shane Lachance and Doug Grimes. I had the pleasure to watch Lachance playing at Tabor Academy around the turn of the decade, and he has since become an almost point-per-game producer for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, a team who he also captained last season as they won the Clark Cup. Grimes, at 6’3” and 201 lbs, adds size to the Terriers’ lineup, but he can also add offense, as he posted a point-per-game pace for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL last season. On the blueline, the Terriers have two notable incoming freshmen. Tom Willander is coming over from Rogle BK’s U20 team in the Swedish Junior league where he posted 25 pts in 39gp. Willander has decent offensive upside, but his defensive play in transition is among the best in the world of defensemen under 20 years-old. Willander’s ability to match and adjust his footwork in stride against elite speed and skill forwards is rare, and a large reason why the Vancouver Canucks spent the 11th overall selection on him in this year’s draft. Gavin McCarthy will also be joining the D-corp at BU after a solid year for Muskegon in the USHL. McCarthy is not known for large offensive production, but he is exceptional at locking down the defensive zone, and being very clever and effective on his retrievals to kill opposing possessions.

The Terriers, like the Eagles, have four core players coming back this year who are primed to make a continued, and potentially heightened impact this year. In the forward group, Quinn Hutson and Jeremy WIlmer will look to bring depth scoring as they did a year ago. Hutson posted 28 pts in 39gp, where Wilmer posted 31 pts in 37gp. These numbers are not massive, but both players would have been in the top 5 on other teams in the Hockey East, which can not be taken lightly when considering the overall parity of the upper echelon of NCAA hockey. On the back-end, Lane Hutson and Case McCarthy return. These two players are polar opposites in how they impact the game, yet they are both critical pieces for the Terriers Hockey East title defense. McCarthy is a heavy-hitting defenseman who has one of the best outlet passes in all of college hockey. Having posted 15 pts in 35gp last year, and looking at his 6’1” 200 lbs frame, it is not a surprise that McCarthy will be the captain for the Terriers this season. Hutson is the most dynamic offensive defenseman in college hockey. As a freshman, he posted 48 pts in 39gp, and will likely exceed that number here in his sophomore year. Hutson has NHL-level vision and skill with the puck, and should be a dark horse candidate for the Hobey Baker this season.

Unfortunately, there is still one position for the Terriers that has a large question mark, and that is between the pipes. The Terries brought in four goalies this year: 2 D1 transfers, 1 D3 transfer, and an incoming freshman. Michael Chambre comes in from the USNTDP having started only 13 games last season while posting a 3.46 GAA and 0.885 SV%. Chambre will likely sit and develop this year, only because he has not seen division 1 play yet, and for a team looking for a National Championship they may not have the patience for his growing pains. Henry Graham comes over from UMASS Amherst, but having only started 8 games in 2022-23 while posting a 2.34 gaa and a 0.921 sv, he is definitely a gamble as their starter, and is likely their backup goalie this season. The likely starter this year is Mathieu Caron, a transfer from Brown. Caron posted a 2.49 GAA against a 0.921 SV% in 24 starts last year at Brown University. Having played behind a team who only won 8 games while he started there, it is reasonable to assume that behind a stronger team in this Terriers’ skater group, Caron could be the anchor that takes this team on a National Championship run.

Overall, the Terriers are once again a frontrunner to win the Hockey East, and one of most likely teams in the country to win the National Championship. I look forward to seeing a power-play featuring Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson, and Quinn Hutson. Boston University is going to be an exceptional hockey team this season, and they are going to win a lot of games based on the raw two-way talent that most of the roster possesses. Anything other than a return to the Frozen Four would be a disappointment for this group this season.