Terriers announce 9-man recruit class

With the recent addition of defenseman Ahti Okasanen, BU’s 2012-13 recruit class is complete and was officially announced with comments from Coach Jack Parker today. Five forwards, two defensemen and two goalies join 17 returnees from last season’s squad.

Detailed stats and photos for the nine recruits:

Sean Maguire

 Matthew O’Connor

Matthew Grzelcyk

Ahti Oksanen

Sam Kurker

Matthew Lane

Mike Moran

Wes Myron

Danny O’Regan

Looking ahead

When Hockey East expands in 2013-14 to add Notre Dame, teams will play only 20 conference games, leaving 14 games for out-of-conference matchups. We’ve learned that BU has lined up home contests against Western powers North Dakota and Wisconsin.

USHR reported that Coach Jack Parker recently attended a camp at UNH to get a first-hand look at one of the nation’s top ’98 defenseman, Chad Krys, who will play for the Connecticut Oilers U16s this season. If the name sounds familiar, it should; Chad is the son of former BU blueliner Mark Krys, who played on two Final Four teams—including the 1991 NCAA runners-up--during his Terrier career.

Looking back

Former BU captain Joe Pereira has been re-signed by the ECHL Idaho Steelheads. Acquired late last season from South Carolina, Pereira sparked Idaho’s late-season run and tied for the team lead in playoff scoring.

Another former captain, Pete MacArthur, who finished last season with AHL Lake Erie, will travel across the pond to suit up for the Augsburger Panther of the German DEL.

BU was well-represented at USA Hockey’s just-completed annual symposium for coaches, prompting The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa to note that:

Three ex-Terriers participated in a USA Hockey coaches’ symposium in Washington this weekend: Joe Sacco, Mike Sullivan, and John Hynes. There’s no better hockey IQ than what is taught on the good end of Commonwealth Avenue.  

Sacco is head coach of the Avalanche, Sullivan is the Rangers’ top assistant and a former Bruins’ head coach and Hynes is the WilkesBarre/Scranton Penguins head coach.  A fourth ex-Terrier, Ken Rausch, USA Hockey’s manager of Youth Hockey, led a breakout session at the symposium.  Photos.

Recipients of Shawn Bates' scholarships to Medford, Mass., high school athletes were announced last week.  Bates, who remains the school’s all-time leading scorer, went on to star about BU and play ten NHL season with the Bruins and Islanders. As a Terrier, he was an offensive standout, scoring 144 career points, playing in the NCAA Final Four each season and earning an NCAA championship in 1995. 

A highlight of Bates' pro career was his overtime penalty-shot game-winner for the Islanders against Toronto in the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs.