The 2015–16 Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey team represented Boston College in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The team was coached by Jerry York, '67, his twenty-second season behind the bench at Boston College. The Eagles played their home games at Kelley Rink on the campus of Boston College, competing in Hockey East.
The Eagles competed in two tournaments during the 2015–16 season, the first of which took place during the holiday break, the traditional tournament portion of the college hockey season. The 15th Annual Florida College Hockey Classic, played on December 28 and 29 at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida showcased the Eagles playing Ohio State in the first round, as well as Providence versus host Cornell. The Eagles fell to the Friars of Providence 2–1 in the consolation round, having lost to eventual Harkness Cup winner Ohio State 3–2 in the first round. Boston College previously played in and won the Florida College Hockey Classic in 2004. On February 1 and 8, the Eagles played in the 64th Annual Beanpot Tournament at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, defeating Harvard 3–2 in the first round and winning the title by defeating Boston University 1–0 in overtime of the championship. They reclaimed the Beanpot trophy after missing the championship match in 2015, having previously won five titles in a row from 2010 to 2014.
The Eagles finished the season 28–8–5, and 15–2–5 in conference play, capturing a share of the Hockey East regular season title, splitting the title with Providence. They advanced to the semifinals of the Hockey East tournament, but lost to Beanpot rival Northeastern, who would eventually win the Hockey East championship for the first time since 1988. They Eagles fared well in the NCAA Tournament as well, where they would win the Northeast Regional, played at the DCU Center in Worcester. After dispatching Harvard in the first round and closely defeating Minnesota-Duluth in the regional final, the Eagles earned a ticket to the program's 25th Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida (an NCAA record for most appearances). There, however, they fell to Quinnipiac 2–3, who advanced to play in the national title game. There, the Bobcats fell to champions North Dakota, 5–1.
Previous season recap
The Eagles entered the 2015–16 season following a first round loss to Denver in the NCAA tournament, and a quarterfinals loss to Vermont in the Hockey East Tournament. The Eagles did capture one trophy during the 2014–15 season, winning the Ledyard Bank Classic with a 3–2 victory over Dartmouth, and finished with a strong 21–14–3 record and 12–7–3 in conference play. They failed to defend their Beanpot title for the first time in six seasons, but picked up the consolation win with a 3–2 victory over Harvard. Noah Hanifin led the way for the Eagles as a freshman, earning All-Second Team honors in Hockey East, while fellow freshman Alex Tuch, who was the team's leading point-scorer, earned a spot on the All-Rookie team.
Offseason
Seven Senior Eagles graduated in May: Assistant Captain Michael Sit – F, Assistant Captain Quinn Smith – F, Destry Straight – F, Cam Spiro – F. Danny Linell – F, Brian Billett – G, and Brad Barone – G.
Junior defenseman Mike Matheson decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility to enter the NHL, signing with his drafted team, the Florida Panthers.
Senior defensemen Teddy Doherty was named Captain, with Juniors Steven Santini, Chris Calnan, and Ian McCoshen named Assistant Captains for the 2015–16 season.
On June 26, freshman defenseman Noah Hanifin was drafted 5th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2015 NHL entry draft. He signed an entry-level contract with the Hurricanes on July 11, forgoing the rest of his NCAA eligibility.
On September 22, graduated forward Quinn Smith signed with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.
Also in the offseason, graduated forward Destry Straight signed with the Rapid City Rush and graduated goalie Brad Barone with the Elmira Jackals, both of the ECHL.
Recruiting Boston College added nine freshmen for the 2015–16 season: six forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie. Chris Birdsall, G – A well touted goalie with good size and skill, Birdsall will back up Thatcher Demko with the departures of Brad Barone and Brian Billett due to graduation. Birdsall last played for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, netting a 2.46 GAA and .914 save percentage, both top-5 league marks. Birdsall is described as a hard working and athletic goalie. Jeremy Bracco, F – Bracco finished on a record note with the US-NTDP last season, setting the team's record for both assists in a season (64) and career (122). He also finished third on the team's career point scoring list with 168, third only to Phil Kessel (180) and Patrick Kane (172). While playing for the United States at the 2015 U18 World Juniors, Bracco assisted on fellow recruit Colin White's overtime winning goal in the championship match, winning gold over Finland. Bracco is described as having superb passing and skating skills, as well as elite vision. Jeremy was drafted 61st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2015 Draft. Chris Brown, F – Younger brother of former Eagle Patrick Brown, son of former Eagle Doug Brown and nephew of Associate Head Coach Greg Brown, Chris joins the Eagles having most recently played with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. He is characterized as a passionate, hard-working, two-way forward and was drafted 151st Overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 Draft. Josh Couturier, D – A local out of Newburyport, MA, Josh is one of two defenseman recruited for the Eagles this season. Couturier last played with the Boston Junior Bruins in the USPHL. A large 6’ 2” body, Couturier adds size, solid defense and a strong shot to the Eagle's D-core.http://www.bceagles.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/052615aab.html Joey Dudek, F – Most recently having played with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, Dudek, who played alongside fellow recruit Chris Shero at Kimball Union Academy, is described as a creative, crafty goal scorer. He was drafted 152nd Overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 Draft. His father is Joe Dudek, who is famous in NCAA football for breaking Walter Payton’s record for career touchdowns in 1985. Casey Fitzgerald, D – Younger brother of junior Eagle forward Ryan Fitzgerald, Casey joins the Eagles as the other defenseman recruit for the season. Having last played on the US National Development Team, he is described as having great vision and elite hockey-IQ. His and Ryan’s father Tom, is currently the assistant General manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chris Shero, F – Played for the South Shore Kings of the USHL in 2014–15, and played in previous years with fellow recruit Joey Dudek at Kimball Union Academy. Shero is tenacious player with high intelligence and character. Chris's father Ray is an NHL executive, currently serving as the general manager of the New Jersey Devils and former GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Colin White, F – White arrives at Boston College an American hero after scoring the overtime-winning goal over Finland at the 2015 U18 World Juniors, skating alongside fellow recruit Jeremy Bracco for the United States. Colin previously skated for the US National Development Team alongside fellow recruit Casey Fitzgerald. White, an assistant captain for numerous national teams he played for (U17/U18), is a natural leader and detail oriented. He was drafted 21st overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 Draft and is a local native from Hanover, MA. Miles Wood, F – Wood rejoins fellow Eagles Thatcher Demko, Alex Tuch, Ian McCoshen, and Noah Hanifin after skating for the United States national junior team at the 2015 World Juniors. Miles, drafted 100th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2013 Draft, is described as a physical, gritty power-forward. His father Randy was a college hockey player for Yale and his older brother Tyler currently plays for Brown. Both White and Bracco won goal medals playing for the United States at the 2014 U-17 World championships and the 2015 U18 World Juniors.
Chris Birdsall Goalie Glen Rock, NJ; Played for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.Jeremy Bracco Forward Freeport, NY; Selected 61st Overall by TOR in the 2015 Draft.Chris Brown Forward Bloomfield Hills, MI; Selected 151st Overall by BUF in the 2014 Draft.Josh Couturier Defenseman Newburyport, MA; Played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the USPHL.Joey Dudek Forward Auburn, NH; Selected 152nd Overall by NJD in the 2014 Draft.Casey Fitzgerald Forward North Reading, MA; Played for the US-NTDP of the USHL.Chris Shero Forward Upper St. Clair, PA; Played for the South Shore Kings of the USPHL.Colin White Forward Hanover, MA; Selected 21st Overall by OTT in the 2015 Draft.Miles Wood Forward Buffalo, NY; Selected 100th Overall by NJD in the 2013 Draft.
Midseason Additions In addition to the nine players recruited at the start of the season, the Eagles added two early enrollees to the program who accelerated their arrival to the school. Defenseman Michael Kim and goalie Ian Milosz both played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the USPHL before arriving at Boston College for the second semester. Kim first dressed on December 29, 2015, and Milosz started in his first appearance on January 8, 2016, both games being against Providence College.
Charlie Van Kula was also added as an additional backup goaltender; he had been a team manager for the previous two seasons and had played at St. Joseph's Prep before attending Boston College.
Michael Kim Defenseman Toronto, ON; Played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the USPHL.Ian Milosz Goalie North Grafton, MA; Played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the USPHL.Charlie Van Kula Goalie Radnor, PA; Team manager, played for St. Joseph's Prep (US-PA).
2015–2016 roster
Departures from 2014–2015 team Brad Barone – G – Graduation – Signed with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL. Brian Billet – G – Graduation Noah Hanifin – D – Signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, forgoing rest of NCAA career. Danny Linell – F – Graduation Mike Matheson – D – Signed with the Florida Panthers, forgoing senior season. Michael Sit – F – Graduation Quinn Smith – F – Graduation – Signed with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. Cam Spiro – F – Graduation – Signed with the Gladsaxe Bears in the Danish Hockey League. Destry Straight – F – Graduation – Signed with the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL.
2015–16 Eagles
As of January 9, 2016.
Coaching staff
Name Position Seasons atBoston College Alma mater Jerry York Head Coach 22 Boston College (1967) Greg Brown Associate Head Coach 12 Boston College (1990) Mike Ayers Assistant coach 3 University of New Hampshire (2004) Marty McInnis Assistant coach 3 Boston College (1992)
Standings
Schedule
Regular season
!colspan=12 style=""| Exhibition
!colspan=12 style=""| Regular season
!colspan=12 style=""| Hockey East Tournament
!colspan=12 style=""| NCAA Tournament
On September 21, BC was ranked first in the Hockey East pre-season coaches poll, with 7 first place votes. On September 28, BC was ranked first in the NCAA pre-season USCHO poll, with 19 first place votes. They were also ranked first in the USA Today preseason poll, which was released on October 5. On October 28, it was announced that freshman Jeremy Bracco decided to leave the program after playing five games, joining the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. With the win over New Hampshire on November 21, the Eagles tied the record for best start to a season for the program under Jerry York, going 10-1-0, matching the feat first accomplished in the 2012-13 season. With the win over Connecticut on November 24, the Eagles surpassed that record with an 11–1–0 start, the best season start under York, and third best in program history.