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Hobey Baker Summer Hockey |
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It's going down for real.
The best of the best hockey players from the NHL, Division 1 NCAA and major junior hockey programs are kicking off their flip flops, golf shorts and ball caps while pulling on their skates, shin pads, and hockey helmets.
The Foxboro Pro Hockey League has officially kicked off.
It's going down for real.
It's not your average summer shinny league. It's an invitation only, who's who, high level hockey league.
For the second summer in a row, Buffalo Sabres super center Jack Eichel and his close friend Jimmy Vesey are going to be line mates for their Team Harlow.
Eichel and Vesey have had a close relationship both on and off the ice for some time.
The two A-list players have known one other since their travel hockey days in the Boston area. In 2015, Eichel edged out Vesey from the prestigious Hobey Baker after his scintillating freshman season at Boston University.
Vesey recently graduated from the hallowed halls of Harvard University. The Hobey Baker is awarded annually to college hockey's most valuable player. Vesey won the 2016 Hobey Baker award. He was also awarded the Walter Brown award twice, as the best college player in New England two straight seasons. Vesey also earned ECAC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
Vesey is going to be a star in the NHL. He has the size at 6'1" and 195 lbs. to win wall battles and to create separation for himself to create scoring chances.. He's strong, skates well, passes as well as he finishes.
The Eichel-Vesey connection is a delicious summer subplot. Eichel just finished his rookie in the NHL and graded out as an A+ student. Vesey made headlines in April when he opted out of signing his entry level contract with the team that drafted him into the NHL, the Nashville Predators. Vesey is set to become an unrestricted free agent on August 15. He earned the right to opt out of signing with the Preds because he completed all four seasons with his Harvard Crimson squad. Vesey now reserves the right to select his NHL team of choice. Vesey informed the Preds in April that he would not be joining them for their Stanley Cup playoff run. Needless to say, Preds brass and fans are still miffed at Vesey spurning them. Life goes on.
I've said it before and I'll say it again:
Though he grew up a Bruins fan, he's going to sign with an NHL team that visits Boston often. I don't think that Vesey wants to wake up every day with the weight of the Boston Bruins on his shoulders and back. The Boston kid would be expected to carry that club back to respectability. That's a lot to ask of a young kid.
The Buffalo Sabres are one of the serious contending teams that Vesey is considering playing for. The advent of playimg left wing for his bro Eichel and the immensely talented Samson Reinhart is a very enticing proposition for Vesey. Sabres GM Tim Murray and a couple of other NHL GMs will have to wait 60 more days in order to negotiate with Vesey and his player agent. I love Buffalo's chances to sign Vesey. More on that later.
To add more intrigue and excitement, Eichel's younger brother Nolan will also play on Jack and Jimmy's squad.
On Wednesday night, Eichel and Vesey's squad kicked off their summer league season on when they took on a team featuring some of the best D-1 players from the Boston area. However, Eichel was not in attendance. Check out Vesey's speed as he backs down the defender and gets hmself in position for a chance on goal
The pro league championship game will be played on Wednesday August 24.
On locker clean out day in April in Buffalo, Eichel spoke glowingly of his rookie year experience playing in hockey-psychotic Buffalo, NY. Eichel will schmooze Vesey to sign with the Sabres by using this closing technique:
"It's a great future here. It's a great city to play in. It's a great team to be a part of. We have a young group that's headed in the right direction. It's definitely a hockey city. People care about you here. People would love to have you and it's a great place to play."
Vesey was Nashville's third round pick in 2012.
Eichel and Vesey are represented by the same player agent. Stanley Cup champion Nick Bonino also is repped by Eichel and Vesey's agent.
Eichel and Vesey played together with Team USA at last year's World Championships in Prague and worked out together and shinnied together in the Boston area last summer.
Vesey has a short list of teams that he will be negotiating with come August. Buffalo is on the list. Boston is on the list, too.
Sabres GM Tim Murray cannot officially speak with Vesey nor his agent until 8/15/16, however, Eichel can act as agent provocateur on Buffalo's behalf. Eichel needs a winger to distribute the puck to. Samson Reinhart is on one flank. Tim Murray is looking for the other integral piece to complete the Eichel-Reinhart pairing.
The Sabres have a legit top six roster spot and TOI available for Vesey. Should he select the Sabres, Vesey will fit seamlessly into a group that includes Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Eichel, and Reinhart.
Tim Murray also covets London Knights power forward and Corey Perry impersonator Matt Tkachuk. If Murray can trade his 8th overall pick as part of a package to either Columbus at #3 or Edmonton at #4, Murray will get his mitts on Tkachuk. If Murray can't get to #s 3 or 4, he will select a star defender in the making in Jakob Chychrun, Olli Juolevi, or Mikhail Sergachev.
There exists a high percentage chance that Tim Murray will be signing Steven Stamkos as UFA on July 1. Should the Sabres miss out on Stamkos, they may make a power move to add UFA Kyle Okposo.
Here's Eichel's team is called "Harlow". Here is their roster:
Sweater # Name Postion Current Team
1 Austin Leftowich G Danbury FHL
2 John Marino D Harvard
3 Robbie Donohue D Manchester Monarchs
4 Garrett Noonan D Milwaukee AHL
5 Matt Grizlich D Boston Bruins
6 Mark Fayne D Edmonton Oilers
7 Dennis Robertson D Charlotte AHL
8 Nolan Vesey F U-Maine HE
9 Matt Harlow F Manchester Monarchs
10 Harry Zolniercyk F Anaheim Ducks
11 Garrett Hathaway F Calgary Flames
12 Bobby Farnum F NJ Devils
14 Nick Lappin F Albany River Rats AHL
15 Jack Eichel F Buffalo Sabres
16 Chris Calnan F Boston College
17 Pat Shea F U-Maine HE
18 Andrew Doane F Brown ECAC
19 Jimmy Vesey F Harvard ECAC
30 Conor Maher G Brown ECAC
Buffalo Sabres prospect and 2015 NCAA champion Providence D-man Anthony Florentino is one of several standout players for team "M5".
# Name Position Current Team
1 Craig Dantano G Merrimack
2 Anthony Florentino D Providence College
3 John Barry D Northeastern HE
4 Ryan Bliss D Cornell ECAC
5 Brian Diffley D Boston University
6 Will Sherer D Brown ECAC
7 JC Broussard D Union ECAC
8 Adam Gilmour F Minnesota Wild
9 RJ Murphy F Harvard ECAC
10 Mike Driscoll F Danbury FHL
11 Tommy Kelley F Boston University
12 Max Willman F Brown ECAC
13 Tim Doherty F U-Maine HE
14 Beau Starrett F Cornell ECAC
15 Colin White F Boston College
16 Connor Brickley F Maine AHL
17 Erik Foley F Providence College
30 Ryan Ruck G Northeastern
Other NHL stars playing in this summer league are Keith Yandle, Brian Boyle, Johnny Gaudreau, Charlie Coyle, Noah Hanifin, Scott Darling, Mike Condon, Chris Kreider, Kyle Palmieri, Kevin Hayes, Jimmy Hayes, and Adam Clendening.
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