Summer Camp, Where’s Wilson, and a Closer Look

by Chris Aliano

About two weeks have come and gone since my last entry, and sadly there is still no confirmation as to whether or not Boston University will be lighting up lamp against their archrival, Boston College, within the confines of Fenway Park in the 2010 Winter Classic. But as we wait for the 2009-10 schedules to be made official, the rest of the hockey world is still in full gear.

Many Terriers and Terriers-to-be have been busily preparing for their return to campus come September, spending their summers at development camps of various National Hockey League franchises. Plenty of storylines have formed since the start of camp: the Saponari brothers tearing it up at the Atlanta Thrashers’ camp, Eric Gryba and Zach Cohen stealing the show in Ottawa for the Senators’ clinic, and of course, the conundrum that is where to start Colin Wilson in the Nashville organization: AHL or NHL?

As the Terrier faithful can attest, the hype surrounding has been justified by a large, wooden trophy sitting somewhere in Director of Athletics Mike Lynch’s office, the end result of Wilson’s memorable two years as a Terrier. While fans of the Predators have every reason to be excited about the overpowering forward’s presence on the rink, there really is no reason to be discouraged should Wilson find his starting point to be in Milwaukee, home of the Admirals (Nashville’s AHL affiliate). Like it or not, starting in the AHL would give Wilson and his lofty expectations some extra time to mature, fine-tuning his prodigious skill enough so to meet the demands of the grueling NHL game. After all, with great power comes great responsibility… Wait, that doesn’t apply here…

Turning away from current and former Terriers, let’s take a look at two of the more promising incoming freshmen: Alex Chiasson and Max Nicastro. In a previous entry, I briefly touted all of the incoming recruits and put their past accomplishments into the limelight for all to be dazzled by. But it is common knowledge that not every recruit will play a meaningful role on the 2009-10 BU squad, despite how cool their name may sound. Just ask guys like Ross Gaudet and Ryan Ruikka.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the likes of Chiasson and Nicastro. These two heavily touted freshmen are likely to see plenty of time on the ice at Jack Parker Rink. Let’s start with Chiasson.

While it’s too early (and too foolish) to expect anyone, especially a freshman who has yet to play a minute of a collegiate hockey contest, to emulate the show that Colin Wilson put on night in and night out, if I were to put money on someone coming close to that ability, it’s Chiasson. Clocking in at 6’3”, Alex will bring a power-forward’s presence onto the ice that could wreak havoc on opposing defenses across Hockey East. He was the lone bright spot on a Des Moines Buccaneers squad of the United States Hockey League that struggled mightily in 2008-09, and I would imagine Jack Parker and his staff are giddy about the potential of this kid.

Mike Farkas of hockeysfuture.com offers this perspective:

“As Chiasson adds strength to his 6-foot-3 frame, he’ll become a more powerful forward who can drive the net with authority. He’s willing to pay the price to make the play, but isn't always consistent in his play. Once he gets the puck on his stick, it becomes very difficult to disengage him from the puck. He’s still finding his legs – a major sticking point at this juncture of his development.”

My take on this: Chiasson brings a load of raw talent that will probably take some time to mature and excel at the collegiate level, but what’s there not to like? And to think of what a couple months under the wings of Parker, the coaching staff, and fiery forwards like Nick Bonino, Chris Connolly and Vinny Saponari could do for this kid’s physical and mental growth…lots of potential to go around. After all, he wasn’t taken 34th overall in the NHL Entry Draft because of his good looks…

And then there’s Max Nicastro, the defender who has scouts raving about his potential at Detroit’s development camp. It’s safe to say that this lanky, point-scoring defenseman will likely find himself a permanent role among the Terrier blue-line corps this fall. With the departures of Hobey Baker Award-winner Matt Gilroy and always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride Brian Strait, who left BU for the greener pastures of the Pittsburgh Penguins system (he will play for the Pens affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins), Nicastro has quite the opportunity before him. Should he excel immediately, he will likely play one of the larger roles on a team looking to defend its national championship for the first time since the early 70s, no small task for the freshman.

He carries several traits that have scouts drooling, including his ability to skate well, keep his head up when carrying the puck, shoot low and pass quickly to the open man at the last second, and even dish out the big hits every now and then, this according to Mlive.com. Sound like someone you already know?


Yes, it’s still very early, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to speculate, hope, and assume that our young Terriers-to-be will blossom into heroes who will go down in BU lore for years to come, allowing the team to reach even greater heights…well, probably not as great as last season, but who’s judging.

Stay tuned to wtburadio.org for more BU hockey summer updates, breaking news, and season previews.