Freshman Preview Part 2

This is part 2 of 3 parts previewing the incoming freshman class. I covered the 3 US U-18 recruits last week. Each part will have 3 recruits mentioned as BU announced its 9 member class last week with the addition of Finnish dman Ahti Oksanen to the other 8 recruits that had been previously announced. Today, I am going to cover 3 forwards with Mike Moran, Wes Myron, and Sam Kurker.

4. Mike Moran,F - Marshfield,MA (Victoria Grizzlies(BCHL)(39 GP, 18-28-46, 22 pms) 6-1, 200lbs  left shot

- Moran is a graduate of the Taft School in Watertown,CT where he was a 3 sport athlete before he spent the last season in the BCHL with the Victoria Grizzlies. Moran posted solid numbers and wore an A for the squad. He played on a line with classmate Wes Myron and recent Merrimack de-committ Wade Murphy. Moran is an older,bigger recruit who seems like he will be in a fight for a spot in the lineup each game. Fun fact about Moran is that he is associate coach Mike Bavis' nephew. He led the Taft school in scoring his senior year and then put up over a point a game in the BCHL last season. He went undrafted so he should be a solid 4 year player for the Terriers as he continues to develop. Moran will see action at some point this season for sure and I would expect somewhere from 5-15 points for the freshman.
Here is a blurb from USHR about Moran
-"One of Myron’s teammates at Victoria is fellow Terrier recruit Mike Moran, who is 11th in league scoring with an 11-9-20 line in 14 games played. Moran, the nephew of BU assistant coach Mike Bavis, is a 2011 Taft graduate."

5. Wes Myron, F - Victoria, BC(Canada) (Victoria Grizzlies(BCHL) (26 GP, 17-25-42, 18 PMs) 6-2, 190lbs, left shot

-Myron figures to add the depth at center for BU this year and could end up as high up the depth chart as the second line. Myron spent the last 3 seasons playing for the his hometown Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL.  His points per game increased each year from .7 to .8 to 1.6 this past season. Myron should see action right away for the Terriers It was reported that he was being recruited by UNH, St. Cloud State and Michigan when he committed to BU last fall. The 20 year old will hope to contribute right away and look to add muscle under the program set up by BU strength and condition coach,  Mike Boyle. Myron has had no trouble scoring in juniors so you would expect that to carry over to the college level and see about 20 points from him this coming season. Myron was a sixth round pick(177 overall) of the Vancouver Canucks.

Here is a blurb from USHR on Myron:
"6’2”, 180 lb. LC Wesley Myron of the Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) has committed to Boston University for next fall...Myron, a tall, lanky kid with the frame of an NHL-type center, is a strong skater who has shown a lot of finish in the BCHL...Myron, in his third year in the league, is currently seventh in league scoring, with an 8-15-23 line in 13 games played."

Here is a video of Wes by a local news station after he was drafted by the local Canucks. Try to ignore the fact that he a Canucks fan(and pick) and a Yankees fan. That's a brutal combination right there.





6. Sam Kurker,F Reading, MA -St. Johns Prep (24 GP, 32-28-60, 23 PMs) 6-2, 205lbs , right shot

-Kurker is the top ranked recruit in this year's incoming class. He was drafted 56th overall in this year's draft after an impressive career at St. Johns Prep School here in Masschusetts.  He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL draft and also has been drafted in the QMJHL by the Quebec Remparts, but has chosen to go the college route because the CHL sucks as we all know.He was also drafted in the USHL by the Indiana Ice. Kurker is a big, talented forward who I would expect contributions from right away. He could easily be a top two line for the Terriers right from the get-go. He is a big physical forward, who is only going to get stronger and more developed as he progresses through college. He will see a big increase in the level of the competition, but it shouldn't be anything that he can't handle as he is built physically solid. I would expect Kurker to approach/surpass 30 points and be a candidate for Hockey East Rookie of the Year assuming he avoids major injury. Here is what some other hockey writers had to say about Kurker.

"Though the Boston University-bound Kurker is not close to NHL ready, he certainly has the potential – and the size and strength – that has teams thinking he could be a solid north-south style forward in the future. “I am confident Sam’s style will translate to the pro game eventually,” St. John’s Prep coach Kristian Hanson said. “He has the build and the skill to be an effective pro player down the line. He has some work to do, but he has all the necessary tools to get there.

Obviously it is exciting just to be mentioned to be drafted,” Kurker said. “It would be an honor to be selected in any round. Between getting the opportunity to go to Boston University and the opportunity to be drafted, it’s been a dream year for me.”- TheHockeyWriters

“ Big, strong and skilled, NHL teams all took notice of the Eagles’ scoring star and member of the USA 2011 Ivan Hlinka squad. There is no questioning his size and natural talent as Central Scouting’s top-ranked regional prospect. However, there were too many times this season when Kurker was more of a passenger and did not take charge of games the Boston University recruit should have dominated given the level of competition. If he can add the element of consistency to his game, he will be a force.” -Kirk Luedeke

“(Kurker is) a power forward and goal scorer. He always works himself into open shooting lanes with his skating and stickhandling ability. He does have a tendency at times to want to try and do it all himself, but to his credit, he had a big part in helping his team win games this season. ” — Gary Eggleston