<![CDATA[Over the Boards]]>
otb.substack.com]]>https://otb.substack.com/podcastSubstackWed, 24 Jun 2026 00:55:08 GMThttps://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/3508.rssJasperNews, notes and observations on college hockey recruiting and prospectsepisodicJasperotb@substack.comNo<![CDATA[Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 14: Kyle Quick's National Champ U18 RoCo Team]]>Hey everyone, the Amateur Hockey Podcast returns after a long winter on pause with an episode featuring a team that made the most out of a very complicated and wild 2020-21 hockey season: the Rochester Coalition (RoCo) 18s, who won Nationals earlier this month. I’m a bit rusty on the recording front and this was the first episode with multiple guests, so there is a little background noise at times, but it was a great look into a season like none other. Four Salisbury players (Sam Deckhut - St. Lawrence, Dean Bauchiero - Brown, David Chen - Yale and Liam Lesakowski - Currently uncommitted) joined for this episode in addition to head coach Kyle Quick and spoke to their experience this season both in prep hockey as well as their rollercoaster run with RoCo. Thanks to all five for coming on this episode.

For those looking to listen on Spotify, click here.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can also be found on Spotify or by clicking below. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

* Ep. 13: Chris Collins, Bishop Kearney

* Ep. 12: Tony Zosel, Youth Hockey Hub

* Ep. 11: Brett Riley, Long Island University

* Ep. 10: Andy Johnson, Sioux City Musketeers

* Ep. 09: Steve Lowe, Muskegon Lumberjacks

* Ep. 08: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 07: Tom Upton, Madison Capitols

* Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints

* Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers

* Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount

* Ep. 01: Mark Manney, Andover (MN)

Thanks for listening.



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/amateur-hockey-podcast-ep-14-kylesubstack:post:36560185Tue, 18 May 2021 16:22:46 GMTJasperNo913<![CDATA[AHP Ep. 13: Chris Collins, Bishop Kearney Selects]]>This episode of the Amateur Hockey Podcast features Bishop Kearney Selects Hockey Director Chris Collins. We talked about his history in the game including playing for Boston College, the new boy’s hockey program in Rochester (NY), their staff, plans for the future + plenty more.

This episode was recorded over a week ago, but some things came up and I had to go out of town so I wasn’t able to get the episode up immediately. Sorry about the lag time there and thanks to Chris for taking the time to come on.

For those looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there soon.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found on Spotify or by clicking below. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

* Ep. 12: Tony Zosel, Youth Hockey Hub

* Ep. 11: Brett Riley, Long Island University

* Ep. 10: Andy Johnson, Sioux City Musketeers

* Ep. 09: Steve Lowe, Muskegon Lumberjacks

* Ep. 08: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 07: Tom Upton, Madison Capitols

* Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints

* Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers

* Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount

* Ep. 01: Mark Manney, Andover (MN)

Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ahp-ep-13-chris-collins-bishop-kearneysubstack:post:4003617Thu, 24 Sep 2020 23:37:40 GMTJasperNo1767<![CDATA[Prospect Currents Podcast Ep. 03: Recruiting Season]]>Hey guys, this episode of the Prospect Currents Podcast (which has been dormant since January) recaps the recruiting action that has taken place since August 1st. I also talk about the upcoming season briefly.

Click here for Spotify and thanks for listening. Jasper



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/prospect-currents-podcast-ep-03-recruitingsubstack:post:858710Sun, 16 Aug 2020 21:58:56 GMTJasperNo1028<![CDATA[AHP Ep. 12: Tony Zosel, Youth Hockey Hub]]>This episode of the Amateur Hockey Podcast features Youth Hockey Hub founder Tony Zosel. We mostly talked about hockey in Minnesota and why it has become such a prominent force in the domestic hockey landscape, particularly while Massachusetts has been falling behind. I caught Tony last week while he was on his way up to North Dakota for a hockey tournament and he had some spotty reception which rears its head right at the start very briefly. Other than that, 99% of what he says is audible up until the end where we cut things short a bit prematurely due to another spell of audio interference. Thanks to Tony for taking the time to come on.

For those looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found on Spotify or by clicking below. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

* Ep. 11: Brett Riley, Long Island University

* Ep. 10: Andy Johnson, Sioux City Musketeers

* Ep. 09: Steve Lowe, Muskegon Lumberjacks

* Ep. 08: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 07: Tom Upton, Madison Capitols

* Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints

* Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers

* Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount

* Ep. 01: Mark Manney, Andover (MN)

Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ahp-ep-12-tony-zosel-youth-hockeysubstack:post:576678Mon, 22 Jun 2020 17:24:24 GMTJasperNo921<![CDATA[AHP Ep. 11: Brett Riley, Long Island University]]>This episode features Long Island University Head Coach Brett Riley. We talked about starting the new program in Long Island, his experience in hockey, recruiting and a few other topics. For those looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found on Spotify or by clicking below. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

* Ep. 10: Andy Johnson, Sioux City Musketeers

* Ep. 09: Steve Lowe, Muskegon Lumberjacks

* Ep. 08: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 07: Tom Upton, Madison Capitols

* Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints

* Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers

* Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount

* Ep. 01: Mark Manney, Andover (MN)

Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ahp-ep-11-brett-riley-long-islandsubstack:post:533103Mon, 08 Jun 2020 16:49:04 GMTJasperNo670<![CDATA[AHP Ep. 10: Andy Johnson, Sioux City Musketeers]]>This episode of the Amateur Hockey Podcast features Sioux City Musketeers GM Andy Johnson. We talked about the draft and the future team in Sioux City. For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found there on Spotify or by clicking below. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

* Ep. 09: Steve Lowe, Muskegon Lumberjacks

* Ep. 08: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 07: Tom Upton, Madison Capitols

* Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints

* Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers

* Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount

* Ep. 01: Mark Manney, Andover (MN)

Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ahp-ep-10-andy-johnson-sioux-citysubstack:post:467082Mon, 18 May 2020 15:19:16 GMTJasperNo1445<![CDATA[AHP Ep. 09: Steve Lowe, Muskegon Lumberjacks]]>This episode of the Amateur Hockey Podcast features Muskegon Lumberjacks President of Hockey Ops Steve Lowe. We talked about the draft and his plans for the future in Muskegon. For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found there on Spotify or by clicking below. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

* Ep. 08: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 07: Tom Upton, Madison Capitols

* Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints

* Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers

* Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount

* Ep. 01: Mark Manney, Andover (MN)

Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ahp-ep-09-steve-lowe-muskegon-lumberjackssubstack:post:466984Mon, 18 May 2020 14:52:22 GMTJasperNo1009<![CDATA[AHP Ep. 08 feat. Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel]]>This episode of the Amateur Hockey Podcast features Chicago Steel GM Ryan Hardy, the first repeat guest of the show’s young lifespan after joining me for a much longer interview after the season was cancelled in March. We talked about the draft and the unique challenge of maintaining a strong team year after year in the USHL. For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found there on Spotify or by clicking below. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

* Ep. 07: Tom Upton, Madison Capitols

* Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints

* Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers

* Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel

* Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount

* Ep. 01: Mark Manney, Andover (MN)

Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ahp-ep-08-feat-ryan-hardy-chicagosubstack:post:457122Thu, 14 May 2020 14:58:19 GMTJasperNo1070<![CDATA[AHP Ep. 07 feat. Tom Upton, Madison Capitols]]>This episode of the Amateur Hockey Podcast features new Madison Capitols GM and Head Coach Tom Upton. We talked about the draft and a few other topics. Thanks a lot to Tom for coming on.

For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found there or by clicking below:

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints GM

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers GM+Head Coach

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel GM

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount 18s Head Coach

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 01: Andover (MN) Head Coach Mark Manney.

There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here. Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ahp-ep-07-feat-tom-upton-madisonsubstack:post:457064Thu, 14 May 2020 14:11:47 GMTJasperNo678<![CDATA[Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 06: Kalle Larsson, Dubuque Fighting Saints GM]]>Double-header for today… this episode is an interview with Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) General Manager Kalle Larsson, who was named GM of the Year for this past USHL season. We talked about last week’s USHL draft, the 2019-20 team and a few other topics. Big thanks to Kalle for taking the time, especially after already discussing his team and draft last week for the Fighting Saints Report which you can check out here.

For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found there or by clicking below:

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers GM+Head Coach

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel GM

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount 18s Head Coach

* Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 01: Andover (MN) Head Coach Mark Manney.

There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here. Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/amateur-hockey-podcast-ep-06-kallesubstack:post:450040Mon, 11 May 2020 17:22:59 GMTJasperNo1430<![CDATA[Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 05: David Wilkie, Omaha Lancers GM and Head Coach]]>This week’s episode is an interview with Omaha Lancers (USHL) General Manager and Head Coach David Wilkie. We talked about their draft, the Lancers and a couple of other topics.

For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly.

Previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found there or by clicking here: Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition, Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel GM, Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount 18s Head Coach, Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 01: Andover (MN) Head Coach Mark Manney. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here. Thanks for listening..



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/amateur-hockey-podcast-ep-05-davidsubstack:post:449569Mon, 11 May 2020 16:31:25 GMTJasperNo1193<![CDATA[Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 04: Kyle Quick, Rochester Coalition]]>Hey guys, this episode is an interview with Rochester Coalition hockey director Kyle Quick. We talked about his 6th-ranked 18s team, which had some of the top players in prep hockey and finished the year with 11 players securing Division 1 commitments. We talked about plenty of other topics in this episode which came in at just over twenty minutes long.

For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly and will be on my YouTube channel later as well. The previous episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found on Spotify or by clicking here: Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel GM, Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount 18s Head Coach, Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 01: Andover (MN) Head Coach Mark Manney. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here. Thanks for listening.



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/amateur-hockey-podcast-ep-04-kylesubstack:post:391148Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:54:51 GMTJasperNo1413<![CDATA[Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 03: Ryan Hardy, Chicago Steel GM]]>Hey all, hope everyone is alright in the midst of what is happening with the Coronavirus. Here is another episode of my podcast — this time featuring Chicago Steel General Manager Ryan Hardy. I had a lot of fun with this interview (which is nearly an hour long), getting to ask a lot of questions that I had been hanging on to for most of this past season and I’m very thankful to Ryan for taking part. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for listening.

For those of you looking to listen on Spotify, it will be up there shortly and will be on my YouTube channel later as well. The previous two episodes of the Amateur Hockey Podcast can be found on Spotify or by clicking here: Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount 18s Head Coach, Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 01: Andover (MN) Head Coach Mark Manney. There are other podcast episodes and content that can be found in the Archive by clicking here.

P.S. If there are questions or topic ideas you have for other people in the game, I’m going to continue doing interviews and my own podcasts so feel free to send them forward and I will try to get some of them answered. Cheers Jasper



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/amateur-hockey-podcast-ep-03-ryansubstack:post:327140Mon, 23 Mar 2020 18:20:45 GMTJasperNo3223<![CDATA[Prep Hockey Podcast Ep. 05: Previewing the New England Elite Tournament Semi's ]]>Hey guys, here is another episode of my Prep Hockey podcast — in this one I talked a bit about the two match-ups coming on Saturday in the New England Tournament: Dexter x Berkshire and Avon x Salisbury. Dexter’s game will likely be streamed on HockeyTV + here is the link to Avon’s live stream page for tomorrow’s game. The Minnesota State Tournament is also going all day today and will continue into the weekend. Here’s the link to watch that.

Thanks for listening!



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/prep-hockey-podcast-ep-05-previewingsubstack:post:303744Fri, 06 Mar 2020 17:47:29 GMTJasperNo486<![CDATA[Prep Hockey Podcast: 2020 New England Tournament Preview]]>Hey all, in this episode of the Prep Hockey Podcast I talk about the New England Elite Eight tournament for about ten minutes, especially the quarter-final match-ups and some players to watch. Thanks for listening and sorry about some of the background noise — I recorded this in the middle of the day and you can definitely tell!

Best of luck to all the teams participating as well as those in the Small and Large School tournaments. The Minnesota high school state tournament also gets going tomorrow, check out MNHockeyHub for more on that.



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/prep-hockey-podcast-2020-new-englandsubstack:post:300516Tue, 03 Mar 2020 23:49:14 GMTJasperNo691<![CDATA[Prep Hockey Podcast Ep. 03: David Manning, Head Coach of St. Andrew's College]]>In the third episode of the Prep Hockey Podcast, I spoke with St. Andrew’s College (Ontario) head coach David Manning ahead of their annual MacPherson Tournament which will take place this weekend on their campus in Aurora. Topics for the episode include prospects on the St. Andrew’s team, prospects they’ve played against, views on development, their season so far and more. Click here to listen on Spotify. Thanks for listening and to David for coming on.

To learn more about St. Andrew’s you can visit their website by clicking here and check out their YouTube for game film.



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/prep-hockey-podcast-ep-03-david-manningsubstack:post:256191Thu, 30 Jan 2020 17:52:44 GMTJasperNo1317<![CDATA[Prospect Currents Podcast Ep. 02: USA at the World Juniors and Youth Olympic Games]]>Hi guys, this episode of my podcast follows up on the USA World Junior team’s performance after previewing them in last month’s episode, as well as taking a look at the USA team at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland and discussing some other related topics. Thanks for listening… previous episodes can be found on the site archive by clicking here or on Spotify by clicking here.

A couple of things referred to in the episode:

The Athletic (paywall): How Wasserman agents found success repping first-rounders in all 6 major North American league drafts in 2019



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/prospect-currents-podcast-ep-02-usasubstack:post:241828Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:30:12 GMTJasperNo1922<![CDATA[Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 02: Matt Plante, Mount 18s Head Coach]]>The second episode of the Amateur Hockey Podcast is out now, featuring Mount St. Charles Hockey Academy 18U coach Matt Plante. Matt’s team is one of the top ranked midget major teams in the country in Mount’s first year of operation as a AAA program. I also interviewed Mount 16 coach and hockey co-director Devin Rask back in the fall, which you can read by clicking here. See below for the remaining games on the schedule for Mount’s 18 team, their roster and statistics so far.

Topics for this episode, which runs a few minutes shy of half an hour, include:

* Mount’s win at the inaugural True Cup tournament to start the new year

* Top prospects on the current Mount team

* Matt’s former players excelling at the highest levels of amateur hockey (NCAA, World Juniors)

* 18U AAA hockey and its role in player development

* Some of the best players Mount has faced this season

* + more!



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/amateur-hockey-podcast-ep-02-mattsubstack:post:224005Mon, 13 Jan 2020 22:33:26 GMTJasperNo1578<![CDATA[Tealcast Ep. 01: USA World Junior Team + WJAC]]>Merry Christmas!

This is the first episode of my ‘Tealcast’ for the 2019-20 season — second ever, following this summer’s draft episode. This one includes a brief update with some thoughts on the USA World Junior roster and a couple comments on this month’s WJAC, which subscribers can read more about here. Thanks for listening and click here for the Spotify link - Jasper



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/tealcast-ep-01-usa-world-junior-teamsubstack:post:206116Thu, 26 Dec 2019 00:57:08 GMTJasperNo603<![CDATA[Amateur Hockey Podcast Ep. 01: Andover (MN) Head Coach Mark Manney]]>This is the first episode of the Over the Boards Amateur Hockey Podcast, it’s going to be similar to my Prep Hockey Podcast in that I will be interviewing people around the amateur hockey world and discussing the scene. This episode features head coach Mark Manney from Andover high school in Minnesota. Andover (4-1) are out-scoring opponents 31 to 8 and boast a top 2020 NHL Draft prospect in blue liner Wyatt Kaiser, a Minnesota-Duluth recruit. The Huskies have a big test tonight as the Maple Grove Crimson come to town at 7:30 PM CST.



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/amateur-hockey-podcast-ep-01-andoversubstack:post:201905Thu, 19 Dec 2019 15:32:06 GMTJasperNo941<![CDATA[Prep Hockey Podcast Ep. 02: Avon Christmas Classic]]>In the second episode of the prep hockey podcast, I interviewed head coaches Dan Driscoll (Berkshire), John Gardner (Avon) and JR Zavisza (Loomis) about their seasons so far while previewing the Avon Christmas Classic, which their teams will all play in today through Saturday.



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/prep-hockey-podcast-ep-02-avon-christmassubstack:post:201891Thu, 19 Dec 2019 15:17:22 GMTJasperNo2162<![CDATA[Prep Hockey Podcast Ep. 01: Coaches Dana Barbin (Exeter) + Dan Donato (Dexter)]]>This is the first episode of the Over the Boards Prep Hockey podcast featuring head coaches Dana Barbin (Exeter) and Dan Donato (Dexter) ahead of their game at Exeter this Wednesday, December 11th, 4:45 PM. Listen on Spotify by clicking here.

Time-Stamps

1:06 // Dana Barbin

12:00 // Dan Donato



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/prep-hockey-podcast-ep-01-coachessubstack:post:194159Tue, 10 Dec 2019 18:31:17 GMTJasperNo1889<![CDATA[Big Ten Hockey Power Rankings #2]]>Listen on Spotify here.

Time stamps for the podcast, find my written preview below:

0:00 - Predictions, Rankings, Tiers

* 3:52 - Notre Dame

* 5:28 - Wisconsin

* 12:48 - Ohio State

* 15:38 - Penn State

* 19:12 - Michigan

* 23:18 - Minnesota

* 28:42 - Michigan State

Note: While there is a paid side of this site focusing on prospects (see more here) and recruiting, the majority (if not all) of my general writings on Big Ten hockey will be free for the public. My college hockey coverage is a labor of love and I enjoy talking about it when I have the time to do it right. If you have any Big Ten hockey-related questions or topics you’d like to see me talk about, let me know.

With tonight’s Halloween matchup consisting of Wisconsin at Penn State, the seventh season of Big Ten hockey is here. Before I get into my power rankings, I’d like to talk about the number seven. It has been a significant number for millennia — the Wonders of the Ancient World when listed, often came in sevens, and included the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It is often mentioned in the Bible (Joshua 6:4 for example) and plays a conspicuous role in nearly every major religion. Accordingly, it is often associated with luck or divinity.

“Tutorming.com” has a very interesting article about the number seven and its significance in Chinese culture, where it is inferred that some Chinese people consider the number to have both positive and negative connotations. Seven is said to be seen as a lucky number for relationships. Isn’t the Big Ten hockey conference just one big relationship of seven high-level hockey programs, all of which could use some luck? Further, the number seven is said to sound like both 起 and 气, Chinese words meaning “start/rise” and “vital energy”. Big Ten hockey fans can only hope.

However, Tutorming.com has more in store. Be careful before reading on, because it’s scarily fitting for this year’s October 31 start: seven can also be considered unlucky, as ghosts are said to rise from hell (the old WCHA?) in the 7th month. Seven also happens to sound like the Chinese word 欺, meaning “cheat”. Only time will tell which aspects, if any, are relevant for this season.

The number seven happens to play out on the ice as well. Not only are there now seven teams in the conference but seven first-round caliber talents are using the Big Ten as a finishing school for the National Hockey League: Wisconsin’s Alex Turcotte, Cole Caufield, Dylan Holloway and K’Andre Miller, Michigan’s Cam York and Johnny Beecher as well as Minnesota’s Ryan Johnson.

All this synchronicity seems to indicate that this should be a very entertaining season for a conference that has already flirted with massive post-season success, but has yet to achieve a national title. Let’s get into my power rankings and find out which teams are most likely to change that this year. Note: I go into more depth on most of the teams and their recent results in my podcast. For this I’ve just done a few comments for each team.

#1. Notre Dame

Last four: 4-0

Who wears #7? No one. Not a good sign.

* Outscoring opponents 21 to 10

* Freshman goaltender Ryan Bischel (of Benilde-St. Margaret’s - MN) has started three of four games, 2.00 GAA with a .929 SV%

* Senior forwards Cal Burke (of Nobles prep) and Mike O’Leary (of Salisbury prep) have combined for 22 points with identical 4-7-11 lines.

#2. Wisconsin

Last four: 3-1

Who wears #7? ‘00 D Mike Vorlicky

* Freshman Cole Caufield (of Stevens Point HS - WI) leads the nation in goals: 7-2-9 line through 6 games

* But he’s tied with sophomore Roman Ahcan (of Burnsville HS - MN) for the team scoring lead, Ahcan has the inverted line: 2-7-9. Ahcan also leads the team with +11.

* NHL draft picks K’Andre Miller (NYR 1st, 2018) and Jack Gorniak (MTL 4th, 2018) have a combined -10 rating. Miller’s 3 goals in 6 games, a line most defensemen would be happy to have, pales in comparison to his red-hot start last year.

#3. Ohio State

Last four: 3-1

Who wears #7? ‘95 D Wyatt Ege (3-3-6)

* Sophomore forward Gustaf Westlund (of Gunnery prep) leads the offense: 4-4-8

* Wyatt Ege (of Elk River MN HS) and Tanner Laczynski (Chicago Mission product) are hot for the Buckeyes offense, too. Ege scored a hat trick against Mercyhurst and Laczynski has 6 assists.

* Power play is at nearly 30% over their last four games

* Junior goaltender Tommy Nappier has been a rock for every minute in the blue paint after winning ‘18-19 Big Ten goaltender of the year splitting time in net: 1.66 GAA, .940 save percentage. St. Louis AAA Blues product was critical to winning the season-opening Icebreaker Tournament.

#4. Penn State

Last four: 3-1

Who wears #7? ‘97 D Evan Bell

* Outscoring opponents 22 to 11

* Nate Sucese (of Gunnery prep) and Brandon Biro (of Sherwood Park, Alberta) have a combined 20 points to lead a Nittany Lions offense that was tops in the NCAA last year.

* Preseason Hobey Baker favorite Evan Barratt (of Team Comcast, The Hun School - NJ Prep) is without a goal through five games to start the year with just four assists through four blow-outs. He’s not the only one under-whelming: Alex Limoges (of Little Caps, Selects Academy), one of the nation’s top goal scorers in ‘18-19 has one goal to the year.

* Freshman Connor MacEachern (out of Ontario junior) has looked great early.

* As has senior goaltender Peyton Jones (of Team Comcast, Holy Ghost - PA Prep), who boasts a 1.75 GAA with a .942 SV%.

#5. Michigan

Last four: 3-1

Who wears #7? ‘98 D Nick Blankenburg (3 pts)

* They need secondary scoring and they’re getting it — only three skaters haven’t registered a point this year.

* On the other hand, their most reliable weapons.. aren’t. Captain Will Lockwood (3-0-0), alternate Jake Slaker (0-2-2) and the Pastujov brothers (Mike and Nick) combine for ten points through six games in non-conference play.

* Freshman first-round pick (BOS) Johnny Beecher (of Salisbury prep) is tied with line mate Jack Becker (of Mahtomedi HS - MN) for the team lead in scoring — both have four points.

* Freshman first-round pick (PHI) Cam York (of Shattuck-St. Mary’s - MN) has three assists in three games and a team-leading +3 — he’s missed three games due to injury.

* Goaltender Strauss Mann (of Brunswick prep) has a 1.83 GAA and a .939 SV%.

#6. Minnesota

Last four: 2-2

Who wears #7? ‘99 F Brannon McManus (4 pts)

* Like Michigan, the scoring has already spread around: only two skaters have yet to register a point.

* Sammy Walker (of Edina HS - MN) has carried the load generally as well as from a big goals stand-point. The sophomore captain’s 4-3-7 line nearly doubles the next best producers on this team. His twenty-three penalty minutes is more than double the next highest — linemate Blake McLaughlin (of Grand Rapids HS - MN), who has 10 of his own.

* Freshman Ben Meyers (of Delano HS - MN) is tied for second on the team in scoring with 1-3-4.

* Powerplay is firing at 25% through their last four games

#7. Michigan State

Last four: 2-2

Who wears #7? ‘96 D Damian Chrcek

* John Lethemon (of Farmington HS - MI) has a 2.00 GAA and a .940 SV%, having played two of four games.

* The “LKM” (Mitchell Lewandowski - Patrick Khodorenko - Nicolas Müller) experiment seems to have ended with Khodorenko and Lewandowski splitting up on Saturday — the offense exploded in a 5-1 W. Müller, a 20-year-old freshman from Switzerland by way of MODO (Sweden) scored his first goal in the win — Khodorenko had three assists.

* Sophomore defenseman Cole Krygier (FLA 7th round 2018) has two goals.



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/big-ten-hockey-power-rankings-2substack:post:158917Thu, 31 Oct 2019 12:01:02 GMTJasperNo1883<![CDATA[Big Ten Week Zero Power Rankings]]>Time Stamps

#7 Michigan State - 0:55

#6 Minnesota - 3:47

#5 Michigan - 6:44

#4 Wisconsin - 8:56

#3 Ohio State - 11:58

#2 Notre Dame - 14:36

#1 Penn State - 17:04

Also available on Spotify and YouTube (overtheboards.tv)



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/big-ten-week-1-power-rankingssubstack:post:143136Fri, 11 Oct 2019 11:03:27 GMTJasperNo1232<![CDATA[USHL Power Rankings (Top 5)]]>You can also listen to this on Spotify or YouTube.

Time Stamps

1:37 #5

3:25 #4

5:13 #3

7:00 #2

8:30 #1



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/ushl-power-rankings-top-5substack:post:142500Thu, 10 Oct 2019 12:01:10 GMTJasperNo694<![CDATA[Tealcast Ep. 00: 2019 NHL Draft]]>I said I was done with the 2019 draft, but…

Here’s my first go at a podcast, talking plans for this space + 2019 draft, 2020 draft, summer hockey. Since this is a draft focused episode it is a bit different than these will be in the future. I’ll be talking about recruiting, prospects as well as the Big Ten and hockey in general. In time I’ll look to bring on some guests.

I’ve put down the timestamps so you can skip around. Soon these recordings will also be on Spotify, iTunes, (sometimes) YouTube and wherever else people listen to things.

Also, one name I forgot to mention for 2020 is Dylan Holloway. The incoming Badger freshman forward is a potential first-rounder next summer.

Start // 2019 Draft Theme

1:38 // Talking about myself, topics for the podcast and website

5:53 // What’s with the Teal

6:35 // NHL Draft (2019) General Thoughts

8:05 // First round talk starts - mostly NTDP

9:45 // Jack Hughes

12:30 // Kaapo Kakko

13:28 // Alex Turcotte

15:30 // Moritz Seider

16:00 // Trevor Zegras

17:37 // Vasili Podkolzin

18:28 // Matt Boldy

19:42 // Spencer Knight

21:05 // Cam York

21:50 // Cole Caufield (see clip from 2015 below… Caufield’s always had a touch)

23:30 // Alex Newhook

24:15 // John Beecher

26:00 // Ryan Johnson

27:06 // 2020 Draft (why!?!?!?)

27:42 // Alexis Lafreniere

28:10 // Quinton Byfield (Brock Otten’s Rankings)

28:32 // Antonio Stranges

28:45 // NTDP Names for 2020

29:15 // Ty Smilanic

29:37 // Thomas Bordeleau

29:52 // Dylan Peterson + Jake Sanderson

30:13 // Ryder Rolston + Sean Farrell

30:38 // Blake Biondi

30:55 // Daniil Gushchin

31:30 // Summer Hockey + Liberty Bell Games

32:28 // Gleb Veremyev + Nick Van Tassell

Thanks for listening



Get full access to Over the Boards at otb.substack.com/subscribe]]>https://otb.substack.com/p/tealcast-episode-00substack:post:81668Sat, 06 Jul 2019 06:59:06 GMTJasperNo2008