The Beanpot Tournament has produced players who affect NHL change. Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) proves that skill trumps size. Trevor Zegras (Boston University), No. 7 in The Athletic’s under-23 rankings, makes offensive gimmickry look routine. Adam Fox (Harvard), in the mix for his second Norris Trophy, excels at sifting point shots through traffic on net. Josh Manson (Northeastern) is the modern defensive defenseman who does not compromise mobility for stoutness.
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The 2023 version of the tournament, which begins Monday at TD Garden, should be no different. The Beanpot schools have 47 NHL draft picks, including three first-rounders: BU’s Jay O’Brien (Philadelphia), BC’s Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia) and Harvard’s Matt Coronato (Calgary). It’s a good bet, then, that some of the Beanpot’s players will not only populate the NHL but participate in its next evolutionary step.
Here’s how Greg Brown (BC), Jay Pandolfo (BU), Ted Donato (Harvard) and Jerry Keefe (Northeastern), the four Beanpot coaches, see the NHL future:
1. Positionless hockey
NHL forwards already rotate to the point when defensemen go low in the offensive zone. In the defensive zone, centers fold back to the front when defensemen pursue the puck to the perimeter.
This will expand.
“A little less positional, a little more positionless hockey. That’s the buzzword people are using now,” Brown said. “Defensemen, more and more active. A lot of changing of positions. Because that’s the hardest to defend.”
Aggressive defensemen will be at the front of the parade. Once they turn pro, such defensemen will keep going. When that happens, forwards will have to backfill.
“Getting all five guys involved in the offense is really important,” Keefe said. “Your D have to be really active with switches, high rolls and things like that.”
If, for example, a defenseman dives deep into the offensive zone, it’s easy for opponents to become confused. Assignments aren’t as clear. Coverage collapses.
“The more the D are active and part of that offensive-zone play, the more and more the other team can’t double on the puck and can’t create a swarm where they can outnumber you down low with three or four guys against two,” said Brown. “If they’re doing a very good job in the offensive zone, a lot of times it breaks down into man-to-man coverage. Then you have opportunities. Because you can beat your guy. Or you can create more space and have situations where they’re having to worry about their guy much more than about when they can double on the puck.”
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The question is whether sustained position switches will happen. For example, if mid-game injuries occur, could a defenseman play forward, and vice versa?
“Certain D-men, you see them have the puck so much and see them be so skillful that it’s easy to see them transition to being very effective forwards,” Donato said. “Not so much the other way though, it seems. There’s not a bunch of forwards that skate backwards with the efficiency of a defenseman or are as comfortable defending, whether it’s off the rush or in front of the net.”
2. Offense from defensemen
“You watch that kid Hutson,” Brown said. “He’s electric.”
Brown was referring to Lane Hutson, BU’s freshman defenseman. He is No. 2 in team scoring with nine goals and 26 assists in 25 games. Hutson was the Canadiens’ second-round pick in 2022.
Hutson has company. Senior Domenick Fensore has an 8-11—19 line through 23 games. Fensore was the Hurricanes’ third-round selection in 2019.
“With Hutson and Fensore, they’re up the ice all game long,” Pandolfo said. “They’re all over the offensive zone. I think you’re seeing the same thing now, that trend in the NHL as well with some of the offensive defensemen in the league. You watch the way the Bruins play, their D are involved all the time. That’s the way the game is going. It’s a lot different from the back end. You see all these mobile defensemen now. There’s no more shoot it off the glass to get it out. You’ve got to be able to break pucks out and be up and ready to join the rush if you’re going to sustain offense.”
Hutson’s size (5-foot-10, 155 pounds) will not work against him. Quinn Hughes (5-10, 180 pounds) is doing just fine in Vancouver. In fact, teams will deploy multiple undersized defensemen if they can initiate the attack.
“There’ll be room for guys,” Brown said. “Before, you might have one defenseman like that. Now you might have two or three on your roster that are like that.”
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3. No dropoff in skill
Players will succeed at the Michigan from behind the net. They will execute full-speed toe drags and between-the-legs goals.
Part of this is because of the adoption of skills instructors, from shot doctors to power skating coaches.
“It’s everywhere,” said Pandolfo. “Kids see other kids doing it. I think other skills coaches see other skills coaches doing it. There’s a market for it. The kids see other kids improving because they’re doing the extra work.”
Some of the instruction doesn’t even take place in person. The explosion of video on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok embeds everything a player wants to watch on his or her phone.
“Forty years ago when I was a kid, you got to watch the Bruins play on Channel 38. And that was it,” said Donato, 53. “You saw the other teams when they came to town. Now, kids, if they wanted, could very easily just watch all of Connor McDavid’s goals for the season. Or all his shootout moves.”
4. Continued offense
Through the All-Star break, teams are averaging 3.12 goals per game. This is the highest since 1995-96 (3.14).
Part of the reason is because defensive nuances such as angling and stick positioning can be tricky to master. Prior to the NCAA, the Beanpot’s top players never had to play defense. Depending on the length of their college stay, they may require more time in pro hockey to become reliable defensively.
“They’re guys who are used to having the puck the whole game,” Brown said. “It’s the natural evolution for the star high school or junior player when they get to us. It’s another big step when they go on from us to the pros. That part is always evolving to where you can be reliable in the NHL is the ultimate goal.”
5. Less physicality
A missed check is too risky.
“It is more about playing through guys’ hands, taking angles,” Pandolfo said. “There’s still a level of physicality. When you have a chance to finish a check, you do. But the other thing too, especially when you’re talking about the forecheck with some of these defensemen, if you think you can finish a check and they just side-step you, the next thing you know, they’re on offense and leaving you behind.”
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6. Smarter goalies will require better collaboration
Keefe cites hockey sense as Devon Levi’s biggest strength. Levi, Sabres’ property after being traded from the Panthers in the Sam Reinhart deal, anticipates where pucks will go. He also has the power and athleticism to get to his spots.
It becomes critical for a weak-side defenseman, for example, to know that rushing to occupy a shooting lane may not be the best move if his goalie can get there. The defenseman’s better play may be to stay put and deny a slot-line pass.
(Photo of Ted Donato and Greg Brown: Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images)
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