Fresh Princes

Each year brings change in college hockey, and for the Harvard men’s hockey team, both ends of the ice have roles for the nine incoming freshmen to fill.

Aside from the questions surrounding who will start in goal, Harvard is looking to bolster its offensive lines after graduating six forwards last season.

The Crimson’s roster includes players who have substantial experience at the national junior level, but the first task will be to adjust to the pace of college hockey and the length of the season.

Though some of Harvard’s top goal-scorers have graduated, the team is optimistic that skaters like Alex Killorn, Rence Coassin, Eric Kroshus, Colin Moore, and Daniel Moriarty, will find the back of the net.

“We graduated a few guys who were key to our offense, but we also found a few freshmen who can really put the puck in the net, so I don’t think we’ve lost any offense,” co-captain Jimmy Fraser says. “If anything, we’ve gained some for this upcoming season.”

Harvard hopes that both Killorn and Moore, two products of the national junior hockey stage, can quickly morph into offensive threats. Killorn, who hails from Montreal. has already shown promise by scoring his first collegiate goal in last Friday’s exhibition game against Québec-Trois-Rivières.

“Alex is one of the most talented freshmen that we’ve had around since I’ve been here. He’s a guy that we feel can come in and contribute right away offensively,” says Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91. “He’s strong. He’s got good speed and puck skills.”

Moore is also expected to see significant playing time on Harvard’s special teams—both on the power-play and penalty-kill lines.

“He’s a guy who we feel can go seamlessly onto an offensive line or a shutdown line,” Donato says. “So we feel that he can be a big factor for us.”

Another scorer from last Friday’s exhibition, Coassin, can be expected to play a similar role in bolstering Harvard’s special teams, in addition to any offensive role on the wing or center ice positions.

“He’s a guy who’s very versatile and has won at every level he’s been at,” Donato says. “He’s a good addition to the team.”

Whatever a player’s natural talent level or past accomplishments, comfort with the speed and intensity of the college game only comes with game experience. On a team full of new forwards, the team’s ability to generate consistent offensive pressures rests with achieving this goal. Harvard hopes that players like Eric Kroshus can successfully make the transition.

“He’s got great offensive instincts, and as he becomes more acclimated with the strength and the speed of the college game, he’ll be able to be a guy that we can count on offensively and defensively,” Donato says.

As rookie Matt Hoyle competes for the starting job in goal, the skaters forming the first line of defense will include a core group of upperclassmen, though talented freshmen will fight for time on the ice.

In trying to replace last year’s co-captain David McDonald and J.D. McCabe, the defense will look to its six returning players to provide experience and stability. Though rookies Ryan Grimshaw, Alex Leinberry, and Peter Starrett can thrive under the upperclassmen’s leadership, the time they see on the ice may be limited.

An exception may be Grimshaw, who has already served as the captain of the U.S. National Development Team and brings experience from playing in the Under-18 World championships.

“[Grimshaw] is a real solid, steady defenseman,” Donato says. “As he becomes more comfortable, I think he’ll contribute more offensively, but from the get-go, he’ll be a real solid defenseman of ours.”

The team is also very optimistic that Leinberry and Starrett can adjust to the college game quickly and that their hard work will ultimately benefit the team as the season moves along.

As the freshman class matures throughout the season, it will be exposed to some of the most rigorous competition in the country and introduced to all of the traditions that come with playing college hockey in Boston. From the Beanpot to league play to the the ECAC tournament, Harvard is counting on its freshmen to become contributors now.

—Staff writer Robert T. Hamlin can be reached at rhamlin@fas.harvard.edu.