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By: MJ Baird and Kyle Levasseur
MJ’s No. 1 player:
1. Travis St. Denis F (Quinnipiac)
Travis St. Denis is off to a torrid start in his senior campaign. He is tied for second in the nation in goals through the first eight games of the season, and leads the ECAC in this category. St. Denis has 4 power play goals for the Bobcats, good enough to lead the Bobcats and be second in the ECAC. Having seen the Bobcat’s power play thrive of late, there is no reason to believe St. Denis can’t keep up his productivity moving forward. Leading the Bobcats to an 8-0-0 record to begin the season, St. Denis is taking on an active leadership role by example.
Kyle’s No. 1 player:
1. Jimmy Vesey F (Harvard)
While St. Denis is one of the best players in the ECAC, there is no way he is currently better than Jimmy Vesey. The debate is an insult to Vesey. Last year’s ECAC Player of the Year, Ivy League Player of the year, Walter Brown Award Winner, and Top Collegiate Player Finalist, Vesey has hit the ground running in his senior campaign. Only four games into the season, he already has four goals, and four assists, good for his team leading eight points. Vesey is two points behind ECAC point leaders St. Denis, Sam Anas, and Tyson Spink, yet the Harvard captain has done so in half the games. Vesey is a key reason why the Crimson are undefeated and ranked seventh overall in the nation.
Kyle’s No. 2 player:
2. Travis St. Denis F (Quinnipiac).
The Bobcats assistant captain has been off to a hot start. St. Denis leads the ECAC in goals (seven) and he is tied for the lead in points (ten). He has been pivotal to Quinnipiac’s offense, taking the charge on the power play with a team high four power play goals. St. Denis’s most impressive moment was scoring four goals in two games against St. Cloud State’s goalie Charlie Lindgren. Going into the game, Lindgren had not given up a goal all season. St. Denis is the cornerstone of Quinnipiac’s 4.38 goals per game offense. St. Denis is moving in the right direction to becoming No. 1 on my list, but he’ll have to keep up this level of play.
MJ’s No. 2 Player:
2. Jimmy Vesey F (Harvard)
Selected in the third round of the NHL draft by the Nashville Predators, Vesey is one talented player. But, only four games into the Ivy league season, saying he is already the best ECAC player is a bit of a stretch. Some players tend to come out on hot streaks and almost fall off the face of the earth, look at Thomas Aldworth. I’m not saying this is going to happen to a veteran like Vesey, but it is enough to put the proven consistent St. Denis ahead.
Through the first four games of his senior campaign, Vesey has tallied eight points. With four goals and four assists, he is the leading the Crimson in goals, power plays goals and points. Vesey was a member of the preseason all-league team, and now last weeks ECAC player of the week. Expect an onslaught of more to come this season, as Vesey has led the Crimson to an early 3-0-1 record. I placed him in a close second behind St. Denis due to the Ivy League schedule, having only played four games so far. If he can keep up his production, as St. Denis has, through the early going he will be a number one contender.
MJ’s No. 3 player:
3. Gavin Bayreuther D (St. Lawrence)
2015-2016 preseason all-league team member, Bayreuther is already living up to his expectations. He leads ECAC defensemen in goals and points, and is second in assists. St. Lawrence is currently sporting a 6-3-1 record, but only 1-1 in the ECAC. At this point in the season, Bayreuther and the Saints are ranked No. 15 in the USCHO.com poll, and have a big game this weekend against No. 19 Clarkson. Bayreuther will be a higher ranking if he begins to turn his team towards a better record, beginning this weekend with Clarkson. Bayreuther will hold onto my ranking as long as he keeps up his production on the Saints blue line.
Kyle’s No. 3 player:
3. Tyson Spink F (Colgate)
I definitely agree that Bayreuther is the best defenseman in the ECAC. But, I didn’t rank him as high because this is an offensive league. Enter Tyson Spink. Spink will be remembered long after his time at Colgate, as he just scored his 101 point of his career. Spink is tied for the conference lead in points with Sam Anas and Travis St. Denis, at ten. Spink leads the Raiders in assists with six, while boasting a solid four goals on the year. Spink had one of the two goals Colgate scored in its 2-1 win over Princeton. Spink had 2 goals and 1 assist against RPI in its 5-2 win. His most impressive game was against Mercyhurst, in which he tallied 4 assists. Spink is a spark plug to this team, and when he plays well, Colgate seems to win.
Kyle’s No. 4 player:
4. Alex Lyon G (Yale)
Alex Lyon had a fantastic sophomore year. He led the ECAC in save percentage, goals against average, and shutouts, Lyon is continuing to play at an elite level. With a save percentage of .950, and a goals against average of 1.47, Lyon is the backbone of arguably the best defense in the ECAC. His 115 saves over four games this year is downright impressive, and is the reason Yale is 3-0-1. Lyon will be key to the Bulldogs all year long, and expect him to bring home many awards as the best goalie in the ECAC and/or the NCAA.
MJ’s No. 4 player:
4. Sam Anas F (Quinnipiac)
A goalie ranked this high in an “offensive league”? Yikes. Don’t get me wrong, Alex Lyon will go down in Yale history. No doubt he deserves a spot on this list, but to rank him so high in this poll only four games into his season is a bit skeptical in my mind.
Another ECAC preseason all-league team member, Sam Anas has ten points in eight games. Known for his silky hands and cannon for a shot, Anas has been amongst the top forward in the ECAC the past couple seasons. In his junior season now, Anas is almost a lock for being a one-hundred point scorer by the time he is finished as a Bobcat. Anas comes in at number four not because he can’t be the best, but because his teammate Travis St. Denis is on a tear of late. If Anas can get back to his team-leading number in goals and near the league lead in scoring, he will slide up the rankings quickly.
MJ’s No. 5 player:
5. Riley Bourbonnais F (Rensselaer)
This junior for the Engineers is developing into an outstanding ECAC player. Sitting at 3-0-1 in the ECAC, Rensselaer is tied atop the ECAC standings with Harvard. Bourbonnais leads the Engineers in goals with five, and points with nine. The Engineers have a win over No. 2 ranked Boston College, in which Bourbonnais scored both goals for the Engineers. Bourbonnais has an opportunity to emerge as the big name from Rensselaer not only this season but into his senior year.
Kyle’s No. 5 player:
5. Sam Anas F (Quinnipiac)
Bourbonnais has the potential to be a top ECAC Player, but I definitely would not rank him as high as fifth in the conference. Tied for the ECAC lead in points with ten, Anas is continuing to leave his mark in Quinnipiac’s program history. Closing in on one hundred career points, Anas has 4 goals and 6 assists on the year. His speed is incredible, and is a catalyst to starting plays on offense. What’s scary about this quick playmaker, is that I think he is only going to get better as the season goes on.
Kyle’s No. 6 player:
6. Gavin Bayreuther D (St. Lawrence)
Bayreuther is one of the best defenseman in the conference. After winning ECAC Rookie of the year his freshman year, Bayreuther struggled last season. He dropped from 36 points to 17 points and from 30 blocked shots to 28 blocked shots. So far this year, we have seen the Bayreuther of old. He has already scored 9 points this year. Bayreuther’s solid play on defense has led St. Lawrence to a 6-3-1 record, ranked 15 in the nation.
MJ’s No. 6 Player:
6. Tyson Spink F (Colgate)
Ranking Spink as a top three player in the ECAC doesn’t sit well with me. Not on a Colgate team who is sitting at 4-5 and very sporadic in its quality of play. He needs to show me more in terms of consistency for himself and his team in order for me to place him higher.
The senior from Ontario, Canada is tied for the lead in points for the nation (ten). He contributes six assists to his team, leading the squad. Spink had a stellar junior campaign, leading the team in goals and assists, and placed top ten in ECAC in points. Earlier this season, he notched the 100 point of his career in his 100 game as a Raider. Watch out for Spink to put this Colgate team on his shoulders and move it up the ECAC standings in the near future.
MJ’s No. 7 player:
7. Michael Garteig G (Quinnipiac)
The senior goaltender has been playing the best hockey of his career. Garteig has been playing a huge part in preserving one goal leads, as displayed this past weekend against Colgate and Cornell. Garteig won the ECAC goalie of the month for October. Rand Pecknold has said on multiple occasions this season that Garteig is winning games for Quinnipiac. He has a goal against average of 1.75 over a span of eight games, two of which were shutouts. For this reason, I put Garteig ahead of Yale goaltender Alex Lyon, who has played only four games.
Kyle’s No. 7 player:
7. Michael Garteig G (Quinnipiac)
Starting the season 8-0-0, he is the only goalie in the conference that has won every game he has played in. Garteig has posted a .928 save percentage, and 1.75 goals against average. The Bobcat set a new career best in saves against No. 9 ranked St. Cloud State, with 41 saves. Garteig has two shutouts on the year and kept his cool in overtime against Cornell. He is one of the best goalies in the ECAC. While I agree on where he falls on the list, I’m not yet convinced that Garteig should be ranked higher than Lyon. I need to see Gartieg be more consistent, over a longer period of time, to move him higher up.
Kyle’s No. 8 player:
8. Riley Bourbonnais F (Rensselaer)
Nine points over nine games this year, Bourbonnais is the leader of this Rensselaer offense. The junior has five goals and four assists on the year. But, his most valuable skill is the ability to perform in the clutch. Bourbonnais had two vital goals against a very good Boston College team, to lead his team to a 2-1 win. He also tied the game against St. Lawrence in the 3rd period, which the Engineers would end up winning 4-3 in OT. Bourbonnais will soon surpass his 14 points from last year. I believe he will become one of the elite players in the ECAC.
MJ’s No. 8 player:
8. Alex Lyon G (Yale)
To me, Bourbonnais is too good of a player to not be on this list. His impact is definitely arguable, but I placed him higher up because of what he is doing to help his team.
This junior is a one of a kind goalie. He is a former first team all Ivy member, top ECAC goalie, and last year led the nation in goals against (1.62), save percentage (.939) and shutouts (7). This year, he was selected as the preseason all-league goalie, and has been ECAC goalie of the week twice. So far in four games for Yale, Lyon has a goal against average of 1.47, good enough to lead the ECAC. If Lyon keeps up his work, there is no doubt he will skyrocket in these rankings. But for now through only four games he comes in at the eight spot.
MJ’s No. 9 player:
Tim Clifton F (Quinnipiac)
Tim Clifton has only played in four games for the Bobcats. The junior had an explosive sophomore season last year, and has picked up where he left off this season. Clifton had a pair of goals in his first weekend vs. Holy Cross, and then missed three games for the Bobcats for an undisclosed absence. He returned to action this weekend in New York, where he put up a pair of goals, one in each game. Clifton is on a four game point streak in the games he appeared, recording four goals and adding an assist to the mix. If Clifton stays healthy for the Bobcats and keeps up his current production, he will find himself atop this leaderboard with his teammate Travis St. Denis before he knows it.
Kyle’s No. 9 player:
9. Kyle Criscuolo F (Harvard)
Kyle Criscuolo, last year’s ECAC Student-Athlete of the Year, has hit the ground running his senior year. Scoring goals in three of four games this season, Criscuolo has shown he will be a reliable member of this dynamic offense. While his five points this season may not seem like a lot, the Ivy League schools start the season later than the rest of the ECAC schools, and his stats will soon show he is a top scorer. Keep an eye on this senior as the season progresses.
Kyle’s No. 10 player:
10. Mike Borkowski F (Colgate)
The only player in the ECAC with a hat trick rounds off this list. Borkowski has two assists, and five goals already, tying him for second in the conference in goals. This Raider has shown flashes of greatness such as scoring three goals against Mercyhurst. Yet his inconsistency this season has held him back from being a premiere goal scorer. If he wants to move up on the list, he’ll have to contribute to the box score against opponents like Providence and Quinnipiac, which he had zero points against in three games.
MJ’s No. 10 player:
10. Anthony Angello F Cornell
Mike Borkowski has a hat trick this season. He also has seven points. That means the other five points came in eight games for Cornell. Per those stats, Borkowski doesn’t quite deserve a spot in my top ten.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, selected Angello. He returned to the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and racked up 19 goals and 16 assists in 56 games. He was also on the gold medal team USA at the 2014 Junior A World Challenge. In his first four games at Cornell, Angello has recorded at least a point in each game. The freshman is guiding Cornell to a current record of 3-2 (1-1 ECAC). Angello has the potential to be a top player in the ECAC this year, and even moving forward, if he keeps contributing to the Big Red in such a significant way.
