A closer look at some college rosters and you will find that they first met and played with their current college teammates for the first time on a Bruins tournament team, Little Bruins or one of our junior teams.
"One of the fun things about our AAA tournament team program is to see the kids progress throughout the years and see their hockey careers progress and, finally, when they move on and realize their dreams of playing college hockey," Chris Masters commented. "Some of these players and families we have known since they were 10 years old and we can remember them playing with us at tournaments we still go to today like OTTF, Prospects, Mission Cup (now Warrior), Jr. Chowder Cup and the list goes on. Remembering back on not only the fun at the rink but at the hotels in the pool, playing knee hockey, whiffle ball and football games, out at dinner and visiting places like the Hockey Hall of Fame and Old Montreal. Seeing them now playing for, and having an impact, at some of the top programs in the country is what makes watching those games so fun."
A lot of those players, as they became age eligible to play with the Little Bruins or one of the Bruins' two junior teams, then came on with the program on more permanent basis. This season, if you are at an ECAC or Hockey East game, you will be hard pressed to not be watching a former B's alum as 31 players who were with one of the junior teams is playing at the D-1 level with the majority of them playing in one of those two leagues.
"When we go to college games now we don't really root for any team," Peter Masters said, "we root for our former players. It is rewarding for us to see them having the success they have and know we might have played a little part in helping them get to where they are."
Here is a school by school breakdown of all 120 plus players:
EJ=played on our Junior Bruins (EJHL) team
Emp=played on our Junior Bruins (Empire) team or our Midget AAA Bruins team.
M-AAA team was renamed JB-Emp
LB-played on our Little Bruins team (split season midget team)
AAA=played on our AAA tournament team
Boston College
Pat Gannon (EJ, AAA)
Ben Smith (EJ, LB, AAA)
Anthony Aiello (AAA)
Benn Ferriero (AAA)
Matt Greene (AAA)
Matt Lombardi (AAA)
Joe Whitney (AAA)
U-Lowell
Kory Falite (EJ, Emp, AAA)
Nevin Hamilton (EJ, LB, AAA)
Nick Monroe (LB, AAA)
UVM
Josh Burrows (EJ, Emp, LB, AAA)
Josh Franklin (LB, AAA)
Peter Lenes (AAA)
Pat Cullity (AAA)
UNH
Bobby Butler (EJ, LB, AAA)
Brian Foster (AAA)
Kevin Kapstad (AAA)
Jerry Pollastrone (AAA)
Kevin Regan (AAA)
Danny Rossman (AAA)
Paul Thompson (AAA)
Providence
Joey Lavin (Emp, AAA)
Cody Wild (EJ, Emp, LB, AAA)
Chris Mannix (LB, AAA)
Eric Baier (AAA)
Mark Fayne (AAA)
Austin MAyer (AAA)
Ian O'Connor (AAA)
Jon Rheault (AAA)
Ryan Simpson (AAA)
U-Mass Amherst
Alex Berry (EJ, AAA)
Topher Bevis (EJ, LB, AAA)
Matt Burto (EJ, AAA)
Dave Leaderer (EJ, Emp, AAA)
Will Ortiz (LB, AAA)
Cory Quirk (LB, AAA)
Boston University
Jason Lawrence (EJ, LB, AAA)
Chris Higgins
Dan McGoff
Brian Strait
U-Maine
Bret Tyler
Robbie Bellamy
Matt Duffy
Keif Orsini
Nick Payson
Merrimack
Pat Kimball (EJ, LB, AAA)
Pat Bowen (AAA)
Andrew Letellier (AAA)
Rob Ricci (AAA)
Northeastern
Chris Donovan (EJ, AAA)
Jimmy Driscoll (EJ, LB, AAA)
Ryan Ginand (EJ, LB, AAA)
Ryan MaGuire (LB, AAA)
Jimmy Russo (LB, AAA)
Rob Rassey (AAA)
Josh Robertson (AAA)
Steve Silva (AAA)
Colgate
Kevin McNamara (AAA)
Brian Day (AAA)
Clarkson
Jon Marshall (EJ, Emp, AAA)
Eric Daddario (AAA)
Tom Pizzo (AAA)
Dan Reed (AAA)
Dan Tuttle (AAA)
Princeton
Kevin Kaiser (AAA)
ERic Pridham (AAA)
Dan Bartlett (AAA)
Dartmouth
Jonathan Wolter (EJ, LB, AAA)
Peter Boldt (AAA)
Joe Gaudet (AAA)
Harvard
Brian McCafferty (LB, AAA)
Doug Rogers (LB, AAA)
Mike Del Mauro (AAA)
Paul DuFault (AAA)
Chris Huxley (AAA)
Matt McCollem (AAA)
Chad Morin (AAA)
Joe Smith (AAA)
Brown
Paul Baier (AAA)
Ty Fernandez (AAA)
Hunter Thunel (AAA)l
Matt Vokes (AAA)
Quinnipiac
Greg Holt (AAA)
RPI
Scott Halpern (AAA)
Garrett Vassel (AAA)
Yale
Pat Brosnihan (LB, AAA)
Tom Dignard (LB, AAA)
Chris Cahill (AAA)
Mike Karwoski (AAA)
Denny Kearny (AAA)
Broc Little (AAA)
St. Lawrence
Dan Coughlin (AAA)
Nick Pitsikoulis
(LB, AAA)
Union
Sam Bowles (EJ, AAA)
Torren Del Forte (EJ, Emp, AAA)
Mike Harr (EJ, LB, AAA)
Jonathan Lareau (EJ, AAA)
Justin Pallos (EJ, LB, AAA)
John Simpson (LB, AAA)
Chris Potts (AAA)
Matt Cook (AAA)
Army
Ian McDougall (EJ, Emp, AAA)
Bentley
Sean Nealon (Emp, AAA)
Casey Russell (EJ, AAA)
Jay Bletzer (AAA)
Sacred Heart
Mike Rosata (AAA)
Kyle Tyll (AAA)
U-Conn
Steve Bergin (Emp, AAA)
Joe Walchessen (AAA)
Niagara
Bryan Hacyzk (AAA)
Wayne State
Evan Mackintosh (EJ, Emp, AAA)
Miami (OH)
Carter Camper (AAA)
Michigan
Max Pacioretty (AAA)
Kevin Quick (AAA)
Bowling Green
Phil Greer (LB, AAA)
Russ Sinkewich (AAA)
Ohio State
Corey Toy (AAA)
Manhattanville
Joe DiCamillo (Emp, AAA)
Wentworth
Rob Pagani (Emp, AAA)
Bowdoin
Chris Rossi (EJ, LB, AAA)
Williams College
Chris Liu (Emp, AAA)
Salem State
Kevin Hughes (LB, AAA)
US NTDP
Former Bruins that have also played for the US team
Adam Pineault (EJ, AAA)
Jason Lawrence (EJ, LB, AAA)
Joey Lavin (Emp, AAA)
Mike Cichy (Emp, AAA)
Have we overlooked someone? Please send us an EMAIL so we can include all those who deserve to be recognized.
Alumni-Have a picture of you playing for your college? Please email it to US.
