Those who follow Fear The Triangle on Twitter already got a sneak preview of today’s subject.  BurntBoats, a Boston University fan on Twitter, has been tracking projected future rosters for both BU and BC, showing what the lineup looks like, where the holes are, when recruits are eligible for the draft, and who are the potential flight risks to go pro.  I thought it was good way to visualize such info so I decided to do the same for UMass.  So here’s how the next four seasons of rosters currently look for the Minutemen:

First of all, it’s amazing just how much of the roster is filled out for the next three years.  Barring any early departures the roster is pretty much set for the next three seasons except for finding another goalie when Alex Wakaluk graduates.  Second, as we all know defense and goaltending has been a huge weakness for the team in recent campaigns.  Coach Micheletto and the staff have addressed that issue by locking up talented blueliners all the way through the next four years.  There are four NHL draft picks that are due to suit up for the UMass defense in the next two years and Colin Felix and Brian Scoville are have a good chance to be draft picks in 2017.

I did my best to identify potential flight risks.  The ones I singled out are either drafted players who may jump to join the NHL organizations or potential impact players who may leave for a free agent deal, much like Frank Vatrano did this past spring.

The last call out is just how inexperienced this team will be this coming season, with just seven upperclassmen on the roster.  The defense will likely consist of one senior, two sophomores, and four freshmen.  The starting goaltender will be either a sophomore who split time last year or a freshman.  These players will have to adjust to the college game quickly if they’re going to lead the turnaround of the program.

These projected rosters can be found in the FTT menu above and will be updated regularly as recruits continue to commit and other information changes.

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UMass’ newest recruit, Callum Fryer, was featured in this piece of OJHL players heading to NHL development camps.  Fryer will be participating in Leafs camp.

Here’s a good story from the Pittsburgh Penguins website about Conor Sheary earning his first NHL contract.

Vatrano will be attending the upcoming Boston Bruins camp.

Ryan Badger, who committed back in April, was officially added to this year’s recruiting class yesterday.