10 players who stood out at the 2026 Beanpot

BOSTON, Massachusetts — In the final of the 73rd Beanpot, and just kinda coincidentally, the 300th Battle of Comm. Ave., archrivals Boston College and Boston University did more or less what everyone expected.

They played a closely contested — right up until Boston College ran away with it — and rather unfriendly game that ended up in a 6-2 victory for the Eagles, their 21st title in Beanpot history. It was also their first Beanpot title in a decade, if you can believe that.

But what many might not have expected in a game between two teams loaded with high-end draft picks — there are a total of five first-round selections between the two clubs — was that this game was far more like trench warfare than a shooting gallery. In the end, Boston College had the edge in shots, 38-29.

Earlier in the evening, Harvard defeated Northeastern, 4-1, to take the consolation game and, hopefully, some much-needed momentum for the remainder of the season.

The following players stood out the most for their respective teams in this year's Beanpot.

Boston College

James Hagens, sophomore LW/C (selected 7th overall in 2025 by BOS)

2 GP: 2-3—5, 6 SOG in 39:26 played

The growth shown by James Hagens, this year's Beanpot MVP, throughout his second season of college hockey has been getting increasingly difficult to ignore. In the last month or so, he's taken even that growth to the next level.

That may be due, in part, to Brown's decision to put draft-eligible winger Oscar Hemming next to Hagens a few weeks ago, and the results speak for themselves: Hagens is up to 5-8—13 in the last seven games, playing big minutes, and driving play in all the right ways, all 200 feet of the ice.

"He's more impactful of late," said coach Greg Brown. "I don't know if his decisions are a little bit better or a little bit quicker, because he always has the puck a ton, every game, so it seems like whether he's on or off, he's still gonna create chances for us. But it's been more consistent of late. I think he's found a nice chemistry with Gasseau and Hemming, too, which certainly has helped in the last few games. Probably just him continuing to be assertive all the time has really helped him. But definitely, he was good, but now he's even taking it up a notch."

Andre Gasseau, senior C (selected 213th overall in 2021 by BOS)

2 GP: 2-2—4, 4 SOG in 39:46 played

Andre Gasseau was sidelined by injury for a huge stretch of the season. But since his return in mid-January, he's looked incredibly dangerous, exactly like the kind of steadying veteran presence he was expected to be coming into the year.

That continued into the Beanpot, where he posted two assists in the opening round, and then a pair of goals in the final. In the eight games since he returned, he's contributed 5-4—9. But Boston College missed him for more reasons than that.

"Not just the offence. He brings everything to us," Brown said. "First over the boards on the PK, first over the boards on the power play. He plays against the other team's top players. He wins faceoffs. He really does everything. Playing centre, controlling the ice down low in the defensive zone. So there's not anything that he's not doing for us. And to have him, as an addition? Our guys did a really good job fighting and getting through the first half without him. But now that we have him back, it's [like] a really good trade or something."

Brown went on to note that Gasseau is also a huge part of the team as a leader off the ice, which you'd expect from a senior, but this one goes above and beyond.

Louka Cloutier, freshman G (selected 132nd overall in 2024 by COL)

2 GP: 2 wins, 57 saves on 60 shots (.950, +3.2 GSAx)

Louka Cloutier did not have a good game on the Friday between Beanpot games. He gave up five goals on 19 shots against Vermont, and got pulled after 45 minutes.

What a way to bounce back.

He stopped 27 of 29 to help win his team's first Beanpot since 2016, and won the Eberly Award as the tournament's top goaltender. He's the first Eagles netminder to win the Eberly since Thatcher Demko in 2014.

"Louka's a cool customer," Brown said. "Especially because he didn't have a great night on Friday. So for him to bounce back, it shows a lot of mental toughness. Since October, he's just been getting more and more comfortable, more and more confident. Done a fantastic job for us. That Friday against Vermont, he probably wants a couple of those back. So for him to turn around, house back and play as strong as he did tonight was really impressive, and speaks highly of his mental fortitude."

Cloutier is up to .914 with 9.6 goals saved above expected, and apart from Friday, those numbers have been trending up. Lots to look forward to down the stretch here.

Oscar Hemming, freshman RW (2026 draft-eligible)

2 GP: 0-2—2, 6 SOG in 31:34 played

Since arriving at Boston College in December, Hemming has been striving for his "statement game." He made it on Night 1 of the Beanpot.

Playing alongside veterans Hagens and Gasseau, he was a focal point of the offence.

That included a primary assist last week against Harvard where he chipped a puck past a Harvard defender, then basically teleported through him, and put a shot on goal. Hagens cleaned up the rebound. They then combined on a dictionary-definition give-and-go for another Hagens goal. There plays were two of the absolute highlights of the tournament.

While he still hasn't scored his first NCAA goal, he makes himself very noticeable just about every time he comes over the boards. It's easy to see why he's one of those sky's-the-limit college prospects.

"Just the way he thinks the game," Hagens said. "He plays a very heavy style of play, so he creates ice for you. And you know when he has the puck, something good's always gonna happen. He's a trusted player out there and just to be able to be around him, off the ice as well, he's an awesome guy, so he's made a huge impact for us."

Boston University

Cole Hutson, sophomore LD (selected 43rd overall in 2024 by WSH)

2 GP: 0-1—1, 11 SOG in 44:04 played

If Boston University is generating offence, the odds are pretty good that Cole Hutson is involved. The ultra-mobile, crafty defenceman is in the midst of his second straight standout season, and it's no surprise he starred for the Terriers on the biggest stage of their season to date.

On the first Monday against Northeastern, he set up the game-tying goal and scored the shootout winner to push the Terriers through to the final against the Eagles.

He finished the night a plus-1 and was the team's biggest offensive driver. In all, he attempted 22 shots in the two games, half of which ended up on net.

And while his offensive ability has been examined endlessly over these two seasons in college hockey, that means other aspects of his game are perhaps going underappreciated.

"I think how well he's done killing penalties for us this year [is underrated]," said Terriers head coach Jay Pandolfo. "Our penalty kill's been pretty solid. I know we gave one up [against Northeastern]. But overall, it's been really good this year, and he's a big part of it. He anticipates really well. That's why he's good at it. We're aggressive, and he anticipates very well. So maybe that's some of the stuff.  People, you know, people see all the flash with the puck and all that sort of stuff, but when he's dialed in defensively, he's a really good defensive player as well."

Nick Roukounakis, sophomore LW (undrafted)

2 GP: 1-0—1, 5 SOG in 29:24 played

Though Nick Roukounakis isn't a huge cog in the Terriers' offence — he has just 5-2—7 in 18 games this year — he is instrumental to the Terriers' overall game because he's one of those spark-plug, hard-to-play against, bottom-of-the-lineup guys who moves the needle for them in ways that just don't show up on the scoresheet.

But in Week 1's game against Northeastern, he scored the tying goal midway through the second period, used his body effectively, broke up plays in the neutral zone, and extended offensive shifts.

Exactly what he's done all season.

"That's the style he plays," Pandolfo said. "He's a big body. He's not afraid to get inside. Typically, he'll get to the net. But … as a group, we just didn't get in there enough. We didn't have enough chances around the net."

Even though his Terriers got outscored 6-2 in the final, Roukounakis was a plus-1 for the night. Pretty standard stuff.

Harvard

Ben Charette, sophomore G (undrafted)

2 GP: 1 win, 70 saves on 76 shots (.921, +0.15 GSAx)

Under siege from the word "go" on Night 1 — Boston College had 16 shots in the first period alone, and 43 in the game — Ben Charette did what he's done in his two years as a starter for the Crimson.

Just very solid, fundamental goaltending from a big-bodied netminder. A shame he didn't get more help from the team in front of him on Night 1.

"He's been excellent for us. He's had an excellent year," said coach Ted Donato. "When we've had success, he's been a huge part of it. I thought he made some big saves tonight. I think we need to play well enough in front of them to give them a chance to have a greater impact on the final score, and I just thought we gave up too many easy chances. And [the Eagles] don't need a lot of help. They have plenty of players that can turn the game at any time."

Matthew Morden, junior RW (selected 131st overall in 2022 by ARI)

2 GP: 2-0—2, 5 SOG in 45:51 played

Matthew Morden considers himself a defence-first blue liner, but the reality is that in his third season of college hockey, he's become his team's most reliable 200-foot defenceman.

One need look no further than the consolation game, in which he opened the scoring and added an assist, while playing almost 26 minutes in a win his team needed to get back on track. That kind of performance isn't uncommon for him now, as this is his fourth two-point game of the season.

But in his first two years with the Crimson, he posted just 2-7—9 in 63 games averaging well under 20 minutes per game. So far this year, he's up to 3-10—13 in just 24.

"I think very quietly, he's one of the best defencemen in our league, and he's really a guy that we count on heavily," Donato said. "He's playing against his other team's top lines. He's the first guy over the boards on the penalty kill. Our penalty kill has been very good for most of the year. The goaltending is a big part of it, but having that defenceman with a long reach and great, great feet to end plays is a big part of it. And I think he started to use his feet to get up the ice, and he's able to join the rush and kind of skate by people at times. So, I think he's really coming into his own."

Northeastern

Dylan Hryckowian, junior RW (undrafted)

1 GP: 1-1—2, 5 SOG in 21:21 played

The proof of concept with Dylan Hryckowian was there last year: 17 goals and 36 points in 36 games in his second season of college hockey. He regularly showed off his versatility, played big minutes, and was a scoring threat most nights.

Now, with Northeastern playing at a higher level, he's been even better. Through the end of the Beanpot, he's up to 15-18-33 in 25 games, and taking on an even more central role in the Huskies' offence. That's even better production than his older brother Justin, now a full-time NHLer with the Dallas Stars, posted over his first two seasons at Northeastern.

The younger Hryckowian also scored his team's only shootout goal in the opening round. 

"Dylan's got a skill set of 'getting better,' and that's what he does," said Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe. "He's just a very determined hockey player. I think it runs in the family. He's a kid that won't be denied. He's taken such a huge step, and it's on him and how bad he wants to be a hockey player. You can see it: Everything in his game's gotten a little bit better. 

He's always been a heck of a player. Now, for my money, he's one of the top players, easily, in college hockey and he's showing that game and game out and I was extremely happy for him, where his game is at."

Unfortunately, Hryckowian was injured last week and was unavailable for the Huskies' loss on Friday Night and the Beanpot consolation game. He is considered week to week, but the injury isn't season-ending.

Lawton Zacher, junior G (undrafted)

2 GP: 0 wins, 73 saves on 77 shots (.948, +2.65 GSAx)

Lawton Zacher has been the big driver of most of Northeastern's success this season, posting a .929 save percentage and playing all but a handful of their games, and even when his team is clearly not on its game, he almost always is.

That's why Northeastern went to a shootout with Boston Univ. on the first Monday of the Beanpot, but he needed more help in the consolation game than he ended up getting.

"He's big in goal," Keefe said. "You can see that. He did everything he could, you know, to a game. So, he made a couple big saves there, second-effort saves that kind of pick your team up a little bit there, too."

It's no surprise he's good under heavy fire; he faces about 30 shots per 60 minutes. The number was well north of that for both games of the Beanpot.

Zacher appeared to be hurt in overtime of the first game, but gritted his teeth and stayed in the game. That's how important he is to Northeastern, and he proved it once again in both games of the Beanpot.