Inside College Hockey | Go-To Guys: The Freshmen

February 5, 2003
Go-To Guys: Freshman of the Year

Submit feedback to inch@insidecollegehockey.com

Last week: Hobey Baker Award

Last week, we gazed into the crystal ball and threw out the top names for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. This week, we look at players who will no doubt be Hobey candidates in the future as we rank the nation's top freshmen.

It's been a great year for newcomers nationwide. Some of the names on our list you've probably heard before. Others maybe aren't as well known, but have made a significant impact.

Inside College Hockey editors and staff, in consultation with coaches and media from around the country, compiled this list of how we would rank the top rookies. Make sure to come back next we, as we re-examine the race for the Hobey.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Feb. 5, 2003
1. Zach Parise North Dakota	Has he been as good as advertised? No. He's been better. 24 GP, 20-29—49
2. Jim Howard Maine	Imagine what kind of numbers he'd have if he didn't split time with sophomore Frank Doyle. 13-2-0, 1.72 GAA, .940 save pct.
3. Jeff Tambellini Michigan	Next in the line of great Michigan scorers. Unbelievable snap shot – think Joe Sakic. Seriously. 26 GP, 18-9—27
4. Thomas Vanek Minnesota	Does he have the most potential of this year's freshmen? Probably. Does he have the best work ethic? Well... 27 GP, 21-18—39
5. Hugh Jessiman Dartmouth	He's dazzling scouts, scoring big goals and leading all ECAC players in points. 21 GP, 15-18—33
Ready and waiting	Ryan Kesler (Ohio State), Al Montoya (Michigan), Stephen Werner (Massachusetts), David Booth (Michigan State), Bryan Schmidt (Merrimack)
Next in line	Isaac Reichmuth (Minnesota-Duluth), Chris Conner (Michigan Tech), Christian Jensen (Yale), Brett Sterling (Colorado College), Andy Greene (Miami), Vince Bellissimo (Western Michigan), Kris Mayotte (Union), Mike Ouellette (Dartmouth)
Get well soon	Patrick Eaves (Boston College)

Disagree with our rankings? You wouldn't be the first. Seriously, if you think we've omitted a deserving candidate, send us your suggestion and we'll post it in this space.

Feedback

Hi, you put together a decent looking list, but in my opinion you omitted Providence College goaltender Bobby Goepfert. He did struggle in his last game against Northeastern, but he has put up decent numbers this year, and turned into the USA’s #1 goaltender over Jim Howard in the World Juniors. I’m not saying he’s better than Howard by any means, but I think he’s deserving of a mention on your list.

Thanks,
— Alex Chaiken

I think you have vastly underestimated WMU freshman Vince Bellissimo. He has been on a hot streak of late and leads all scorers on an inconsistent
team. Were he on a more consistent team he would easily have some of the
best numbers for freshmen in the NCAA. He has outstanding skills that prove his being drafted by the NHL last year was well worth the draft pick. He has built up his size, and isn't afraid to take or give a big hit when needed.
— Scott Mohler

Often times, the MAAC is overlooked when it comes to yearly awards, and I am not saying that the following goaltender at Army should be a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate. But freshman Brad Roberts has shown himself to be a formidable opponent and a person who could play goal for any team in the country. I do firmly believe that he should be listed among "honorable mentions" or as you have dubbed, "Ready and Waiting" or "Next in Line"

Consider:
* Roberts sports a 2.76 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage -
both are good for third in the MAAC and among the Top 10 in the country
among freshman netminders. His save percentage is 7th and his goals-against
is 9th nationally among freshman goalies.

* His goals-against average is 21st in the country overall.

* Roberts has recorded two shutouts in his freshman campaign.

* As of late, Roberts has been virtually impossible to score upon. He has
allowed one goal or less in four of his last five outings and last weekend
opposite Holy Cross, he held the Crusaders scoreless on 13 power play
opportunities.

* He has started every game in goal for the Black Knights this year, logging
more than 1,300 minutes played.
— James Zuhlke

How could you not include Mark Stuart from CC? He may already be the top defensive defenseman on one of the top defensive teams in the nation! He is the top rated college defenseman going into this summer's draft. He helped to shut down Parise and Bochenski for 5 periods last weekend, and adds a huge physical presence that the normally finesse-based team needed. That's a major oversight.
— Rich Vitamvas

Agreed with your top five, but believe Ales Parez of UAA should be on one of your other lists. As a freshman he is the leading scorer for UAA and only Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek are ahead of him in WCHA freshmen points.

Like your web site.
— Franklin Blodgett

Excellent list, but Minnesota-Duluth's Tim Stapleton should be list with Sterling et. al. Twenty-five points already as a freshman. Excellent player from the mold of Derek Plante.
— Al Mozol

Matt Moulson, Cornell forward
— Brie Sullivan

David Booth, Michigan State
— Tom Eurich