Boston College has trio of Eagles selected in NHL Draft
NEWTON, Mass. (BVM) — Boston College was well represented in the 2020 NHL Draft, with three Eagles freshman selected in the draft.
First off the board for the Eagles on draft day was freshman Trevor Kuntar. With the 89th pick in the third round, the Boston Bruins selected the 6-foot 200 pound forward. The Williamsville, N.Y., native comes off a solid year with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, where the young center racked up 53 points in 44 games.
Kuntar will be attending Boston College this year after switching his commitment from Harvard because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He talked with Eric Russo about his excitement after being selected by the Bruins.
“It’s just a dream come true today,” said Kuntar. “I’m a hard-working player. I love to compete. A two-way power forward, I love to compete every night…I literally had no words. It was a dream come true. I’m here with my mom and my dad, it was just one of the best moments of my life. Couldn’t be more grateful.
“Just all the hard work, all the sacrifices my parents have made, and everyone has made for me. It just really shows that it was all worth it. I just couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity and the work starts now, so I’m excited.”
Next up for the Eagles was Eamon Powell, who was selected with the 116th pick in the fourth round. The 5-foot-11 defenseman was selected by the recent Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Powell played in 62 games for the U.S. Under-18 National Team in 2019-20, scoring 11 goals while tacking on 14 assists. Tampa Bay Lightning director of amateur scouting, Al Murray, talked with Bryan Burns about what they saw in the young Eagles defenseman.
“We think there’s a lot of upside in his game offensively,” Murray said. “He’s a very good skater. He’s a very good puck mover. He can skate the puck out of trouble. He can pass the puck out of trouble. He can make plays inside the offensive blue line. Defensively, he’s not a banger. He’s not a big guy and he’s not a strong guy yet. But what he has are real good feet, so he defends positionally and he defends with his feet. He’s a good stick on puck guy.
“We look forward to watching him develop. We look forward to helping him with our development people get stronger, and as he matures physically, we think we’re going to have a real solid puck moving defenseman and we’ll find out just how much offense he has. We think he’s got more offense than he was able to show in the U.S. program.”
The third Eagle taken on the second draft day was Colby Ambrosio. The 5-foot-9 forward was selected by the Colorado Avalanche with the 118th pick in the fourth round. Last year, Ambrosio led the Tri-City Storm (USHL) with 50 points and 26 goals in 48 games.
Colorado Avalanche director of amateur scouting Alan Hepple talked with Callie Parmele about Ambrosio’s skill set along with the chance to play with Eagles forward and 2019 Avalanche draft pick, Alex Newhook.
“Colby Ambrosio, the same thing, all about speed, skill,” Hepple said. “Can really shoot it, going to [Boston College] playing with Alex Newhook, it might be a good combination at school next year if they get playing together. But again, skill, sense, speed. It was very good.”
The three will look to make a major impact in the 2020-21 season with Boston College now showcasing a roster with 12 NHL draft picks.
