Boston College men’s hockey has long been known for its strong program under the Schiller Family head coach Jerry York, and attracting talented young players to make up its freshman class. This year is no different, with three Eagles selected in the 2020 NHL Draft, which was held virtually on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Trevor Kuntar was selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round, Eamon Powell was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round, and Colby Ambrosio was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the fourth round.
Six incoming BC players were eligible for the draft this year, including forward Kuntar, who had been passed up in the 2019 draft.
Kuntar, listed as the 143rd-ranked North American skater by NHL.com, was the first Eagle to have his name called in the virtual draft. The Bruins selected Kuntar with the 89th overall pick.
Originally committed to Harvard before making the switch to BC, Kuntar played his junior career with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL). In his 53 games this past year, Kuntar scored 28 goals and 25 assists, the highest point total on the Phantoms and 17 more points than the next-highest scorer.
Also in the third round, the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, selected defenseman Eamon Powell with the 116th overall pick. Powell was the highest-ranked prospect coming from BC this year, with his final rank placing him 51st among North American skaters.
The center is one of many players to come from BC from the USA National Team Development Program (USNTDP), including sophomores Spencer Knight, Drew Helleson, Marshall Warren and Matt Boldy. With the program last year, Powell scored six goals and eight assists in 43 games played. Four of those goals were scored on the power play, the most out of any defenseman on the team.
Shortly after Powell’s name was called, forward Colby Ambrosio was selected by a team familiar with the Eagles. With the 118th overall pick, the Colorado Avalanche chose Ambrosio, the third BC player it’s drafted in two years. Ambrosio joins sophomores Alex Newhook and Helleson as a fellow prospect of the Avalanche.
Coming into the draft, the freshman from Ontario was ranked 71st among North American skaters, the second highest among the six eligible freshmen this year. Last year with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, Ambrosio scored 50 points in 48 games, five points above the next-highest scorer.
Originally scheduled for June 26 and 27 earlier this year, the league postponed the draft to Oct. 6 and 7 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Featured Image by Celine Lim / Heights Senior Staff
