BC Hockey Preview of Champions: Colin Sullivan, #2

What a surprise: another BC hockey player with ties to Avon Old Farms. This freshman newcomer, the last to be featured, did not start there in high school, but it was an important stop along the way to Boston College for him. That young man is Colin Sullivan.

Sullivan is a native of Milford, Connecticut, somewhere in between Bridgeport and New Haven on I-95. To start his high school hockey-playing career, he stayed in the area and went to Fairfield Prep. After just one year, however, Sullivan was on his way to Avon Old Farms, where he became teammates with Quinn Smith. Smith was the captain of that title-winning team, but this defenseman made his mark in other ways. Sullivan was a New England All-Star selection earlier this year for his solid play at Avon. He originally committed to stay at home and play for Yale, but their coaches preferred that he play junior hockey before going there. He did not care for that arrangement, and went to Boston College once Brian Dumoulin’s scholarship spot was no longer taken.

Before taking his leave of Connecticut, however, Sullivan received an honor not unfamiliar to several players on his current team: he was picked in the NHL Entry Draft. Sullivan’s moments came in 2011, when Montreal took him in the 7th round.

We do have a scouting report on Sullivan from his high school years; from the aforementioned link:

"Sullivan is a strong skater with good balance, and excellent physical conditioning. His biggest challenge will be to overcome what some scouts consider to be questionable hockey instincts, and learning to read the play, especially at faster pace."

That’s probably not the most flattering analysis, but there are things to work with, particularly his skating ability. It is unclear if he will be able to hone his skills during games this season, but he will get the chance in the years to follow for certain.

And here’s his Twitter.