Losses grow for ’11-’12 hockey

A day after we learned that Boston College hockey star Cam Atkinson would be leaving, we hear that Jimmy Hayes, a junior forward from Boston, is also on his way out of Chestnut Hill.  Today’s latest departure was reported by The Heights. I also wish Hayes the best in his future.

With Chris Kreider also expected to bolt for the New York Rangers organization (though it has not been confirmed yet, and don’t quote me on it), the amount of turnover we will see in the 2011-2012 season will be large. Not BC basketball large, but still significant. The following players we know won’t be back: Cam Atkinson, Jimmy Hayes, Brian Gibbons, John Muse, and Joe Whitney. That’s quite the BC hockey A-list.

As I said previously, these guys will be missed, but they can be replaced. Boston College has one of the best college hockey coaches of all-time on the bench and is in the upper crust of Division I hockey programs. The Eagles can restock, and anyone who thinks that this exodus spells long-term doom for BC hockey is an idiot.

It is still far too early to say how next year’s BC team will look, though I think we all know that there is a lot of production being lost. That, of course, doesn’t mean this team can’t still find ways to win or get that production from other sources. There are still a number of talented players on this team; they will find a way.