College hockey is nearing the end of its season as the 2024 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament is set to begin on Thursday, and five Philadelphia Flyers prospects will be participating.
Bryce Brodzinski, Alex Bump, Devin Kaplan, Owen McLaughlin, and Massimo Rizzo will be fighting for a chance to go to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota and win a national championship.
Let’s take a look at how each player has performed this season and where their roads to the Frozen Four travel through.
BRYCE BRODZINSKI – MINNESOTA
(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Brodzinski has enjoyed a solid fifth year for the Golden Gophers, registering 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 37 games. The 2019 seventh-round pick has taken a slight step back in his goal scoring, taking a dip from the 19 he racked up last season, but he has become a better playmaker and set career-highs in points and assists this year.
Brodzinski ranks fourth on the team in goals and points and third in assists, respectively. He also set the Minnesota program record for career games played this season at 183.
Bryce Brodzinski scores his eighth-career goal against Michigan State. Brodzinski has found the back of the net in three of his last four games at Munn Ice Arena.
Oliver Moore extends his point streak to seven games (2g-9a) with an assist.pic.twitter.com/qyVxh0ebHE
— Gopher Game Notes (@GopherGameNotes) January 27, 2024
Earlier in the season, he was named the Big Ten Conference’s First Star of the Week ending on November 28th and later made the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Team.
Minnesota is the second seed in the West Region in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the seventh overall seed in the tournament, entering the bracket with a 22-10-5 record. They will take on Omaha in their first round matchup on Thursday at 8:30pm ET, and should they win they will face the winner of the game between Boston University and Rochester Institute of Technology for a berth in the Frozen Four.
ALEX BUMP – WESTERN MICHIGAN
(Western Michigan University Athletics)
After transferring from Vermont in the summer, Bump has become quite the staple in head coach Pat Ferschweiler‘s lineup.
Bump, a 2022 fifth-round pick, scored 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 37 games in his freshman season. He finished the season fourth on the team in goals and points.
For his efforts this year, Bump was named the NCHC Rookie of the Month in February and made the conference’s All-Rookie Team, just one of four Broncos to do so which includes current Flyers defenseman Ronnie Attard.
Alex Bump continues his impressive rookie season! pic.twitter.com/ty2rK3f84N
— WMU Hockey (@WMUHockey) February 4, 2024
Western Michigan is the fourth and last seed in the Midwest Region in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The Broncos, the 13th overall seed in the tournament, will take on top regional seed and fourth overall seed Michigan State on Friday at 5:00pm ET, who are participating in their first NCAA tournament in 12 years. The winner of that contest will take on the winner of North Dakota and Michigan in the regional finals.
DEVIN KAPLAN – BOSTON UNIVERSITY
(Rich Gagnon/Boston University Athletics)
Kaplan, a 2022 third-round selection, is the highest draft pick participating in the tournament for the Flyer.
The 20-year-old sophomore had a tough time finding the back of the net this season for Boston University, scoring just five goals in 34 games, but he recorded 15 assists which topped his total from last season.
Points-wise, Kaplan’s 20 is ninth among Terriers players, respectively. Projected top 2024 draft pick and Hobey Baker Award candidate Macklin Celebrini leads the team with 59 (31g, 28a).
We're heading to overtime thanks to Devin Kaplan's heroics!
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/B1hxme5xMW @hockey_east | @espn pic.twitter.com/FT3wofEbBJ
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 5, 2023
BU is the top seed in the West Region and the #2 overall seed in the tournament. They will take on Rochester Institute of Technology on Thursday at 5:00pm ET before the winner of that game faces the winner of Minnesota and Omaha.
OWEN MCLAUGHLIN – NORTH DAKOTA
(Russell Hons/University of North Dakota Athletics)
A native of Spring City, Pennsylvania, McLaughlin had himself a great regular season for the Fighting Hawks.
The 2021 seventh-round draft pick recorded 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 38 games. The sophomore finished second on the team in assists in points and fourth in goals, respectively. McLaughlin and Hurricanes prospect Jackson Blake were the only North Dakota players to average at least one point per game this season.
McLaughlin provides the 🗡!#UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/7hi4X3qAQd
— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) March 3, 2024
McLaughlin was named NCHC Forward of the Week ending on March 4th earlier in the season as well, a first-time honor for the 21-year-old.
The Fighting Hawks are the second seed in the Midwest Region and will take on Michigan in the first round at 8:30pm ET on Friday. The winner of that contest will face the winner of Michigan State and Western Michigan in the regional finals.
MASSIMO RIZZO – DENVER
(University of Denver Athletics)
Rizzo, the only player on this list not originally drafted by the Flyers, has had a solid junior season at Denver.
Rizzo is also the only player on the list to previously win an NCAA championship, doing so with the Pioneers in 2022 alongside current Flyers forward Bobby Brink.
Originally drafted by the Hurricanes before being acquired by the Flyers in the summer for the rights to David Kaše, Rizzo fell just two points shy of his career-high he set last year (46) with 44 but in just 28 games, compared to 38 last year.
The Burnaby, British Columbia native saw his goal scoring numbers drop from 17 to 10, but his playmaking was on full display with a personal-best 34 assists. Rizzo finished the regular season second among Pioneers in assists and third in points, respectively.
Massimo Rizzo with his 10th goal of the season and Jack Devine with another assist.
Devine now has a career-high 5 points and matches a personal best with three helper. Bobby Brink on Feb. 4, 2022 vs. St. Cloud was the last Pioneer to have 5 points in a game. pic.twitter.com/zep5qshxap
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 20, 2024
Rizzo also participated in the 2024 Spengler Cup for Team Canada, notching two assists in four games. However, the 2019 seventh-round selection has missed significant time with a lower-body injury since returning and hasn’t played since February 3rd. Head coach David Carle previously said Rizzo was doubtful for the regional matchups.
DU coach David Carle says he's hopeful Carter King will play this weekend. He says first-line center Massimo Rizzo is "highly doubtful" for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and "doubtful" for next weekend's NCAA regional, though he didn't rule him out.
— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) March 19, 2024
Denver is the #1 seed in the Northeast Region in Springfield, Massachusetts. They will play Massachusetts at 2:00pm ET on Thursday before the winner of that game will face the winner of Maine and Cornell on the other side.
All NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament contests will be featured on the networks of ESPN.
