Monday morning, news broke out of the college hockey sphere when it was announced that New Jersey Devils' 2026 second-round selection Matias Vanhanen had committed to play hockey at Boston College. The 18-year-old left-handed winger was picked with the 37th overall selection, which the Devils acquired via trading down from #35.
Last season, Vanhanen took the WHL by storm, totaling 66 assists and 87 total points in 62 games with the Everett Silvertips while playing on arguably the most dangerous line in the WHL. That production was tops on his team and good for ninth-best in the league, and he only took three penalties all season to boot. He was one assist shy of the Silvertips' franchise record.
Vanhanen's addition marks the very first Boston College commit from a WHL player, and he will be joining fellow 2026 NHL draftee Oscar Hemming as the two Finnish players on their roster. At this point in time, the expectation is that Vanhanen will slot in somewhere in the middle six until he forces his way upward -- the BC forward corps is a relatively stacked one, and it may be difficult for him to move up.
It's also assumptive that he will not be on the team's first power play unit, at least to begin the season. Yes, he is one of the more talented skaters on the team, but he does need to acclimate to the pace and physicality of NCAA hockey, especially considering that he is entering the toughest division in all of college.
With this matriculation into BC, the hope is that Vanhanen can continue showing his playmaking chops at the next level -- it's one thing to dominate that facet of the game against WHL competition, and it's another beast to do so against a significantly upgraded quality of competition. Perhaps, within this setting, Vanhanen can develop more of a physical side to his game, too. Hockey East is a tough, tough division, and adding a physical element to his already dominant playdriving game will serve him well in turning into the potential top-nine forward he could be at the NHL level.
This change is an exciting one for the Devils' prospect pool -- encouraging development from their top prospects is a must, and Vanhanen is already one of New Jersey's most promising youngsters. Seeing him play against the Devils' best goalie prospect, Mikhail Yegorov, multiple times this season will be an absolute treat.
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