Fresh Meat: Part 2 of 7

Ben Rosen -- Defenseman

This is the second installment of a seven part series introducing you to the newest members of the Boston University Terriers Men's Ice Hockey team. Here we will be looking at the resumes of the new recruits Jack Parker and Co. have brought in to try to fill the shoes of the dearly departed group of 8 players from the 08-09 championship squad.


Juniors are responsible for churning out quality hockey products year after year.  They are a valuable stepping stone to help transition players from the lower levels of hockey into either college or pro games.

One such league is the Eastern Junior Hockey League, which has provided a multitude of prospects.  The EJHL also happens to be the place where Matt Gilroy tuned up before he made a name for himself at BU.

Gilroy played for the South Shore Kings, a distinction New Terrier Ben Rosen should be happy to share.

In recent years the Kings have provided Hockey East with some of its biggest names.  Besides Gilroy, Ryan Whitney (BU) and Brian Boyle (BC) suited it up for the Kings.

Rosen will hope to live up to the legacy set forth by some of these players as he tries to work his way onto the Terriers' squad in 2009-10. 

If Rosen wants to make a name for himself at BU, he will most likely have to demonstrate a Gilroy-esque determination.  He is one of three freshmen defenders joining the Ice Dogs, adding to an already deep defensive crew.  The Terriers list eight blue-liners on their roster.  Four of the six spots are locked up by the likes of Kevin Shattenkirk, Eric Gryba, David Warsofsky and Colby Cohen. 

That leaves two spots for the incoming class and returning sophomore Ryan Ruikka to battle for.

Rosen will try to get noticed as a jack-of-all-trades defenseman, using his offense as a weapon to make him indispensible.  He led all EJHL defensemen last season with 52 points, including 42 assists, in just 45 games.

As Coach Jack Parker told GoTerriers.com,  Rosen is a “right-shot defenseman, good skater, strong guy. He’ll really give us a lot of depth on defense and could break into the lineup and be a force right off the bat.”

You really never can have enough depth at defense, so even if Rosen can't break through immediately to make the squad, it is almost a certainty that Parker will have to dip into his practice squad at some point this season.

Beyond that, Terriers' fans will be playing the wait and see game with Rosen. 

But if we have learned anything from the likes of Gilroy, it is that you cant sleep on any prospect that this coaching staff is confident enough to hand a jersey to.