EagleOutsider.com

@JeffMarek 16m
Also, look for CBJ 1st rounder Sonny Milano to announce he'll forego playing at Boston College in favour of the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL.

claver2010 {l Wrote}:"@coreypronman Milano: I'm going to BC"

WTF

b0mberMan {l Wrote}:Wait till you see him take a shift in the regular season before feeling comfortable at this point.

Hope we get him. I worry that we won't have him for more than a year, which is unusual in the JY era. Typically feel comfortable getting 3 out of even the biggest NHL prospects we have.

claver2010 {l Wrote}:I'll believe he's coming to BC when he's suiting up at UMLOL in 2 months.

Some seem to think this noise is simply coming from the OHL, I don't.

claver2010 {l Wrote}:I that cause he's from long island?

Angry Dick must be thrilled about the way York's recruiting has going of late with all the itals, especially from NY. Cangelosi last year (from FL but still), Milano this year, Bracco next year

Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:We are going to need some Canadians to drag this collection of greasers across the National Championship finish line, like Kolonos and Kobasew did for Gionta. I hope Jerry can find a few AJHL, BCHL and SJHL kids who don't flame out like his most recent imports.

It is a well-known fact that left to their own devices, Eyeties will always choke.

Milano fully committed, excited to join storied Boston College program
Monday, 08.11.2014 / 7:00 AM / News
By Dan Marrazza - Special to BlueJackets.com

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Making the choice of whether to play collegiate or Canadian junior hockey can be a challenge for many up-and-coming NHL prospects.

Take now-retired NHL star Jeremy Roenick as an example.

When he was an 18-year-old, first-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1988, Roenick initially elected to forego juniors in favor of Boston College. That is, until Roenick showed up for his first day of classes and saw the difficulty of the academic curriculum. The legend goes that when Roenick was handed his first class’ syllabus, he immediately walked out of class, quit school and committed instead to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Roenick has since said that he didn’t even know what 'syllabus' meant.

2014 Blue Jackets first-round draft pick Sonny Milano is not nearly as indecisive as Roenick was 26 years ago, despite recent reports that he was considering reneging on his own commitment to Boston College to join the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers.

“I committed (to Boston College) in November,” confirmed Milano at the United States’ World Junior evaluation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. to BlueJackets.com earlier this week.

And of the reports that he was considering changing his mind?

“I don’t really know what that was about, to be honest,” said Milano. “It was just a little distraction. I’ve known I was going to BC since last November.”

For Milano, the reason he’s so decisive in his commitment to Boston College is because of the program’s track record at developing NHL players under head coach Jerry York, the winner of two of the last five NCAA championships and college hockey’s all-time winningest coach.

Twenty-six former Eagles – including Cam Atkinson of the Blue Jackets – played in at least one NHL game last season, far and away more than any other school in the nation.

“My top goal is to be a Blue Jacket one day,” says Milano. “I think going to BC is the best way to get there.”

Among Milano’s other reasons for choosing Boston College.

1. Like many recent draftees, Milano is a bit undersized in the weight department. With a typical NCAA season only consisting of 35 games and Canadian junior seasons surpassing 70 games, the NCAA schedule allows player to spend more time in the gym. For someone as naturally skilled as Milano, playing fewer games shouldn’t stunt his development in any way, while the extra gym time should allow his physique to be developed to be on par with his hockey skills.

Milano: “I’m not the biggest guy. It’s one of my weaknesses. I have to gain strength. There’s not too many games on the schedule. There’s a lot of time to train off the ice, which should help me get to the next level.”

2. Committing to college doesn’t necessarily mean that Milano “has to” stay at BC for four years. If his game accelerates quickly enough, he could even be in a Blue Jackets uniform as soon as this coming spring, which is not out of the question considering the strength/size advancements Milano has already made in the last year – he started last season at 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, currently weighs 190 and pictures himself needing to be about 200 pounds to be an everyday NHL player.

Milano: “You want to put on weight, but at the same time, you don’t want to be fat. You want to be stronger and remain fast. I’ve already put on some more weight this summer, so I’m getting there.”

3. He also just really, really likes BC’s campus in suburban Chesnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Milano: “It’s Boston. It’s one of the greatest cities in the world. But, it’s not as much the city; it’s more the campus that I love. The campus is just beautiful. I visited when I was about five – actually, probably 10 years old, when my sister was looking at colleges. I just loved it then. I’ve always wanted to go to BC.”

Milano attended the evaluation camp for Team USA’s 2015 World Junior squad all last week, where he dazzled as one of the U.S.' top forwards by netting 11 points in the team's exhibition schedule.

He reports to school on August 27.

claver2010 {l Wrote}:Absolutely shocked he's not showing up

@johngaudreau03
Talk about making a stupid hockey move!!!! #bchockey @michaelsit18 #SM

@PMullane11
Go to school, get an education, have a blast, win a National Championship and THEN go pro. Has seemed to work out for a few guys lately..

Milano Explains
POSTED AUG 17, 2014 BY AARON PORTZLINE | 0 COMMENTS
Sonny Milano, the Blue Jackets' first-round pick in June, issued the following statement tonight through his agent Rich Evans, explaining his decision to break a committment to Boston College and opt to play for Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League this season:
---
August 16, 2014
“Since being drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL Draft in Philadelphia on June 27, I have been asked many times about whether I would continue with my plans to attend Boston College, or play junior hockey instead. In an effort to avoid controversy and further questions on the subject, I responded that I was looking forward to attending BC in the Fall. While I have had every intention of playing for Coach (Jerry) York and joining the best college hockey program in the country, since the end of my hockey season at the USNDTP I have been questioning whether going to school was the best situation for me.
"Perhaps I should have acknowledged my growing indecision when asked about my plans, but it was difficult to explain to those who were asking when I did not even know myself what I wanted to do. After a great deal of thought and discussion with my family, I have spoken with Coach York and informed him that I will be playing for the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers this season.
"I think that BC is the best choice for those players who wish to go to school and play hockey. Every player’s path to achieving his goal of playing in the NHL is different, and the best route for some is not necessarily the best route for others. For me, the opportunity to play in the OHL is the right decision.
"If I have disappointed anyone, particularly the great people I have met at BC, it was certainly not my intention to do so, and for that I am sorry. I hope that BC and those involved with its hockey program understand my decision.”

Dick Rosenthal {l Wrote}:Hope he never makes it to the show and gets to experience the value of a CHL college stipend. Ducking greaseball. A no good member of a degenerate lying race.

pick6pedro {l Wrote}:Hey remember when Johnny G backed out of a commitment to a school across town and came to BC instead? Me neither.