Hockey Headlines - September 29

After a quiet first few weeks of September, there's been an influx of Harvard hockey-related news in the last couple of days.

After the jump, you'll find the preseason ECAC picks, some good news about a recent alum, and even more good news about a star freshman.

Yesterday, the ECAC released its preseason polls - the coaches' poll, media poll, and their respective preseason All-ECAC teams.

Harvard landed at fourth place in both polls, which is one spot ahead of the team's fifth place finish last season. Coming in ahead of the Crimson in both polls is Princeton in third place, Cornell in second place, and Yale in first.

In the preseason All-ECAC team picks, Harvard captain Alex Biega was named to both squads, one of four players tabbed All-ECAC by both the coaches and media.

We at WHRB Sports will begin our preview of 2009-10 Harvard men's hockey in the weeks leading up to Harvard' preseason game Oct. 23 and season opener at Dartmouth Oct. 30. There will be positional breakdowns of defensemen, forwards, and goaltending, followed by an in-depth look at Harvard's regular season schedule and opponents. Here on the WHRB Sports Blog we will post written content which will complement discussion, analysis and interviews on future editions of Crimson Sports Talk (Sundays, 1 p.m., 95.3 FM and whrb.org)

Today, Inside College Hockey released its 2009 Recruiting Rankings, featuring the best incoming freshmen from around the country.

Freshman forward Louis Leblanc took the top spot in the forward rankings, marking the first time an incoming Harvard freshman was tabbed as a top-ranked recruit by INCH. No other Crimson frosh cracked the rankings, although forward Alexander Fallstrom and defenseman Danny Biega each deserved some consideration.

INCH will release their overall team recruiting rankings tomorrow, and if I had to hazard a guess, the Crimson's class could be in the top five, given the depth and potential of the eight freshmen on the roster.

Lastly, last year's co-captain Jimmy Fraser was offered a 25-game tryout contract with the Providence Bruins on Monday. Fraser was one of just three free agents offered contracts. The Bruins' AHL affiliate began preparing for Sunday's season opener this morning with a total of 27 players on the current roster. Fraser will most likely see playing time on the energy line for the P-Bruins, and we'll keep you apprised of his play in Providence as the regular season progresses.