Recently, I discovered that Merrimack defenseman John Jakopin's vitals were=
changed. Jakopin had been listed the last two years at 6'5", 225. This=
weekend, he was listed at 6'6", 235. According to Merrimack SID Tom=
Caraccioli, John said he grew an inch and gained ten pounds over the=
summer. I thought he looked bigger.
That ranks Jakopin as the second biggest defenseman in DivI...second to=
teammate Steve McKenna at 6'8", 235. It's pretty unusual to be as big as=
Jakopin is and still not be the biggest guy on your own team. :-)
Speaking of McKenna, it's been interesting to me to see how both he and BU's=
Mike Grier have developed over their careers. I remember when both came in=
as freshmen two years ago; Grier was a role player on the fourth line whose=
job was to slam people around. McKenna was a guy whose role was similar=
and you just hoped he wouldn't make any mistakes. And when BU and=
Merrimack met, the "Clash of the Titans" was one of the "games within the=
game" that had fans looking forward to seeing these two go up against each=
other for the next three years.
Now, Grier is recognized as one of the top forwards in DivI and his skills=
have progressed to the point where he is seen as a legitimate NHL prospect,=
and not as a banger but as a true power forward. And McKenna, now a=
captain as a junior, has improved so much at both ends that he deserves to=
be considered one of the better Ds in HE and also an NHL prospect - there=
may be none better in HE defensively, and although he is not flashy with=
the puck, he has developed a good burst of speed that is deceptive given=
his size. Few players man the point better than him in terms of being able=
to keep the puck in the zone, stopping a clear attempt and putting the puck=
right on net, and getting back quickly on a transition by the other team. =
And as with Grier, his amazing size still makes him an intimidating force.
I suppose this is one of the things I like the most about college hockey,=
seeing how players develop over their careers. Grier and McKenna will both=
certainly leave college hockey as much, much better players than when they=
came in - but at least we've still got a lot more time to enjoy watching th=
em.
--- ---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] *HMM* 11/13/93
>> Co-owner of the College Hockey Lists at University of Maine System <<
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