Boston University forward Evan Rodrigues, hailing from Etobicoke, Ont., enters Thursday’s Frozen Four matchup against North Dakota only six points behind teammate Jack Eichel.Fred Kfoury III/The Associated Press
Even a casual fan, without checking, could probably tell you Jack Eichel leads all skaters in U.S. college hockey scoring. But ask them who's No. 2 and you'll likely get a blank stare.
Toronto's Evan Rodrigues has spent his senior season at Boston University skating on a line with Eichel, hockey's second-most-talked-about prospect. He's also been chasing the freshman phenom in the country's scoring race.
"It's been incredible," said Rodrigues, who enters Thursday's Frozen Four matchup against North Dakota six points behind his BU teammate and Hobey Baker Award finalist. "I'm enjoying every second of playing with him. As good as he is, off the ice, he's humble, a great teammate and he's become a leader in our locker room."
And while Eichel rightfully attracts the most attention as BU's catalyst and an almost certain top-two pick in this summer's NHL draft, Rodrigues has emerged as an unsung hero for the No. 3-ranked Terriers.
After all, it was his game-winner on a slick toe-drag in the dying minutes of BU's quarter-final match against Minnesota-Duluth that propelled the Terriers into Thursday's national semi-final at the TD Garden.
The goal was another stroke of brilliance in what has been a masterpiece of a season for the undrafted 21-year-old Etobicoke, Ont., native, who's become one of college hockey's most talked-about free agents.
But he hasn't done it alone. Playing alongside Eichel, Rodrigues has elevated his performance to stratospheric levels in 2014-15. His 61 points (21 goals, 40 assists) in 39 games already surpass his total offensive output from his previous three seasons combined.
The trio of Eichel, Rodrigues and San Jose Sharks draft pick Danny O'Regan has accounted for 67 of the Terriers' 150 goals and four of the team's six goals through two playoff games, with Rodrigues notching three of those himself.
"Obviously Jack gets all the headlines, but Evan is a great player," Terriers head coach David Quinn said. "And there's a chemistry there without question since we put them together. It's been fun to watch."
Rodrigues has actually outscored Eichel since the calendar turned over to 2015, putting up 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) to Eichel's 40 in the past 23 games. He earned Hockey East player-of-the-month honours for January and March.
He said playing with Eichel has its perks.
"He creates so much space for guys around him," Rodrigues said. "He has the ability to get the attention of all five players on the opposing team, and that gives everyone else on the ice that extra second."
Rodrigues's breakout season comes after a long journey from the ranks of second-tier junior to the peaks of college hockey.
At 16, he elected to play Junior A over major junior to preserve his college eligibility, with the hopes of following in the footsteps of his older brother, Paul, who played four seasons at Division III Oswego and currently skates with the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL.
After delivering a promising two seasons as an underclassman, Rodrigues and the Terriers stumbled in his third year.
Had his senior season gone in the same manner as his junior campaign, in which he scored only five times and registered 14 points, Rodrigues might've found himself pondering more serious ways to put his soon-to-be-earned business degree to good use in life after hockey.
But playing a leading role in the Terriers' success this year has given his childhood dreams of playing in the NHL a shot of adrenalin.
Along with BU goalie and fellow Torontonian Matt O'Connor, who's backstopped the Terriers with a 24-3-4 record this season, Rodrigues is considered by many to be a leading college free agent destined to sign with a big-league club when the NCAA season finishes next week.
Still, he's reluctant to discuss the possibility of landing an NHL contract while there's still work to be done. If they can squeeze by No. 2 North Dakota in the semis, the Terriers would face either Omaha or Providence for the championship on Saturday.
"It's obviously exciting for me, but it's something I'm trying not to deal with too much right now," Rodrigues said of the extra attention he's been getting of late. "In a week from now, I'll dive into it a bit more. But for now, I'm focused on the winning the Frozen Four."