The 2015–16 Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey team represents Boston College in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The team is coached by Jerry York, '67, his twenty-second season behind the bench at Boston College. The Eagles play their home games at Kelley Rink on the campus of Boston College, competing in Hockey East.
The Eagles competed in two tournaments during the 2015–16 season, the first of which took place during the holiday break, the traditional tournament portion of the college hockey season. The 15th Annual Florida College Hockey Classic, played on December 28 and 29 at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida showcased the Eagles playing Ohio State in the first round, as well as Providence versus host Cornell. The Eagles fell to the Friars of Providence 2–1 in the consolation round, having lost to eventual Harkness Cup winner Ohio State 3–2 in the first round. Boston College previously played in and won the Florida College Hockey Classic in 2004. On February 1 and 8, the Eagles played in the 64th Annual Beanpot Tournament at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, defeating Harvard 3–2 in the first round and winning the title by defeating Boston University 1–0 in overtime of the championship. They reclaimed the Beanpot trophy after missing the championship match in 2015, having previously won five titles in a row from 2010 to 2014.
The Eagles finished the season 28–8–5, and 15–2–5 in conference play, capturing a share of the Hockey East regular season title, splitting the title with Providence. They advanced to the semifinals of the Hockey East tournament, but lost to Beanpot rival Northeastern, who would eventually win the Hockey East championship for the first time since 1988. They Eagles fared well in the NCAA Tournament as well, where they would win the Northeast Regional, played at the DCU Center in Worcester. After dispatching Harvard in the first round and closely defeating Minnesota-Duluth in the regional final, the Eagles earned a ticket to the program's 25th Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida (an NCAA record for most appearances). There, however, they fell to Quinnipiac 2–3, who advanced to play in the national title game. There, the Bobcats fell to champions North Dakota, 5–1.
Previous season recap
The Eagles entered the 2015–16 season following a first round loss to Denver in the NCAA tournament, and a quarterfinals loss to Vermont in the Hockey East Tournament. The Eagles did capture one trophy during the 2014–15 season, winning the Ledyard Bank Classic with a 3–2 victory over Dartmouth, and finished with a strong 21–14–3 record and 12–7–3 in conference play. They failed to defend their Beanpot title for the first time in six seasons, but picked up the consolation win with a 3–2 victory over Harvard. Noah Hanifin led the way for the Eagles as a freshman, earning All-Second Team honors in Hockey East, while fellow freshman Alex Tuch, who was the team's leading point-scorer, earned a spot on the All-Rookie team.
Offseason
Seven Senior Eagles graduated in May: Assistant Captain Michael Sit – F, Assistant Captain Quinn Smith – F, Destry Straight – F, Cam Spiro – F. Danny Linell – F, Brian Billett – G, and Brad Barone – G.
Junior defenseman Mike Matheson decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility to enter the NHL, signing with his drafted team, the Florida Panthers.
Senior defensemen Teddy Doherty was named Captain, with Juniors Steven Santini, Chris Calnan, and Ian McCoshen named Assistant Captains for the 2015–16 season.
On June 26, freshman defenseman Noah Hanifin was drafted 5th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He signed an entry-level contract with the Hurricanes on July 11, forgoing the rest of his NCAA eligibility.
On September 22, graduated forward Quinn Smith signed with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.
Also in the offseason, graduated forward Destry Straight signed with the Rapid City Rush and graduated goalie Brad Barone with the Elmira Jackals, both of the ECHL.