He's dominating the college game due to his size, but it's hard to say if his game will translate at a level where the smaller, weaker guys get filtered out.
I don't agree. If anything, Boyle has had a harder time dealing with the smaller players than guys that would be average sized NHLer's.
Boyle has steadily improved every area of his game in his first three seasons at BC. This season was his most underwhelming for me, as I expected him to put it all together, and shine. He lost the C mid-season but got it back a few weeks later, but that was just a testament to BC's struggles as much as Boyle's.
The great thing about BB is that he seems to come up big in big games, at big times. His switch back to D came in the beginning of the HE tourney and really was a difference maker out there. Though Bradford deservedly won the MVP a case could have been made for either BB or Schnider.
Going forward, Boyle will be key to BC's chances in the NCAA tourney. Whether it be on D or C, expect him to see a ton of ice time.
Now, on to his future in the NHL. He can certainly become an NHL regular if not a second tier star(ala Keith Primeau in his latter years). Boyle is not the best skater, but name me a big guy who is. He's is not slow either. He definitely needs to improve his strength on his skates, but I seriously believe that those any and all of his skating issues can be fixed with a skating coach. He's got really good hands; nice hard accurate slapper, and a dandy of a wrister. In short, he has the tools to be successful now it just a matter of fostering those talents.
Personally, I feel like he lost a year of development this season at BC because he came in cocky, and not as prepared as he should have, and it showed in his game.
York has done as good of job as anyone could have to this point, but it's really going to come down to how hard, BB works, listens, and learns at the next level.
