Folin in the holes

Christian Folin lining up to play with UMass-Lowell,

23-year old Christian Folin is the next big player to come out of the NCAA ranks. Folin's 6-3, 210-pound frame helped carry the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks to two consecutive Hockey East Championships is rumored to be sought after by the likes of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Minnesota Wild, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Edmonton Oilers.

What does he bring to the table?

Folin clearing the net during UML's Hockey East's championship game which UML won 4-0.

Folin was brought over to the United States as a 19 year old where he played extremely well in 2 seasons for the Austin Bruins in the NAHL tallying 42 points and a +41 rating in 87 games. Christian's success in the NAHL translated directly into Hockey East and in his freshman season he amassed 21 points and a +17 rating in his freshman season. His success is largely accredited to his work ethic and UML's head coach Norm Bazin has been quoted saying that "... he's improved because he works extremely hard... He moves the puck very effectively, he takes up a lot of room and he's as strong and as big as they get..."

In his second season, Folin has yet again excelled posting 6 goals, 13 assists, a +8 and 100 shots in only 39 games. It seems that whether or not Folin is getting points, he is still being strong in the defensive zone:

Jeff Cox of SB Nation College Hockey feels that "he became a strong presence in all three zones towards the end of the year [this past season]... He is a heavy hitter but not a player that is always looking for a big hit... He compares favorable to Oliver Ekman-Larsson."

His love for shooting the puck is on display during UMass's Quarterfinal matchup against Vermont where he actually shoots the puck THROUGH the net, then hurry's back down the ice to cover a streaking Vermont forward.




Christian Folin is believed to be interested in signing with an NHL club but is waiting until the end of UMass Lowell's season, which could be over as soon as March 29th when they take on Minnesota State University-Mankato. Whether Folin lands in Edmonton or not, it's thought that he will need to spend some time in the AHL just to adjust to the pro game.

To be noted...

On UMass Lowell's roster is a 6-1, 190-pound 21-year old freshman forward from Port Coquitlam, BC named Evan Campbell. The significance of Campbell is that he is a 5th round draft pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Campbell has done well in his first season scoring 8 goals and 2 assists in 31 games this year. By no means am I saying it could help, but having an Oilers prospect on UML's roster may play into the Oilers favour.


Hopefully the Oilers can pull a Schultzy.