Eichel among must-see players at Frozen Four

Boston already is a college hockey hotbed, but things have been turned up a notch with the arrival of the teams for the Frozen Four, which starts Thursday at TD Garden.

One national semifinal (5 p.m. ET; ESPN2) will feature Nebraska-Omaha, in its first Frozen Four, facing Providence, which has advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time since 1985.

The second semifinal (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2) will see Boston University and Jack Eichel, college hockey's leading scorer and the No. 2 player on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2015 NHL Draft, facing North Dakota. BU is in the Frozen Four for the first time since winning the NCAA title in 2009, while North Dakota is back for the second straight year and seventh time in the 11-season tenure of coach Dave Hakstol.

The winners of the semifinals will play for the NCAA title on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN).

Here are eight things to watch as the college hockey season concludes:

1. 'I Like Eich'

Expectations were high for Eichel long before Boston University started giving out "I Like Eich" campaign pins; he was dubbed the new face of college hockey before the 2014-15 season began. The 18-year-old freshman has spent the season validating that hype, winning the Hockey East Player of the Year award and being named the most valuable player of the Hockey East Tournament while leading BU to its 22nd Frozen Four.

Eichel leads all NCAA players with 67 points and a plus-49 rating in 38 games and is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. At 6-foot-2 and 196 pounds, Eichel has the strength to battle with defensemen and the speed to break a game open. He is the kind of player that can dominate a game just by showing up, and the Terriers will be counting on him against the University of North Dakota on Thursday.

2. The Calgary connection

Providence, R.I., is a long way from the province of Alberta, but the Calgary Flames will be well-represented by Providence College, with goalie Jon Gillies, forward Mark Jankowski and defenseman John Gilmour part of the team that will face the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Thursday. Gillies, a third-round pick (No. 75) in 2012, is the most vital to Providence's success. The junior leads Hockey East goaltenders with a 2.01 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in 37 games.

Jankowski, a junior center selected with the 21st pick in 2012, has six goals and 18 assists in 35 games. Gilmour, a junior defenseman, was drafted in the seventh round (No. 198) in 2013 and has four goals, seven assists and an even rating in 28 games.

Calgary is no stranger to eastern college hockey talent. Last season the Flames signed junior forward Johnny Gaudreau after Boston College's loss to Union in the 2014 Frozen Four, and that's worked out OK for them.

3. Family goals

It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a North Dakota box score that didn't feature the name Schmaltz. Brothers Jordan Schmaltz and Nick Schmaltz are third and fourth, respectively, in scoring for North Dakota and have combined for 53 points this season. The St. Louis Blues selected Jordan, a junior defenseman, with the 25th pick in 2012; he has four goals, 23 assists and a plus-12 rating in 41 games. Younger brother Nick, a freshman forward, was picked 20th in 2014 by the Chicago Blackhawks; he has five goals and 21 assists in 37 games.

4. Hometown captain

Boston Bruins fans won't have to travel far to get a look at a player who has the potential to become Torey Krug 2.0. Boston University captain Matthew Grzelcyk has had a breakout junior season with 10 goals and 27 assists and leads BU defensemen with a plus-32 rating. Like Krug, Grzelcyk is a small defenseman (5-foot-9, 174 pounds) but has a dynamic, two-way game. The Bruins selected Grzelcyk in the third round (No. 85) in 2012. He is a native of Charlestown, Mass., and has played in every game this season after he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury as a sophomore. He's been a big performer all season, including scoring the game-winning goal in the Beanpot Tournament title game and providing game-winning assists in the Hockey East Championship game and Northeast Regional Final.

5. Hawk heavy

Along with teammate Nick Schmaltz, North Dakota forward Luke Johnson and defenseman Nick Mattson will provide the Chicago Blackhawks with a look at some of their young talent.

Johnson, a sophomore picked in the fifth round (No. 134) in 2013, has 10 goals and 13 assists in 41 games. Mattson, a senior selected in the sixth round (No. 180) in 2010, has four goals and 16 assists in 32 games.

6. Masterful Massa

After making 33 saves in a 4-1 win against Harvard in the Midwest Regional semifinals, Nebraska-Omaha goaltender Ryan Massa played one of the most important games of his career in the Midwest Regional Final, making 40 saves to backstop a 4-0 win against Rochester Institute of Technology and send the Mavericks to their first Frozen Four.

Massa, an undrafted senior, has a 1.92 GAA and .939 save percentage this season. Goaltending is always vital in postseason hockey, so Nebraska-Omaha will need Massa to be at his best to keep them going.

7. Battle for the Hobey

The three Hobey Baker Award finalists are Eichel, North Dakota goalie Zane McIntyre, and Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey. But with Harvard eliminated from the tournament, Eichel and McIntyre are the only ones still playing.

No goaltender has won the award since Michigan State's Ryan Miller, now with the Vancouver Canucks, in 2001. McIntyre, a sixth-round pick (No. 165) of the Boston Bruins in 2010, could change that, especially with a strong game against BU in the national semifinals. McIntyre has a 2.00 GAA and .931 save percentage this season. His 29 wins lead the nation, and he's North Dakota's all-time leader in career save percentage and GAA.

8. Sophomore snipers

Nebraska-Omaha has a very balanced offense, with seven players with at least 20 points. But the core of their scoring comes from a pair of sophomores.

Center Jake Guentzel, a third round pick (No. 77) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013, leads Nebraska-Omaha with 38 points; teammate Austin Ortega, an undrafted left wing, has a UNO-high 20 goals.