Inside the Bruins’ HTR Varsity Sweaters, College Hockey in Boston

BOSTON –– Charlie McAvoy walked down the scarlet hallway and out onto the bench at Agganis Arena.

The Boston University men’s hockey team was wrapping up practice. Charlie Trethewey, a sophomore Terrier defenseman, skated over to say hello to McAvoy, who asked about the season, roster and how everything was going.

Ten years ago, McAvoy was in Trethewey's exact spot. The now-Boston Bruins star was an 18-year-old blueliner in his second year with BU in the NCAA.

“Honestly, everything is the exact same,” McAvoy said, looking around the rink with a smile. “All of this is the exact same. It’s just how I remember it.”

McAvoy’s two seasons with the Terriers marked the start of his story in Boston. The B’s selected him in the first round of the 2016 Draft, and McAvoy used his time at BU to prepare for what was to come — that is, if things worked out with the Bruins, the youngster cautiously thought at the time.

A visit from Don Sweeney after practice during McAvoy’s sophomore year settled his mind and solidified his place in the city and its hockey world.

“We sat down and talked, and he told me that I was a part of the plan in Boston and that I was going to be a Bruin when the time was right…When I was here, I was building towards that – my dream of playing pro hockey,” McAvoy said. “And then I think it was three or four months later, I was playing in the playoffs for the Bruins. Life comes at you fast.”

The outline of the story is not unique to McAvoy. Seven of his current Bruins teammates took the college hockey route, including two – Jeremy Swayman and James Hagens – locally in Hockey East.

They’ve reached higher accolades in their careers: a Game-7 stop, overtime game-winning goals, Olympic gold medals. But the sense of nostalgia and, simply put, love, when thinking back to their college days feels different, especially for those who skated in the NCAA in New England.

“The pride is probably what makes it so different,” McAvoy said. “When you go to a place like BU, and you realize just how important it is, what it means to be part of this history – you kind of have that brotherhood. You can’t ever take that away.”​

That feeling is what inspired the Bruins’ Hometown Remix jersey, as part of the 32-club-wide uniform program during the 2026-27 season, featuring designs inspired by each team’s individual market characteristics. Because what is more Boston than college hockey?

The "Varsity Sweater” design, spearheaded by vice president of marketing, Andrea Mazzarelli, is the B’s first all-brown uniform since its inaugural season in 1924, and showcases Ivy League prep stylings that are meant to pay homage to the rich collegiate hockey history and landscape in the area. Massachusetts has the most NCAA Division I men’s Frozen Four appearances of any other state in the U.S., and Boston schools have earned 11 national titles.

“It is the history of Boston. When I got here in 1986, I didn’t realize the strong college community. There are so many great institutions in this area; I didn’t really understand it growing up outside of Vancouver,” Bruins president Cam Neely said. “So to play off that, it’s really going back to the history of Bruins’ colors, and a nod to the varsity sweater, playing off all the different colleges.”

These jerseys celebrate that, and pull on the simple, classic and unmistakable college aesthetic that feels so close to home for McAvoy and his peers.

“I thought it was just such a clean jersey because of that ‘BOSTON.’ There’s not much to it, but it stands out, and you know exactly what it is when you see it,” McAvoy said of the Terriers’ threads. “It’s an honor to have worn it.”

Swayman, who was in net for three years (2017-2020) at the University of Maine, donned a similar look as a Black Bear.

“Maine has unanimously the best jerseys in college hockey, let alone Hockey East. The colors are just so beautiful, and when you go into the history of Hockey East and how many guys have come before you, and just the rich rivalries that are still so alive and well – it’s hard to find that in any other conference in Division I hockey,” Swayman said. “It’s such a connection I feel now to be part of the next wave of college hockey players to go through Hockey East, and especially Maine.”

This season’s “Varsity Sweater” has a similar ‘BRUINS’ arched wordmark on the front chest, rugger-style striping, beveled numerals and a university-inspired secondary crest. The players’ numbers on the front side of the jersey have not been seen on a B’s uniform since the 1940s. And, as an extra addition, the inside hemline is a nod to the red-brick Freedom Trail – Swayman has it featured on his new mask, too.

“When you see the jersey alone, not just this particular jersey, but when you see a jersey alone, sometimes it doesn’t do it justice unless you have the full kit together,” Neely said. “When I saw some of the players in the uniform with the pants and the socks and the gloves and helmet – it really tied everything together. I think it’s going to look really sharp out there.”

TD Garden is no stranger to the look. The Beanpot – the historic tournament between BU, Boston College, Northeastern University and Harvard – is hosted on Causeway Street every year, as are the Hockey East Playoffs. It is these games that tie both players and fans to the city forever.

“I had no idea what it meant to play hockey in Boston. The Beanpot – I was like, ‘What’s that?’ You have no idea until you play in it and you see the pride that goes into all the people that live in Boston,” McAvoy said. “Odds are, you walk into a handful of people, and you might have a BC, BU, Harvard or Northeastern. Any of them. They all just exist together here in Boston.”

McAvoy logged the game-winner in the Terriers’ 3-1 victory over Northeastern in the 2015-16 Beanpot semifinal. Hagens, though, is the most recent Bruin to lift the trophy. The rookie and BC were the 2025-26 champions, and Hagens was the tournament MVP after posting five points over the two games.

“It was super special. To be able to see how well our school showed out – our fans were awesome. To be able to lift that beanpot in my last year was super special. We had a great group of guys, and that’s something that I will always remember,” Hagens said. “It’s got a lot of history to it. It means a lot to all four schools, and it’s a huge deal for us. It’s all you can think about leading up to it, and when you’re in it, it’s really important that you go out there and you try to win. I feel like that’s a staple of college hockey here."​

Hagens’ two seasons (2024-2026) at BC introduced him to hockey in Boston before the 2025 seventh overall pick joined the Bruins at the end of last year. In his final collegiate campaign, Hagens was a Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist and led Hockey East in scoring with 47 points on 23 goals and 24 assists.

“I wanted to be a Boston College Eagle so badly. Me and my brother, to be able to go there with him, that was super special for me. It kind of just felt like home. The connections that I was able to make, some of the friendships, the things I learned there. It’s something that I will be able to carry for the rest of my life,” Hagens said. “I’m super grateful to be able to stay in this city. It feels like home now. To be able to play here in Boston, right down the road from BC, it is a dream come true for me.”

Both Hagens and McAvoy are from Long Island, New York, so Boston was not too far of a move. Swayman, though, is an Anchorage, Alaska, native. There are over 3,000 miles between Alaska and Maine, but Swayman also felt right at home.

“It was exactly what I wanted – a small university that felt like I could get into nature easily and also not feel lost with a sea of kids. And a university that loved their hockey team. It just checked all the boxes for me. And being in Hockey East was kind of the cherry on top, which is such an elite league. Every single game was playing against first-rounders,” Swayman said. “You’ll be walking down the street and see a Black Bear shirt; you’re always saying hi to them and sharing that bond that Orono has with everyone who comes through it.”

The respective school pride causes banter in the Bruins’ locker room to get heated during the college hockey season. When BU swept Maine during 2023-24, Swayman had to wear McAvoy’s Terrier gear at the rink.

​“I go at it with Sway now. He’s trying to make it high stakes again because he believes in them now. It’s fun. You just feel this overwhelming sense of pride. Just loyalty to your school that you want to support them,” McAvoy said. “It is really unique that we have so many college guys on our team. A couple of different Hockey East guys, too. I am sure that me and Hags will go back and forth a little bit on the BC and BU stuff.”

Swayman is not one to back down.

“For Maine, it’s not even being biased, like I still see 10 to 15 Maine jerseys at Bruins games. We’ve got a few guys on BU that are here, and a complete shot at them, but there’s not a lot of BU jerseys in the crowd,” he said. “I think it just goes to show how loyal the fan base is in Maine, and it’s just such a prideful thing to be a Black Bear.”

As one could imagine, the college-hockey connections last forever. When the Utah Mammoth were in town in October, McAvoy had former Terrier teammate Clayton Keller over to his house for dinner. The two connected for an iconic, double-overtime goal in the 2017 NCAA West Regional to beat the host team, North Dakota, 4-3.

“We have a picture of us – we both jumped as high as we could, and we were in mid-air hugging. It’s in the locker room. It’s by far my favorite picture from college and one of my best memories in hockey,” McAvoy said. “It definitely lasts. It will last a lifetime. There are a lot of guys who I played with for either my first or second year here, and we’ve developed a relationship far outside of hockey. I think that is something that is so special about playing college hockey – that you can have those relationships.”

On top of the friendships, McAvoy also met his wife, Kiley, at BU, around Halloween time during his freshman year.

“From there, everything just took off,” McAvoy said. “It really is just a blessing to have gone to school here and to have met Kiley. It has given me all the happiest things in my life.”

The couple ended up getting married in 2023 at Marsh Chapel, set in the center of BU’s campus, where it all started.  

“One of the best parts about it was our wedding planner; her father runs transportation for BU. So we had access to all the buses. The BU buses were how we got people to the Public Library for the wedding,” McAvoy said. “Everybody got to experience a day on campus at BU.”

When McAvoy, Swayman, Hagens – and, hopefully, the New England college hockey community – look at the B’s Hometown Remix "Varsity Sweaters,” they see more than just the old-school design. They see the Beanpot trophy, raucous student sections, pep-band trumpets and some of the best memories of their hockey careers, no matter where the NHL takes them.​

What is college hockey like in Boston? It is everything. And this jersey is dedicated to exactly that.

“It was really awesome. I kind of say it now, like I chose Boston and then Boston chose me. It was kind of cool how it all went down,” McAvoy said. “It’s just been a dream being able to solidify myself here. It’s amazing that my story started here and we’re continuing to write it right down the road.”