BU’s Greenway Took Message to Heart

At the end of his freshman season, Jordan Greenway sat down with Boston University head coach David Quinn for his year-end review.

It was a mostly positive meeting. After all, the second round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2015 had made significant progress and played much better after Thanksgiving.

However, there was one poignant message that both player and coach agreed needed to improve.

“We talked an awful lot at the end of last year. As good a year as he had, he had five goals. When you’re a guy that big and strong and have the talent he has, that ain’t cutting it,” said Quinn.

“He was determined to be more of a goal scorer,” Quinn added.

All five of Greenway’s goals last year came over the course of the last 26 games. He averaged almost a point per game during that stretch that started with the Cornell game at Madison Square Garden.

He spent most of the off-season working out with BU’s renowned strength and conditioning team and training in Boston.

“I had a really good summer. I was here for most of it, just in the gym a lot,” said Greenway, who is one of the most physically intimidating players in college hockey at 6-feet-5 and 230 pounds.

A trip to Plymouth, Mich. to compete at the National Junior Evaluation Camp might have been the turning point. Greenway enjoyed tremendous success at the week-long camp which is used to help evaluate who should make the U.S. roster for the 2017 World Junior Championship.

“It started happening over the summer when he was at the World Junior Camp. He had three goals in that tournament,” Quinn explained. “He’s picked off where he left off.”

Greenway agreed with his coach that the camp was a pivotal moment for his game.

“Going and playing for Team USA for that short period of time was a big confidence boost. I was scoring a lot there which kind of helped me have a scoring mentality coming into this year,” said Greenway.

Greenway used his size and power to get off a lot of shots on goal and be a significant threat near the goal mouth throughout the camp.

“It definitely helped me on shooting the puck. I worked on that all summer,” Greenway said.

Through five games this season, Greenway’s play below the dots and along the walls has been nothing short of commanding. It doesn’t take more than a shift or two to recognize Greenway is like a man among boys on the ice.

“He’s a dominant at this level. He should be a dominant player on the score sheet,” said Quinn.

The importance of using his physical stature and strength to his advantage is not lost on Greenway.

“That’s my whole focus. [Down low] is where I have the most success. Being a bigger guy like me, I think I really have to dominate in those areas, create space for my linemates and get the puck to the net whenever and however I have to. When I do dominate those areas, it’s when I play my best.”

Greenway and the Terriers carry a two-game winning streak into this weekend’s home-and-home series with crosstown rival Northeastern. The series starts Friday night at Matthews Arena before shifting to Agganis Arena on Saturday.