Sophomore Conor Morrison, who was second on the team as a freshman with 10 goals, hopes to build on that in his second season.

Young and fast—those were two words Harvard coach Ted Donato ’91 often used to describe his men’s hockey team last season. For the 2010-11 campaign, the Crimson will look to add another word to that description: mature.

“The guys are chomping at the bit to get going,” assistant captain Kyle Richter says. “We have a very positive outlook for the season. I think we’ve matured this year.”

Maturity, and the development of young talent, will be vital for Harvard’s attempt to climb back to the top of the ECAC. Last year, youth was the backbone of the Crimson offense—eight of Harvard’s top 11 goal scorers were underclassmen, and of those eight, six were freshmen.

Even before last season, the Crimson did have an idea that its young players would be major contributors. In fact, Inside College Hockey named Harvard’s freshman class the fifth-best group of recruits in the nation. Now sophomores, the skaters will try to break out even further.

“As far as the sophomore class goes, they’re all really mature, so any one of those guys could break out,” Richter says. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how those guys play.”

As the sophomore class looks to establish itself as a more powerful force in the ECAC, it must find a way to fill the skates of former classmate Louis Leblanc. During the offseason, the speedy forward left Harvard and signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens, the team that selected the Kirkland, Quebec native in the first round of the 2009 draft.

“We wish him the best,” Donato says. “But on the other side of it, I have great confidence in the guys that are here and in their potential.”

Last season Leblanc led the team in points, goals, and plus-minus rating. His performance was impressive enough to earn him the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award.

“Of course the loss of Louis is a big loss, but it just means a lot of other guys have to step up...including me,” sophomore Alex Fallstrom says. “And I think all the guys appreciate that responsibility that they’re going to get.”

Fallstrom is in fact one of the sophomores with the potential to break out and fill the scoring void. The 6’2” forward, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL draft, registered four goals and eight assists last season.

“I feel like we have a really skilled class,” Fallstrom says. “I think we’re going to add a lot of speed and a lot of skill, and hopefully, a lot of goals.”

Another sophomore, Conor Morrison, will also try to build on a strong rookie performance.

The forward finished second on the team with 10 goals, including a four-score effort against Boston University.

Morrison and the rest of the sophomores should benefit from both learned team chemistry and a sense of familiarity with college hockey.

“As for freshman to sophomore year, I think you mature a lot more,” co-captain Chris Huxley says. “You feel more comfortable on the rink, you’ve been here for a year, and you know the protocol and the process. You just mature a bit and understand the game better.”

In the defensive zone, sophomore Danny Biega is poised to take on a greater leadership role. The 6’0” blueliner, who was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the offseason, registered five goals last year. With the departure of former captain Alex Biega, Harvard will be looking for a defensive rock to emerge. Danny Biega and two other sophomore defensemen, David Valek and Brendan Rempel, will look to fill that role.

Rounding out the sophomore class are forwards Marshall Everson and Luke Greiner. Each scored three goals last season and is looking to increase his offensive impact.

A year later, last season’s freshmen now have become more experienced and more powerful. Whether that size will lead to more wins remains to be seen.

“They’ve all individually taken the summer to get bigger, stronger, faster,” Donato said. “They’ve looked like they’ve the made a significant jump from freshmen to sophomores, which is always what we hope for.”

—Staff writer Jake I. Fisher can be reached at jifisher@fas.harvard.edu.