Leafs and NCAA standout Nick Abruzzese officially agree to terms on a multi-year contract
Rumblings had begun on Friday that the Leafs and NCAA standout and Harvard captain Nick Abruzzese had agreed to terms on Abruzzese's entry-level contract. The first to report on it was TLN's Nick Richard and this afternoon Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman had confirmed that the Leafs and Abruzzese were indeed closing in on an announcement.
Well, now things are officially official, as they say! Abruzzese has indeed signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Leafs with an $850K AAV. With this signing, Abruzzese is now the third Leaf to come out of the Harvard Ice Hockey Program, joining Alexander Kerfoot and newcomer Colin Blackwell.
Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was very complimentary of Harvard, issuing the following statement, praising Harvard's head coach, Ted Donato, and their development program:
"As an organization, we're very thankful to Harvard head coach Ted Donato and his staff for their job developing Nick. Harvard's academic reputation precedes itself but is also an elite hockey development program as evidenced by the number of players they have developed into National Hockey League players."
Abruzzese was over a point per game with the Crimson this season, posting 33 points in 28 games, good for second in team scoring. The Slate Hill, NY native racked up 77 points in 59 games with Harvard in his NCAA career. You have to wonder how many more points he could have racked up had COVID-19 not robbed Harvard of its entire 2020-21 season.
With Abruzzese officially locked up for the next two seasons, the Leafs will now turn their attention to 2021 2nd round pick Matthew Knies, who is still in action with the University of Minnesota's Golden Gophers. Will the 19-year-old Knies be next to ink a deal with the Buds?
| POLL | ||
MARS 26 | 194 ANSWERS Leafs and NCAA standout Nick Abruzzese officially agree to terms on a multi-year contract Is Nick Abruzzese ready for the NHL? | ||
| He did well enough in the Olympics against men | 33 | 17 % |
| Nah, I'd cook him a little longer in the AHL | 50 | 25.8 % |
| Give him a look and then make the decision | 111 | 57.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
MUST READ
TRENDING NOW
