The Boston Bruins organization has signed an undrafted college free agent, but not to an NHL contract. Cooper Zech has agreed to a two-year AHL contract that will kick in next season according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Zech will join the Providence Bruins for the rest of this year on a tryout contract.
Divver states that Zech “wanted out” of Ferris State University, where he played just one season. The 20-year old defenseman went undrafted despite putting up points at every level, likely because of his small frame. The 5’9″ Zech didn’t let his stature stop him from performing on the collegiate stage though, as he recorded 28 points in 36 games. The left-handed puck-mover is another lottery ticket, though Boston doesn’t actually own his rights given the AHL contract.
Still, Zech will jump into the organization’s player development system and could very well earn himself an NHL entry-level deal down the road. There might be quite a bit of time before that happens, but he’ll have the benefit of working with professional coaches while earning a minor league salary. At this point he will also not count towards Boston’s 50-contract limit.
Pretty interesting that it’s a 2 year AHL deal. I can’t remember ever seeing one of those handed out. I can only wonder what he’s going to get paid. $60-70k per year? Are AHL teams allowed to give out signing bonuses?
Now we have a Czech, and a Zech on the team.