As reported by PuckPedia, the Boston Bruins have re-signed defenseman Jack Ahcan to a one-year, $750K deal. The contract carries a $115K AHL salary and a $125K total guarantee.
Ahcan, 25, is an undrafted defenseman who turned pro with the Bruins organization in 2020-21 after a successful college career at St. Cloud State. An undersized blueliner, Ahcan’s calling card has always been his offense. In college, Ahcan was a productive offensive player. Ahcan finished his college career with 103 points in 144 games and even captained St. Cloud State during his senior season.
Ahcan’s transition to professional hockey has been an up-and-down affair. He’s shown some promise at the AHL level, scoring 33 points in 65 games across two seasons as well as handling a top-of-the-lineup role in Providence this season that required him to weather time on the penalty kill as well as anchor the team’s power play.
But Ahcan’s size is an issue, as he stands just five-foot-nine and weighs 180 pounds, meaning he’s a risk to be too frequently outmuscled for pucks and position by stronger players. As a result, his NHL impact has been limited, and he found himself a Bruins healthy scratch this season. The coaching staff in Providence clearly trusts him, though, meaning there’s more to his game than there might seem to be if one looks just at his size and production.
Ahcan will head to training camp in the fall and have an opportunity to battle other defenders for an NHL job. Ahcan’s one-year deal is an indication that 2022-23 is a make-or-break year for the 25-year-old to show that still has the potential to be a full-time NHLer.
Feels like mgmt are crossing their fingers & hoping Ahcan can morph into a lesser version of Torey Krug. It probably won’t happen, but I’ve seen him play OK on the big team when the d-men were otherwise decimated by injuries.