The Devils announced today that they’ve signed left-winger Shane Lachance to a two-year entry-level contract starting next season. The deal carries a $925K cap hit with an $832.5K salary, a $92.5K signing bonus, up to $250K in Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses, and an $80K minors salary each season, according to PuckPedia. He’ll finish the season on a deal with AHL Utica before reporting to training camp in the fall.
New Jersey acquired Lachance’s signing rights from the Oilers last month in the three-team deal that sent Trent Frederic to Edmonton. He’s coming off his sophomore season with Boston University, dropping the national championship game to Western Michigan last weekend.
The 6’5″, 220-lb forward was a sixth-round pick by the Oilers back in 2021 from the Boston Jr. Bruins of the National Collegiate Development Conference, a Tier II junior league. Lachance made the jump to major junior the following year with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, spending two years there before emerging as an elder freshman for BU in 2023-24. After a 27-point effort in his first year, he recorded 12-18–30 in 40 games this season to rank fifth on the team in scoring while sharing the captaincy.
Lachance ends his collegiate career with 25-32–57 in 80 games for the Terriers. The son of longtime NHL defenseman Scott Lachance was named to Hockey East’s All-Academic Team in his freshman year.
The 21-year-old arrives in Jersey with a legitimate shot at carving out a role in their bottom six in short order. It’s likely he remains in Utica to begin next season, but a midseason call-up isn’t out of the questions. He was Edmonton’s No. 6 prospect before the trade, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic wrote. He’s presumably lower on the list in a deeper Devils pool but likely remains a top-10 prospect in the system.
Lachance will be a restricted free agent when his ELC expires in 2027 and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2031.