Blue Jackets Sign Boston Buckberger
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed two-time NCAA national champion defenseman Boston Buckberger to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will start next season. He attended development camp with the Blue Jackets in 2025.
In the official team announcement, president of hockey operations and GM Don Waddell said of Buckberger:
Boston Buckberger is a smart, skilled defenseman who can play in all situations and has a championship pedigree. He was among the top scoring defensemen in college hockey this year and a big part of Denver’s championship team. We are very excited that he is now part of the Blue Jackets organization.
As Waddell mentioned, Buckberger made a name for himself on a national stage at Denver. He was an instant-impact defenseman for head coach David Carle, scoring 27 points in 44 games. He was able to build on that strong freshman campaign the following year, potting nine goals and 30 points in 41 contests. This season, he scored 10 goals and 28 points in 42 games.
While Buckberger has never been the Pioneers’ top offensive option from the blueline (Zeev Buium held that honor the first two seasons, and Eric Pohlkamp this year) he has nonetheless been able to consistently deliver value in whatever role he played. We named him as a player to watch in this year’s NCAA free agency class earlier this month, noting that “there might not be big upside” in Buckberger “returning for his senior season.”
That’s something Buckberger appears to have agreed with, as he elected to sign his entry-level deal and forgo returning to the Pioneers.
Columbus does have a track record to point to when it comes to developing top NCAA blueliners. They signed then-University of Michigan captain Nick Blankenburg in 2022, and he quickly became an NHLer for the Blue Jackets. He also impressed with the Nashville Predators and was a trade deadline addition of the Colorado Avalanche.
While Buckberger isn’t an exact one-to-one stylistic comparable for Blankenburg (he’s a bit bigger, for example), he’ll nonetheless likely hope to have an early career that resembles how Blankenburg’s has gone.
2026 College Free Agency Preview: Goaltenders And Defensemen
The NCAA tournament is down to four teams and those who aren’t participating have seen their seasons come to an end. With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at some of the free agents that could be drawing attention from NHL teams in the coming weeks. After looking at the forwards separately, the focus is on goaltenders and defensemen here.
As always, note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list will be signing NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.
Goaltenders
Several of the top options from this class have already signed (Josh Kotai, Max Lundgren, and Alex Tracy) but a couple of others could still land NHL deals.
Jan Spunar (North Dakota) – There has been an uptick in younger free agent signings in this year’s free agent class which bodes well for Spunar who is just wrapping up his freshman season. The 21-year-old had a quiet showing in the USHL in 2024-25 but has taken over the starting role on a team with Final Four hopes. His stock is definitely up but there’s a case to make that staying for one more year might be the better long-term approach. But with goaltending in high demand across the league right now, teams might want to start working with him now.
Lawton Zacher (Northeastern) – Some goalies draw attention for their raw tools but need a lot of work to refine them. Zacher is largely the opposite of that as he’s more technically sound and used that to post a breakout season after transferring from Brown University over the offseason. He still has one year of eligibility remaining but if he decides to turn pro, he won’t be lacking for suitors as Elite Prospects’ Ryan Lambert notes that there are already teams vying for his services.
Defensemen
Boston Buckberger (Denver) – Buckberger was on this list last year and frankly, last year’s write-up would largely still apply. He is a quality consistent offensive blueliner, ranging between 27 and 30 points in each of his first three seasons. Even with a good defensive game though, his smaller stature will likely limit his interest. He’s worthy of a professional contract and after three years of near-identical player, there might not be big upside in returning for his senior season; his stock now is probably around where it’d be in 2027.
Tyler Dunbar (Union) – After two very quiet seasons at Colorado College, Dunbar entered the transfer portal last spring and the move has unlocked his game. He had a breakout year offensively with 32 points in 37 games while bringing a lot of physicality to the table. Staying one more year and doubling down on being that type of impactful piece could help his market in the long run but if there’s NHL interest now, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make the jump to the pros now.
Viking Gustafsson Nyberg (UConn) – A lot of players on this list are here for their offensive game with the thought that parts of it will translate to the pros. Gustafsson Nyberg has all of one goal over two seasons. No, he’s here for being more of a throwback defender, big, tough, and physical. Those are elements that teams will covet on a third pairing. That said, if he thinks one more year in college would help his development offensively, that might be the better route for him in the long run.
Jake Livanavage (North Dakota) – Another returnee from last year’s list, the same elements are largely in play. Good offense (at least 25 points in his three NCAA seasons), strong skating, and undersized to the point where some teams will likely shy away. That said, Livanavage more than held his own against pros at the Spengler Cup back from December which will help his cause. He has one year of eligibility left but this may be the right time for him to turn professional.
Evan Murr (Minnesota State Mankato) – Another player in the steady but undersized category, Murr has picked up the pace offensively in recent weeks at the perfect time. He had 30 points this season, a tick higher than his first two NCAA campaigns. Murr is also in that category of not having much more to prove so although he has another year of eligibility remaining, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him forego that.
Isaiah Norlin (Colgate) – There are some parallels to Dunbar. He had a very quiet first year with the University of Nebraska-Omaha last season, then went to the transfer portal, and things took off from there. Norlin finished in a tie for the team lead in scoring and at six-foot-six and a right shot, he has elements that teams will covet. He’s a late-bloomer but that shouldn’t deter teams from taking a flyer on him.
Senior Options: There is one player who exhausted his eligibility and warrants at least a quick mention. Ben Dexheimer (Wisconsin) fits into the category of being a little undersized but reliable piece. He may not ultimately land NHL contracts but is likely to land a pro deal in the coming weeks.
Blue Jackets Will Re-Invite A Few Rookies To Training Camp
The good times will keep on rolling for a select few prospects invited to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ rookie camp. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic relays that the team is planning to invite three to five non-roster, rookie camp invitees back to their training camp when it begins this week. The team’s hockey operations department will make decisions on who those few players will be on the bus ride home from the Buffalo Sabres’ Prospects Challenge.
Columbus’ rookie camp roster contained 10 invitees who weren’t previously drafted by the team. The list is led by high-impact collegiate prospects, including Wisconsin Badgers forward Rylan Mosley and Denver Pioneers defenseman Boston Buckberger. Mosley scored at a point-per-game pace through 37 games last season, while offering the prerequisite two-way, physical play required in a Mike Hastings lineup. Buckberger was equally as impactful for his squad, netting 30 points in 41 games while serving as the downhill punch behind the Pioneers’ star defenders. Both players could reasonably carve out low-grade, pro roles as soon as next season. Columbus also invited Michigan forward Joshua Eernisse, Michigan Tech forward Isaac Gordon, and Union forward Tom Richter, who achieved varying levels of college success last season.
The Blue Jackets also invited former scout’s favorite Pano Fimis, who went unselected through eligibility in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 drafts. Fimis was a focal point of the Erie Otters’ offense over the last two seasons, and managed encouraging results – including 32 goals and 86 points in 68 games this season. But he could never prove dynamic enough away from the puck to wow NHL scouts. His rookie camp showings couldn’t be categorized as disappointing, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Columbus gauge the 21-year-old’s AHL-readiness after scoring 253 points in 245 games and five seasons in the OHL. Fimis was the second-overall pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection Draft and is currently committed to attend the University of Notre Dame next season.