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John Farinacci

Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers, Bruins Reassign Six To AHL

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Thursday: Mitchell has cleared waivers, relays Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal.  He has been returned to Providence as well.

Wednesday: The Boston Bruins have made a wave of roster moves after playing their final game of the season on Tuesday. Most notably, defenseman Ian Mitchell has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the minor leagues. If he clears, he’ll join five other Bruins headed to Providence: forwards Fabian Lysell, Fraser Minten, John Farinacci, and Vinni Lettieri; and defenseman Frederic Brunet. All six players have spent time in the minor leagues this season.

Mitchell will be available to all teams in the league, though post-Trade Deadline roster rules would require a claiming team to assign him to their own AHL squad. In returning to the minors, Mitchell will return to the productive 27 points he scored in 46 games with Providence earlier this season. That mark led all Providence defensemen in scoring this season, even despite the rest of the blue-line playing upwards of 20 more games. Mitchell’s two-way impact and stout scoring earned him the role of extra defenseman after Boston traded top-four defender Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline.

Mitchell stepped into 15 games with the Bruins this season but only managed one point, two penalty minutes, and a minus-two. His appearances were quiet once again, lining up with the two points and 10 PIMs he recorded in 13 games with Boston last season – though he did manage a stronger plus-six that year. Mitchell has rotated between major and minor rosters for the last five NHL seasons. He has six points in nine career Calder Cup Playoff games, and would be an impactful addition to either Providence’s – or another squad’s – postseason run.

This wave of roster moves also features Boston’s top two prospects in Minten and Lysell. Both forwards rotated into the NHL lineup through the latter half of this season, but struggled to find much scoring. Minten scored just one goal in six appearances with the Bruins. Lysell recorded three points in 12 games, though they were all scored within his last four appearances. Both rookies seemed to become more-and-more comfortable in the NHL lineup as the season went on. Lysell ended the season on an impressive hot-streak that saw him actively seeking out the puck and making long-stretches of plays. Minten seemed to adjust well to a move to Boston, after being acquired in the aforementioned Carlo trade.

Both prospects have been productive in the minors. Lysell has 34 points in 51 AHL games this season – a mark he outscored with 50 points in 56 games last season. Minten has scored 30 points in 36 combined AHL games this season, including seven points in 10 games with Providence. The duo will look to carve out top roles and meaningful impacts as Providence enters the postseason.

They’ll be backed by a wave of veteran depth in Farinacci, Lettieri, and Brunet. All three have found top-end roles in Providence, led by Lettieri, whose 48 points in 46 games this season leads the AHL Bruins in point-per-game scoring. Farinacci is scoring at a career-high pace from behind Lettieri in the lineup, netting 37 points in 57 AHL games – just shy of his 38 points in 71 games last season. Even Brunet has found production from the blue-line, with 24 points in 68 games the second-best on the Providence defense behind Mitchell. All three players carved out their roles in Providence early in the season and will reassume them with this move – Lettieri and Farinacci headed back to the top-six on offense, and Brunet headed for a clear top-four role on the defense.

Bruins Recall John Farinacci, Frederic Brunet

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The Bruins announced they’ve recalled forward John Farinacci and defenseman Frederic Brunet from AHL Providence on an emergency basis. Both players could make their NHL debuts tomorrow against the Devils. The team returned fellow emergency call-ups Michael Callahan and Riley Duran to the P-Bruins in corresponding moves.

Farinacci arrives in Boston amid his second professional season. Initially a third-round pick of the Coyotes in 2019, he opted not to sign with Arizona upon finishing his collegiate career at Harvard in 2023. He signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins as an Aug. 15 free agent following an injury-shortened 2022-23 campaign with Harvard, still serving as team captain and notching 5-15–20 in 19 games.

The cousin of Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato hasn’t quite provided that level of offense in the AHL for Providence, but the 24-year-old is still making strides. After posting 12-26–38 in 71 games last season, he’s nearly matched that point total in 57 appearances this year (9-28–37). That puts him in a tie for seventh on the team in scoring, and the 5’11” center/right-winger also has a plus-nine rating.

He could directly replace Duran, who made his NHL debut in Boston’s last two games, as the Bruins’ fourth-line right wing in their final game of the season. Duran, 23, averaged 12:44 per game across the pair of contests and managed five shots on goal, although that effort didn’t result in his first NHL point. He recorded six hits and a minus-one rating, and Boston dominated play at even strength with a 78.1 CF% in his limited minutes. Few expected better from Duran, who has 12-4–16 in 58 games in his first full AHL season.

Brunet is the far younger of the two call-ups. The 21-year-old rearguard was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft by the Bruins and, so far, looks to be overperforming his draft slot. The 6’3″, 196-lb lefty has been a solid two-way presence with a physical edge over his first two professional seasons. He’s been one of Providence’s best defensemen in 2024-25, placing second on the team in scoring among blue-liners with 5-19–24 in 68 games. He also ranks third on the team with a +14 rating.

That’s good enough to make him the top U-23 defense prospect in Boston’s underwhelming pool, opines Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. While the No. 7 prospect overall, there’s legitimate third-pairing upside in his game in a few years, Wheeler writes. He could get that first chance to flash it as the Bruins conclude a disappointing season, potentially even making himself a dark horse for an opening-night job in 2025-26.

As for Callahan, he ends his first NHL season with one goal and a minus-five rating in 17 games. Boston first recalled the stay-at-home defender in January and has periodically given him time on the active roster since. The 25-year-old lefty averaged 14:09 per game and was a relative nonfactor, posting a 43.8 CF% and 43.3 xGF% at even strength in heavy defensive deployment. Despite checking in at 6’2″ and 200 lbs, he wasn’t an imposing factor physically, logging only 12 blocks and eight hits. The pending restricted free agent has 1-7–8 and a plus-four rating in 43 games with the P-Bruins this year.

Boston Bruins Sign John Farinacci To Entry-Level Deal

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The Boston Bruins have signed free agent forward John Farinacci to a two-year entry-level contract with a $910K cap hit, per a team release. Farinacci, a 2019 third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes, became a free agent yesterday when the Coyotes let his exclusive signing rights lapse by not signing him to an ELC. Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald first reported the Bruins were closing in on Farinacci.

Farinacci heads to Beantown after completing three productive collegiate seasons at Harvard. He lost his sophomore year when Harvard suspended play due to the COVID pandemic. Last season, the natural center was limited to 19 games due to injury but was one of four players on the team to produce above a point-per-game pace, recording five goals and 15 assists while serving as captain. He finishes his stint at Harvard with 25 goals, 36 assists and 61 points in 79 games.

Still just 22, Farinacci immediately becomes one of the best center prospects in the Bruins’ paper-thin pipeline. He’s shown smart two-way acumen throughout his time at Harvard and possesses an above-average shot. He may have some top-six upside, but his sample size over the past few seasons has been limited thanks to injuries and COVID – increasing the variability in his projection.

While Boston will give him a long look in camp, he’s nearly a lock to start 2023-24 with AHL Providence, so the organization can see how his 200-foot game adapts to the professional level. He will become a restricted free agent with possible arbitration rights in 2025.

It’s worth noting this is a family affair for Farinacci in Boston, as his uncle is former Bruins forward Ted Donato (and is cousin is former Bruin and current Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato).

Update On This Year’s August 15 Free Agents

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Most NHL free agent business is dealt with in the early summer months. There is one important date later each year, however. August 15 marks the date when NHL teams lose their exclusive signing rights to most college-drafted players if they’ve graduated (or completed without graduating) college and are not yet signed to an entry-level contract.

Earlier this month, we published a list of players slated to hit the UFA market yesterday if not signed to an ELC within the coming days. However, the guidelines the NHL uses to determine a college graduate are some of the most complex sets of rules relating to contractual obligations in pro sports. That means it’s often impossible to glean a full list of players whose rights have expired (or not expired) until after the August 15 deadline has passed.

This year was no different, as CapFriendly issued multiple updates today on their X account regarding the list of August 15 free agents they’d made public earlier in the month. Three players who were slated to expire actually remained on their team’s reserve list: Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick F Demetrios Koumontzis, Ottawa Senators 2018 seventh-round pick F Jakov Novak, and Senators 2018 second-round pick D Jonny Tychonick.

On the flip side, 12 players they expected to remain on teams’ reserve lists hit the free-agent market yesterday. With that in mind, we have a revised, accurate list of players who became unrestricted free agents yesterday. Asterisked players were not originally expected to come off their team’s reserve list.

Anaheim Ducks

*F Trevor Janicke (2019 fifth round, 132nd overall)

Arizona Coyotes

F John Farinacci (2019 third round, 76th overall)
*F Anthony Romano (2019 sixth round, 176th overall)

Boston Bruins

*D Dustyn McFaul (2018 sixth round, 181st overall)

Calgary Flames

*F Joshua Nodler (2019 fifth round, 150th overall)

Carolina Hurricanes

F Kevin Wall (2019 sixth round, 181st overall)

Chicago Blackhawks

F Jake Wise (2018 third round, 69th overall)

Colorado Avalanche

*F Matt Stienburg (2019 third round, 63rd overall)

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Robbie Stucker (2017 seventh round, 210th overall)

Detroit Red Wings

F Robert Mastrosimone (2019 second round, 54th overall)
*F Ethan Phillips (2019 fourth round, 97th overall)

Edmonton Oilers

F Skyler Brind’Amour (2017 sixth round, 177th overall)

Minnesota Wild

*D Marshall Warren (2019 sixth round, 166th overall)

New Jersey Devils

*D Case McCarthy (2019 fourth round, 118th overall)
*F Patrick Moynihan (2019 sixth round, 158th overall)

New York Islanders

D Christian Krygier (2018 seventh round, 196th overall)
F Jacob Pivonka (2018 fourth round, 103rd overall)

New York Rangers

*F Eric Ciccolini (2019 seventh round, 205th overall)
*F Riley Hughes (2018 seventh round, 216th overall)

Ottawa Senators

*F Luke Loheit (2018 seventh round, 194th overall)

Philadelphia Flyers

F Jay O’Brien (2018 first round, 19th overall)

San Jose Sharks

D Arvid Henrikson (2016 seventh round, 187th overall) Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens

Toronto Maple Leafs

D Ryan O’Connell (2017 seventh round, 203rd overall)

Winnipeg Jets

G Jared Moe (2018 sixth round, 184th overall)

Of the list above, Krygier and Pivonka are remaining in the Islanders organization on confirmed AHL contracts for 2023-24, although they remain eligible to sign with another NHL team should one come calling. All others are either returning to school for 2023-24, have contracts signed in other leagues, or are not signed for next season.

Notably, this is the official confirmation that the Flyers’ exclusive signing rights of O’Brien have lapsed. As compensation for not signing a first-round pick to their entry-level contract, the Flyers will receive a compensatory second-round pick from the league in the 2024 NHL Draft.

College Signing Notes: Farinacci, Lipkin, Johnson

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Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports Arizona Coyotes draft pick John Farinacci is unlikely to sign with the team that drafted him. Farinacci is a 22-year-old forward who just finished his senior season with Harvard, scoring five goals and 20 points in 19 games. The Coyotes selected the 6-foot and 185 pound center in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has since played three seasons at Harvard, with one year being wiped out due to Covid restrictions, and he scored 61 points in 79 career college games. With his NCAA career over, Farinacci is eligible to become an NHL free agent on August 15 if he is not signed by the Coyotes and it sounds like he will choose that route.

  • On the other hand, Morgan also reports that the Coyotes are interested in getting a deal done with Sam Lipkin. Lipkin was a seventh-round draft pick of the Coyotes in the 2021 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old forward just finished his first college season, helping Quinnipiac win a national championship by scoring 14 goals and 43 points in 39 games. Lipkin, a skilled 6-foot-3 and 192 pound center has proven to be worthy of more than a seventh-round pick and would be a big addition to the Coyotes prospect pool if they can get a deal done.
  • Another possible college signing to keep an eye on is Ryan Johnson. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports that the Buffalo Sabres and Johnson had a zoom meeting and though things went well during the meeting, nothing official was put in place. Johnson has been a great two-way defender for Minnesota for the past four seasons, putting up four goals and 18 points in 40 games this season while playing a shutdown style and penalty killing role for a defensively sound squad. Johnson was the Sabres first-round pick in 2019 and would be another terrific young player on the Sabres squad if they are able to get a deal done. If not, Johnson has the option to become a free agent in August.

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