Although the NHL season is on pause, the Boston Bruins are still looking at ways to improve their roster. Over the last few days they have been linked, to two of the top NCAA free agents, Mitchell Chaffee of UMass and Jack Ahcan of St. Cloud. While they both would still need more time to develop, they would be an interesting addition to the Bruins system. With stars such as Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara only getting older, Chaffee and Ahcan are worth an interest from the Bruins front office.
In 30 games for UMass last year, Chaffee had 16 goals and 13 assists. Although he was limited by injuries, Chaffee had the second-most goals and points on UMass. His best season came the year before, where, in 40 games, he had 18 goals and 24 assists.
Hearing #NHLBruins very much in the mix on two of the top NCAA free agents, Jack Ahcan of St. Cloud & Mitchell Chaffee of UMass
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) March 21, 2020
Additionally, Chaffee has been one of the key figures of UMass’s turnaround over the past three years. He has consistently been one of their leading scorers and earned All-Hockey East first-team honors last year. He is also a good skater and difficult to defend due to his strength.
While Chaffee would add strength to the Bruins forward group, Ahcan would add more depth to a defenseman group full of talent. The Minnesota native scored seven goals last and recorded 18 assists. In his four years at St. Cloud State, he recorded 103 points, becoming only the third defenseman in school history to reach the 100-plus points milestone.
The Bruins are showing interest in NCAA free agent Jack Ahcan of St. Cloud. In four seasons at St. Cloud State Ahcan has recorded 103 points pic.twitter.com/4f6wAgWhzS
— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) March 22, 2020
Additionally, while Ahcan has excelled offensively, he has been reliable defensively. In his career at St. Cloud, he has a plus-minus rating of plus-12. The 22-year-old is underrated as a defenseman who has excellent hands and vision. He is already seen by some scouts as a modern-day defenseman and does not back down from any challenge.
Although the rest of the NHL season is in doubt, these two prospects are expected to have a bright future. With some of the Bruins veterans getting older, Chaffee and Ahcan could eventually take their place.
Mitchell Chaffee's second of the night has @UMassHockey up 2-0 over Vermont in Burlington. pic.twitter.com/erZACRxXZt
— Hockey East (@hockey_east) January 18, 2020
The future of these two will be an interesting storyline to watch as the Bruins look at other NCAA free agents. Chaffee and Achon are, however, two of this year’s top options and could end up in Boston.
