Boston Bruins sign forward John Farinacci to entry-level contract
The Boston Bruins have signed unsigned Arizona Coyotes draft pick John Farinacci to a two-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Wednesday afternoon.
Farinacci, 22, scored five goals and 20 points in 19 games as a junior at Harvard University during the 2022–23 season, which was his final year of NCAA eligibility.
The Coyotes originally selected Farinacci in the third round (No. 76 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The six-foot center, who shoots right, elected not to sign with the Coyotes organization and became an unrestricted free agent on August 15.
Farinacci’s contract with the Bruins carries a $910,000 NHL cap hit.
The #NHLBruins have signed John Farinacci to a two-year entry-level deal contract.
📰: https://t.co/PUGjsJ1E9b pic.twitter.com/0pqrI56ukI
Farinacci should have a better opportunity to play NHL games in a Bruins organization with few notable center prospects. The Bruins have also lost top-six centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement this summer.
Through three seasons at Harvard, Farinacci collected 25 goals and 51 points in 79 games. The Red Bank, N.J. product lost a year of NCAA eligibility in 2020–21 when Harvard cancelled its men’s ice hockey season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Farinacci was the Coyotes’ second selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. The Coyotes selected defenseman Victor Soderstrom with the No. 11 overall pick in 2019; 22 spots after they picked Farinacci, the Coyotes added forward Matias Maccelli with the No. 98 overall selection.
The Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022–23 by way of their 65–12–5 record and 135 points in 82 games. They set a modern-day NHL record for the most successful regular season, but they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In addition to losing Bergeron and Krejci, the Bruins also traded forwards Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in the offseason and signed James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, Milan Lucic, and Morgan Geekie.