Boston Bruins Swoop In & Sign Former Coyotes Prospect

As of Tuesday, several notable recent NHL draft picks officially became free agents after they were not offered a contract by their drafting teams. One of those was John Farinacci, a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2019. The Boston Bruins have swooped in to nab Farinacci, signing him to an ELC. 

The #NHLBruins have signed John Farinacci to a two-year entry-level deal contract.

📰: https://t.co/PUGjsJ1E9b pic.twitter.com/0pqrI56ukI

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 16, 2023

It's a two-year entry-level deal for the 22-year-old, and the Bruins didn't have to look far for the 6-foot center, as he just finished his college run at Harvard, with 20 points in 19 games. The contract has a cap hit of $910,000.

Farinacci was one of the top NCAA free agents who failed to come to terms on a contract with their original drafting teams. In this case, it's the Coyotes who lose out.

"For me, it was a pretty easy decision," said the Harvard grad. "And one that, obviously, I'm super excited about. I talked to a couple other [teams on Tuesday] night, but for me it was nothing that could compare to the feeling of being a part of the Bruins."

Farinacci's uncle and cousin, Ted and Ryan Donato, both have played for Boston, so he'll have plenty of insight on what to expect in the Black & Gold. Ted was also Farinacci's coach for three seasons while with The Crimson. 

"He went from Uncle Teddy for the first 17 years of my life to being Coach pretty quick," said Farinacci. "I learned so much from him, obviously. He was a tremendous player and he's an amazing coach."

His next learning experience will come in the training camp of the big club. It's the first move by the Bruins to restock the center position after losing both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement.

Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports