The Boston Bruins have announced the signings of two of their past draft picks, inking Ryan Fitzgerald and Emil Johansson to two and three-year entry level contracts respectively. Both have also signed amateur tryouts for the remainder of this season, and will immediately join the Providence Bruins.
Fitzgerald, 22, was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 entry draft before heading to Boston College for four seasons. Scoring 132 points in 152 games in his college career, he showed that his small stature won’t stop him. Fitzgerald stands at just 5’10” 177-lbs, but has always played on the edge and will do anything to win a puck battle. His time at BC has only improved his game, and he should be a candidate to secure an NHL job down the line if he can bring the same energy and work ethic to professional hockey.
We wrote about Johansson earlier this week when it was reported he may join the P-Bruins before the weekend. Logging over 20 minutes a night in Sweden this season, he proved he can play at the professional level against men much older than him. The 20-year old, seventh-round draft pick will try to prove the same thing as Fitzgerald: size doesn’t matter. Standing 5’11” 194-lbs, Johansson isn’t that far off what the average NHL defenseman is, and with his puck moving ability and excellent skating, he should find success in the North American game.
While neither Fitzgerald or Johansson should be considered front-runners for NHL jobs next fall, both will be pushing up from the AHL for 2017-18 call-ups. With their development floors likely being successful AHL players, each will try to make enough of an impact to warrant a look at the top level while building on what has made them successful so far.