The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed prospect Nick Abruzzese to a two-year, entry-level contract spanning the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. The deal has an average annual value of $850,000.
The 22-year-old Abruzzese — who the Leafs picked in the fourth round, 124th overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft — had 33 points in 28 games with Harvard this season, helping the team to the NCAA Regional Semifinal. He earned ECAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2019-20, scoring 14 goals with 30 assists.
“As an organization, we’re very thankful to Harvard head coach Ted Donato and his staff for their job developing Nick,” Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said in a release. Current Toronto players Colin Blackwell and Alex Kerfoot also went through the Harvard program.
Abruzzese played for the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics, recording four points (one goal, three assists) in four games. Toronto is 40-18-5 this season, fourth in the Atlantic Division.