By Tim A Richardson | Follow Me On Twitter @TimARichardson
Jack Ahcan came to the Providence Bruins after signing a contract as an undrafted free agent in 2020. The young defenseman spent the previous four seasons with St. Cloud State University, the last of which he served as team captain. The Bruins signed him because he was a talented puck-moving defenseman. He’s a fast skater, has a strong shot, and his defensive ability is underrated. Let’s dive into what he did before Providence and how this season went.
As I stated, Ahcan came to the Bruins after spending four seasons at St. Cloud State University. He had a very successful collegiate career. In 144 games at SCSU, he netted 21 goals while dishing out 82 assists for 103 total points. That is .72 points per game. If you average that out over a full 82 game NHL season, that would roughly be 59 points. That’s something you’d take from your defenseman any day. It was this ability that drew the Bruins to Ahcan.
This year being Ahcan’s first professional season, he wanted to start the year off hot, and boy did he ever. The young defenseman registered seven points in his first ten games played. The SCSU alum netted one goal while dishing out six assists in those ten games. Ahcan not only showed off his offensive game, but his defensive game was on full display as well. You could tell when he was on the ice during games. He was always one of the quickest guys out there, always looking to make plays.
In the middle of the season, the big club in Boston ran into injury and COVID19 problems. Boston was pleased with what they saw from the young defenseman and called him up for a mini stint. In three games with Boston, Ahcan didn’t register a point, but he did show a lot of promise. He would finish the year in the AHL, recording three points in his final seven games, all assists. Overall on the year, Ahcan would play in 19 games, netting one goal while dishing out nine assists for ten total points. That is a .53 point per game pace, which is excellent for his first professional season.
It was an extremely successful first season in Providence for Jack Ahcan. His offensive ability was on full display, and his defensive ability not only shined through but also took a step forward. Five of the young defenseman’s ten points came on the power-play. That is something that could be very valuable to Boston. With Torey Krug departing during last year’s offseason, the Bruins could still use someone to quarterback their first power-play unit. Ahcan is someone we could see fill that role in the not-so-distant future.
I believe that Ahcan could end up being that power-play quarterback the Bruins have been looking for, as well as a middle pairing defenseman. He is a player to keep an eye on moving forward. He’s one of those players that’s fun to watch. I hope everyone is enjoying their off-season. Feel free to send me any comments or questions on Twitter. As always, GO, Bs, GO!
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