(Photo Credit: John Mersits/South Bend Tribune)

By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis

The trade deadline may be over, but that hasn’t stopped Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney from upgrading his team. The Boston Bruins announced this morning that they have signed Notre Dame defenseman Drew Bavaro to a one-year, entry-level contract worth $867,500.

The 23-year-old from Bradenton, FL, will report to Providence and spend the rest of this season with Boston’s AHL affiliate. Bavaro spent four years in the NCAA, playing two seasons at Bentley before transferring to Notre Dame in 2022. The 6’3″, 198-pound Bavaro posted 27 goals, 51 assists, and 78 points over his four years in the NCAA, with 16 goals, 23 assists, and 39 points coming as a member of the Fighting Irish.

In his senior season for Notre Dame, Bavaro was fourth on the team in scoring and first among defensemen, with ten goals, ten assists, and 20 points across 35 games. In addition to playing part of his college hockey in the area, the former Bentley Falcon spent his high school years in Massachusetts playing for prep school Lawrence Academy. Bavaro joins the long list of NCAA free agents signed by Don Sweeney, including Georgii Merkulov, Marc McLaughlin, and most recently, John Farinacci.