By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277
Last season, the University of Maine Black Bears hockey team finished the 2024-25 campaign as the third-best team in the Division I rankings, capturing the 2025 Hockey East Championship. Maine would go on to make an appearance in the national tournament but lost in the first round 5-1 to the hands of Penn State at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Black Bears finished the year going 24-8-6 and 17-4-3 in conference, making this one of the best seasons in school history.
Many accolades can be given to all the individuals who put on the Maine jersey last year, but to me, no player stood out more as the most valuable Black Bear than goaltender Albin Boija. The 21-year-old Swedish native first started playing in North America during the 2023-24 NCAA season, splitting the year, appearing in 18 games, and posting a 10-6-1 record accompanied by a 2.01 goals-against-average and a .916 save percentage.
Before making the trip overseas to North America, the 6′-1″ 181-pound netminder developed his skills in his native country with organizations such as the IF Sundsvall Hockey (U16 Elit / J18 Elit), Ostersunds IK (J18 Elit / J20 Elit), and the Vaxjo Lakers HC (J20 Nationell) before committing to NCAA Maine. Boija’s last two seasons of play in the J20 Nationell league in Sweden were most likely enough for the Black Bear recruitment staff to make the long-distance call for his services in the upcoming NCAA Hockey year.
Albin won the starting goaltending spot out of Maine’s training camp and never looked back, posting a 23-8-6 record, a 1.82 GAA, and .928 Save%, finishing the campaign as the third finalist for the Mike Richter Award given to the best goaltender in NCAA hockey each year. Boija mentioned at Bruins development camp that he’s going back to Maine for the upcoming season, passing up signing pro for another year of college hockey development and to chase a national title.
While it’s hard to tell, sitting on my deck in the dog days of August as I type this article on what kind of season Boija is about to endure, I will tell you this might be the biggest challenge of his life as he approaches what’s likely to be his last NCAA year. Albin is set to be a free agent when his collegiate commitment is over with the Black Bears and can sign with any National Hockey League team.
Suppose Boija can match or surpass his production and propel himself to a higher level, earning another career NCAA season. In that case, there will be sharks in the water, with the sense of blood circling above as competing teams vie for his free agent services. Any NHL team looking to add to their crease depth is going to take a hard look at Boija and his availability at the close of the Black Bears’ 2025-26 season.
As of now, it seems the Boston Bruins organization has the inside track, at least on a communication level, to be the early front-runner to add Boija to the team’s goaltending depth. As many already know, Albin was a development camp player invite to the annual festivities held at the club’s training facility at the Warrior Ice Arena over the week of July 4th, 2025.
With current goaltending development coach and former Maine Black Bear Alum Mike Dunham, who has a longtime friendship and working relationship with Maine goaltending coach Alfie Michaud, the team has access to valuable insights and projections that many teams crave. This group achieved tremendous things with B’s starting goaltender, Jeremy Swayman, throughout his development into a mainstay in the NHL, despite a down year last season. I’m sure all parties, including Swayman, will be at the forefront of this training camp to make the best of it after being a non-participant last fall, which no doubt had a massive part in said “down year.”
Bruins’ goaltending depth is extremely thin in my opinion, and with Brandon Bussi signing with the Florida Panthers, it left a bigger hole in the crease that many haven’t realized. Michael DiPietro signed a two-year, one-way contract, and if he doesn’t make the NHL Boston team out of the upcoming training camp, that depth list gets even thinner moving forward.
I was shocked the Bruins didn’t select a goaltender in the draft either last season or this year, knowing where we are today with a plan “B.” Currently, the only goaltending prospect this team has drafted and nurtured is Philip Svedeback, and I’m honestly not sure about his place in the Bruins organization. Not saying he’s been terrible at Providence College, but I have a feeling he won’t sign an entry-level contract with Boston at the close of the next NCAA season.
The Bruins did sign two free agent netminders as plan “B” scenarios to address the American Hockey League crease with the Providence Bruins and the lower ECHL Maine Mariners. Boston signed 24-year-old netminder Luke Cavallin (6′-2″ 196-pounds), a former 2025 Kelly Cup Champion with the Trois-Rivieres Lions, and 24-year-old Simon Zajicek, who last played overseas in Czechia with the HC Litvinov team. Both netminders mentioned above signed one-year, entry-level deals to join the Bruins organization and will most likely serve the minor pro affiliates either at the AHL or ECHL level.
Keeping an eye on a player like Boija and evaluating another NCAA year would be the Bruins and any NHL organization’s due diligence as every club looks to fill holes in rosters, no matter what level of pro hockey they’re needed. Boija’s stats don’t exactly blow many away with his instant success in two years of North American professional hockey service, but it’s a low-risk, high-reward scenario for NHL clubs to be ready to pounce with a contract offer when college player is preparing for the next chapter of their lives.
With the way Swayman played last year, maybe this guy could take his spot. $9 million dollars cheaper, too.