By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
The modern landscape of college hockey, and college sports in general, is almost unrecognizable compared with five or even ten years ago. The advent of NIL and paid athletes, along with the proliferation of the transfer portal, has transformed college hockey from the traditional four-to-five-year journey at one school into an annual offseason musical-chairs frenzy. Teams can look almost brand new year to year because of mass transfers in and out, with players caught in the shuffle in one way or another.
While the Boston Bruins have been aggressive in building through the college ranks, their draft picks have rarely hit the transfer portal recently. Of the 11 Bruins draft picks who played college hockey last season and are set to return this fall, Casper Nassen, Boston’s seventh-round pick from the 2023 draft, was the only one to change schools.
Nassen hit the portal this past offseason after two seasons with Miami (OH) in the NCHC. After posting a modest 6-4-10 stat line in 34 games as a freshman, when the RedHawks won just three of 34 games (3-28-3), both he and the team took steps forward in 2025-26. With a new infusion of talent throughout the roster, a revitalized Miami program recorded 18 wins, their most in a decade, and Nassen nearly doubled his freshman-year output with 18 points.
Despite Nassen’s improved stat line, his deployment took a sizeable hit behind a deeper lineup. After averaging nearly 16 minutes per game as a freshman and leading the RedHawks in power-play goals (4), Nassen’s ice time dropped by over two minutes, and he recorded just a single power-play goal, slipping behind younger forwards like Ilia Morozov and David Deputy. With few impending departures and another wave of recruits coming to challenge for further ice time, Nassen opted to enter the transfer portal for a new opportunity, eventually landing at Lake Superior State in the CCHA.
At Lake State, Nassen is joining a roster in the midst of a wholesale transition. He’s one of 12 new forwards on the Lakers roster this season, and only four other forwards have recorded a better single-season point total than his 18 from last year. While Nassen may outpace most of the holdovers, he’ll face stiff competition from the other newcomers to regain a top-six role. Several of Lake State’s new arrivals include CHL products or European imports, bringing experience that rivals or exceeds his own.
As a seventh-round pick with just 28 career points in two college seasons, the odds are stacked against him. What he does have in his favor are his physical tools and emerging playmaking touch. EliteProspects measures Nassen at 6’4’ and 214lbs, figures that will make him one of the tallest and heaviest Lakers forwards.
That frame, coupled with a heavy shot and a passing game that saw his assist total triple from freshman to sophomore year, gives him a foundation to build on in a new setting. Should Nassen beat out the competition and establish a consistent top-six role at Lake State, a strong junior campaign could put him on the fringes of Boston’s radar.
Leave a Reply