Just two days after the Michigan hockey team’s season ended in the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament, a Wolverine signed a pro contract to play in the National Hockey League.
But this one was expected. Early Monday, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that senior forward Boo Nieves had signed a two-year contract with the New York Rangers. The Rangers originally drafted Nieves in 2012, choosing him with its second-round pick (59th overall).
A Baldwinsville, N.Y., native, Nieves will report to the Rangers’ top affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack, where he will be on an amateur tryout contract before his two-year deal kicks in next season.
Nieves finishes his Michigan career as one of just three seniors in a class that once also included players such as Jacob Trouba and Andrew Copp, who left the Wolverines early for the NHL.
Nieves totaled 110 points (28 goals, 82 assists) in his Michigan career, with his best season coming this year, when he hit a double-digit goal tally (10) for the first time while donning the maize and blue.
Known as one of the faster players on the team, Nieves’ speed and big build (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) should bode well for his chances of NHL success.
Nieves finished the season as assistant captain with fellow senior forward Justin Selman.