The Bruins added another center to their prospect pool on Tuesday by signing University of Minnesota pivot Jaxon Nelson to a one-year entry level deal that carries a cap hit of $870,000.
Nelson, 24, will finish out this season on an amateur tryout deal with the Providence Bruins.
The undrafted free agent brings size to the mix. He’s 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and finished up his fifth year of eligibility strong, scoring 11 goals in his last eight games for the Gophers. But he was a late bloomer in the scoring department. He had 19-12-31 totals in 31 games in 2023-24, but his highest goal total before thiis season was 10 last season.
“Jaxon is a big, right shot, two-way centerman with leadership qualities as a captain of a very successful collegiate program,” said GM Don Sweeney in a team release. “He has shown consistent growth throughout his time at the University of Minnesota and the Bruins are excited to have Jaxon join our organization.”
The Magnolia, Minnesota had 42-47-89 totals in 169 collegiate games. The B’s hope Nelson will join young centermen Matt Poitras and John Beecher as the next wave to bolster the B’s traditional strength down the middle.
The college free agent market for the B’s has been and will be an important one for the B’s, who have traded away a lot of high draft picks in pursuit of the Stanley Cup, as they try to reload their roster by any means necessary. Last summer they signed Harvard center John Farinacci, who did not sign with with the Arizona Coyotes after they picked him in the third round of the 2019 draft. The Providence Bruins’ leading scorer Georgii Merkulov was signed two years ago as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State.
The B’s are without their first three picks in the upcoming draft.