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University of North Dakota netminder
Zane McIntyre had two options: become a free agent or sign with the team that drafted him with the 165th overall pick in 2010, the Boston Bruins. On Tuesday, mere days before the 2015 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old opted for the latter, agreeing to sign a two-year, entry-level contract from GM
Don Sweeney and with the Black and Gold.
“Exciting,” McIntyre said of the signing. “That’s the first word that comes to mind.”
The signing follows McIntyre’s best year as a collegiate athlete, too, as he won 29 games and posted a .929 save percentage in 42 games en route to being named College Hockey Goalie of the Year.
“Obviously it’s been a long time since I was drafted - five years since I was drafted by them, but my goal and everything when I was drafted was to play for them one day,” McIntyre said. “It’s actually an exciting time in my life where I have a good opportunity here to come into the organization and really just dictate with my play what’s going to happen with myself and everything like that, so I couldn’t be happier with an Original Six team like Boston. It’s a really good feeling right now.”
The move to leave North Dakota, however, was from a good feeling for McIntyre.
“It was, to be honest, the most difficult thing I’ve had to do in my life so far,” McIntyre said. “With deciding to come back to school or not, or try to pursue my dream and NHL career, it’s obviously - you know what, it’s a double-edged sword because it’s so awesome, but at the same time, it was super nerve-racking and difficult, but you know, I’ve really come to terms with where I am in life and I think this is the best fit for me here in Boston and obviously since the season ended - back in Boston actually, at the Frozen Four - it’s been an ongoing process of just weighing options and the two conflicts in that.”
The 6-foot-2 netminder was a straight-up stud for North Dakota during his three-year tenure there, recording 58 wins and a .926 save percentage in 92 games played. National glory eluded the Minnesota native, though, as the club fell in two straight Frozen Four appearances with McIntyre in net.
Opting to skip out on his senior season and begin his professional career comes with stiff competition for ice time in the blue in the B’s organization, too. Something McIntyre acknowledged.
“If you look anywhere in the League, there’s going to be competition in any position and in any League, and I’ve had my fair share of competition too and really enjoyed it and really have grown and developed and I think that’s maybe one of the reasons why I’m here where I’m at is the amount of competition I’ve been through. And it’s no different here in Boston, where you’ve got Tuukka Rask, one of the best goalies in the NHL, and [Jeremy] Smith and [Malcolm] Subban as well, so it’s been great,” McIntyre said on Tuesday. “It will be a great challenge, but something I’m really looking forward to. Nothing’s been indicated, by any means. I think every player in the NHL knows that their play dictates where they’re going to be, so I’m just coming in and going to work my tail off and go from there.”
McIntyre isn’t going to leap from the NCAA ranks to the NHL in the blink of an eye, but it’ll be interesting to see what impact (if any) his signing has on the status of
Malcolm Subban.
The Bruins have received several calls on the status of their top-ranked goaltending prospect since the start of the last season, but the overwhelming message from the front office has been that he’s not in play and that they’re not set on moving him (yet). The 21-year-old Subban recorded 16 wins and a .921 save percentage in 35 games for the Providence Bruins this past season, and although his one NHL start yielded a disastrous 3-of-6 showing in an early hook against the St. Louis Blues, the Black and Gold are still very high on the ceiling that Subban could have for their club. In essence, unless the Bruins are getting back a serious chip that can help both now and in the future, Subban’s staying put. At least that’s what I was told constantly throughout the Peter Chiarelli regime. (At the same time, it’d be interesting to see if Chiarelli and the Oilers come knocking Sweeney’s way regarding Subban, as I think both organizations have the pieces that could lay the foundation for a trade that benefits both.)
With AHL journeyman netminder Jeremy Smith a pending free agent and a potential near league-minimum fit for the Bruins’ vacant backup job next season, a Subban-McIntyre platoon in Providence seems the most likely route for the 2015-16 season barring some sort of unforeseen trade.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
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