With the completion of the NHL Entry Level Draft and the beginning of free agency, there are a number of new (and familiar) faces on the Boston Bruins roster. With several long months of offseason ahead of us, it’s a good time to start getting some familiarity with these new faces.
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One of the first new additions to the Bruins came prior to the draft in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks; Taylor Hall and the rights to unrestricted free agent (UFA) Nick Foligno were sent to Chicago in exchange for Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula. Out of the two, Mitchell has seen more NHL experience so far in his career and should be pushing for a roster spot come October. Bringing them both on board helps with the front office’s mission to start getting younger, but Regula will most likely begin his tenure with the team in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins.
To start learning about the new members of the Bruins’ organization, we’ll take a look at Mitchell’s journey to the NHL and career so far.
Road to the NHL Draft
Mitchell was born Jan. 18, 1999, making him currently 24 years old. He’s a right-shot defenseman from St. Albert in Alberta, Canada. He spent his junior career playing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), a second-tier league in the Canadian junior hockey world below the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Part of the reason he chose this route instead of playing for a CHL league was to keep his options open to play collegiately. He played for the Spruce Grove Saints, putting together two good seasons leading up to the 2017 NHL Entry Level Draft. He had 27 points in 54 games in 2015-16 and 37 points in 53 games in 2016-17.
His great seasons helped him earn a spot on Canada’s national team for the U18 World Junior Championship. He played in five games at the tournament, registering two assists. Unfortunately, the team only finished fifth at the tournament that year.
Leading up to the 2017 Entry Level Draft, he was considered a strong prospect. He was considered one of the best defensemen coming out of the AJHL, only second to Cale Makar. He was noted to excel at creating offense, have great skating skills, and strong puck distribution. The downsides were his lack of size and a tendency to sometimes get stuck too deep in his offensive zone.
The Blackhawks obviously saw the skills and potential, even if he is a bit undersized. They took him in the second round at pick 57.
Collegiate Hockey
Mitchell arrives in Boston with some familiarity with head coach Jim Montgomery after playing under him at the University of Denver. He spent three seasons playing collegiate hockey in Colorado. In his rookie season, he put up 30 points in 41 games and was named to the NCAA All-Rookie Team as well as the NCAA All-Tournament Team (along with new teammate Jack Ahcan). The University of Denver won the NCAA Championship that year as well.
In the following two seasons, Mitchell became part of team leadership, first wearing the “A” in his sophomore season and then getting promoted to captain in his third and final NCAA season. In his final year, he put together arguably the best season of his career, registering 10 goals and 32 points in 36 games. He was named to the NCAA’s First All-Star team that season.
While playing collegiately, Mitchell had the opportunity to play for Canada at the 2019 World Juniors, and was part of the team’s leadership group in an alternate captain role. He had three points in five games, though the team disappointingly finished in sixth that year.
Tenure in Chicago
Mitchell made his NHL debut on Jan. 14, 2021, at the start of the COVID-shortened, 2020-21 season. He played just over 17 minutes and had a decent outing. He went on to play 39 games in the NHL that season as well as five games in the AHL for the Rockford IceHogs. In his 39 NHL games, he had three goals and seven points.
Mitchell had his struggles in his first season, though, and spent the majority of the subsequent 2021-22 season playing in the AHL, where he put together a good showing of 35 points in 57 games. Yet, his success in the AHL didn’t quite translate over to the NHL. This past season, he played in 35 games for the Blackhawks and only registered eight points.
Ultimately, his tenure in Chicago was one marked by growing pains. Some of it is on the Blackhawks’ organization due to a logjam of defensive prospects and they struggled to maximize his opportunities. He also started the 2022-23 season on injured reserve, which hindered him in this past season, the final of his entry-level contract (ELC).
What He Brings to Boston
Mitchell is still quite young and only three years removed from a fantastic final season at the University of Denver. He was considered a top prospect in Chicago’s organization for a reason. With the recent exit of Connor Clifton in free agency, there is a spot open on the blue line for next season. Mitchell will have to battle for it with Bruins’ top prospect Mason Lohrei as well as the recently signed Kevin Shattenkirk, but maybe that could be the motivation he needs for a great training camp.
Overall, he’s a bit of a wildcard at this point. There is a real chance that Mitchell plays in Boston next season. With his familiarity with Montgomery’s system, it may just be the opportunity for him to have the breakout season people have been waiting for. But there is also a chance that he spends most of the year playing in Providence.
Still, with the Bruins wanting to go younger, Mitchell is a great example of the type of player they should be looking to give a real chance in Boston next season. He’s young, but has shown flashes of greatness, and just needs some more time and opportunity to put it all together. He’s only played in 82 games so far, and 39 of those games came in the strange 2020-21 COVID season. There’s still time for him to showcase his full potential.
Predicting His Contract
But before he can put on the spoked-B, Don Sweeney needs to work out his next contract. He is a restricted free agent, but does qualify for arbitration. Given his NHL career so far, I would not expect more than a two-year term on the contract and a relatively cheap average annual value (AAV).
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I would predict a two-year contract with an AAV of $1 to 1.5 million. It’s a good “show me” contract, giving Mitchell a chance to prove himself and cash in on a bigger contract in two years when he’s still young. It would also be a fairly movable contract if the Bruins need to include him in any sort of trades in the next few seasons.
It will certainly be an interesting next few months to see how Mitchell’s contract shakes out and if he is able to take advantage of a fresh start. Make sure to continue to follow along with The Hockey Writers as we break down the rest of the new additions to the Bruins over the next few weeks.