Toronto Maple Leafs sign Nick Abruzzese to two-year, two-way contract extension

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving announced that the club has re-signed forward Nick Abruzzese to a two-year, two-way contract extension. According to CapFriendly, the contract will have an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000.

The Slate Hill, New York product notched 16 goals and 32 assists for 48 points in 69 American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Toronto Marlies. Abruzzese tied for second in assists and ranked third in points among Marlies’ leaders during the 2022-23 regular season. He added seven points in seven AHL Playoff contests. Abruzzese appeared in two games with the Maple Leafs collecting two assists; he has registered three points in 11 career NHL games.

Abruzzese was initially selected No. 124 overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs. He spent three seasons in the NCAA with Harvard University before going pro, where he registered 23 goals, and 54 assists for 77 points in 59 career games.

He served as team captain during the 2021-22 season, where he helped the club capture the 2022 ECAC Championship and led the team to the NCAA Regional Semifinal. That season he was named the Ivy League Player of the Year, notching a division-leading 33 points in 28 games. Abruzzese was named to the NCAA (ECAC) First All-Star Team on two occasions during his career; he was also named to the 2021-22 NCAA (East) First All-American Team and was selected as the 2019-20 ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year.

Internationally, Abruzzese represented the United States at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where he recorded one goal and three assists for four points in four games.

It is expected that Abruzzese will start the 2023-24 season with the Marlies, but there is a chance he could find a full-time NHL role following Maple Leafs’ main camp.