Tuch Leaves Boston College for NHL's Wild

Alex Tuch has passed up his final two years at Boston College to sign with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him in the first round (18th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He will not be eligible to participate in this spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, but may practice with the team.

A native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., the 6-foot-4, 220-pound right wing led BC in scoring as a freshman in 2014-15 with 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points as the Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament. This season, Tuch notched 18-16—34 points, including an overtime goal in the Beanpot Championship game against Boston University in February. 

Tuch also scored a goal in an NCAA Northeast Regional victory over Harvard last month, and collected his final college goal in a Frozen Four semifinal loss a week ago to Quinnipiac. He finishes his two-year college career with 32-30—62 points in 77 outings, and also helped the Eagles to a share of this year’s Hockey East regular-season title.

Prior to enrolling at the Heights, Tuch, 19, tallied 13-19—32 points in 26 outings with the U.S. National Under-18 Team in 2013-14. He becomes the fourth undergraduate with eligibility remaining to leave BC in the past week. Junior defenseman Steve Santini and freshman forward Miles Wood signed with the New Jersey Devils late last week, while junior forward Adam Gilmour preceded Tuch this week with the Wild.