While Jimmy Vesey and the Nashville Predators proved on Tuesday that things don’t always work out between a hockey player and the NHL team that drafted them, the Bruins made sure to secure two of their NCAA players on that same day. The Bruins announced the signings of both big 22-year-old D-man Robbie O’Gara and big-bodied center Sean Kuraly to entry-level deals on Tuesday.
Both youngsters will report to Providence on Wednesday for some AHL action to get their feet wet for the rest of the season on ATO (Amateur Tryout Agreement) deals, and then get started on their entry-level deals beginning next season.
"We are excited to have Rob O'Gara and Sean Kuraly join the Bruins organization," said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. "They were outstanding college players and both young men have tremendous character and leadership qualities."
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Kuraly, who came to Boston as part of the Martin Jones deal with the San Jose Sharks, served as captain at Miami University (Ohio) in 2015-16, and finished with six goals and 17 assists for 23 points in 36 games this season. The 6-foot-4, 207-pound O’Gara, 22, finished up his 2015-16 season at Yale with four goals and eight assists for 12 points with 41 penalty minutes in 30 games for the Ivy League school. O’Gara had a slight step down from his 21 point season as a junior, and his freshman season when he helped push Yale to an NCAA National Championship.
O’Gara was a fifth round pick (151st overall) by the Bruins all the way back in the 2011 NHL Draft that also produced Dougie Hamilton and Alex Khokhlachev, and Kuraly was actually a fifth round pick for San Jose in that very same draft as well.