Swayman is B’s Maine man
Goalie prospect passes early tests
Jeremy Swayman has more experience than most other sophomores.
Turning aside 40 shots Saturday night at Boston University, the Maine goalie delivered one of the strongest performances of his college career.
He can credit some of that to the experience he’s received against the pros.
The 19-year-old was drafted by the Bruins in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, and he donned the black and gold and faced the team’s elite prospects before ever putting on a Black Bears jersey.
“I was playing with the best, so it gave me an expectation of what I was going to see in Maine,” Swayman said. “To see NHL caliber shots before you go into Hockey East helps a lot, just to get used to the pace and skill level. It was big for me to go to that and I’m excited to be there for the years to come.”
He was one of the top freshmen goalies in the nation a year ago with a 2.72 goals-against average over 31 games, earning the bulk of Maine’s starts.
The Black Bears are hoping he takes it to another lev- el this season.
Through 10 games, Swayman has a 2.79 GAA. He allowed three power-play goals Friday night against the Terriers, but rebounded nicely the next night.
It’s the kind of response he’s looking for under pressure.
“This year I want to be a little more calm with my playing style, I don’t want to be chasing the puck,” he said. “I don’t want to do that as much as I used to, and it helps just staying on my feet. Just simplifying all aspects of my game and keep the puck in front of me.”
Swayman took part in the past two Bruins development camps, where he faced players such as Anders Bjork, Ryan Donato and Urho Vaakanainen who have all been up with the NHL club.
Last season in Hockey East play he was tested by the likes of Jordan Greenway and Brady Tkachuk, now in the NHL with Minnesota and Ottawa, respectively.
He’s been tested, but the challenge of performing well in front of the Bruins coaching staff has helped accelerate his development.
“We have the best players, I think nationally and aroundtheworldinonespot for that week,” Swayman said. “It’s a highly competitive camp. The coaching staff is always hands-on. Every year I take so much from that camp and put it into my game.”
At 2-3-1, Maine sits in a tie for seventh place in the conference. The Bruins have reached into the NCAA ranks for goalie depth before, with AHL Providence goalie Zane McIntyre drafted out of North Dakota.
Goalies take a little longer to develop and almost never jump to the NHL without a full four years in college. The same is expected of Swayman, even with his early success.
While the Bruins hope they have a future NHL goalie on their hands, Swayman is still focused on performing well in his second season in college.
“I knew what I was coming back into this year and that we had a good team,” he said. “Trying to make the transition into the win column, hopefully we stay there.”