Boston Bruins sign former Canucks prospect goaltender Michael DiPietro to contract extension

The Boston Bruins have signed former Vancouver Canucks prospect goaltender Michael DiPietro to a contract extension.

Originally drafted by the Canucks in the third round at 64th overall, DiPietro has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with Boston. The Bruins announced the contract on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bruins originally acquired DiPietro from the Canucks alongside the rights to prospect defenceman Jonathan Myrenberg in October 2022 in exchange for forward Jack Studnicka.

DiPietro was set to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer upon the conclusion of his current one-year deal with the Bruins. His new deal carries a $775,000 NHL cap hit.

DiPietro and Linus Ullmark are the only two goaltenders under contract with the Bruins for next season. The team also has Jeremy Swayman and Brandon Bussi set to become restricted free agents this summer, plus pending Group 6 UFA Kyle Keyser.

At one point, DiPietro was dubbed as the Canucks’ goalie of the future, and management was open with the fact they expected him to start 50-60 games in the Abbotsford Canucks’ inaugural AHL season.

Instead, DiPietro lost the starting job to Arturs Silovs, and after that and the emergence of Spencer Martin, DiPietro struggled to find ice time as a member of the Canucks organization late in the 2021-22 season. He still started 34 games that season — the most of any goalie in Abbotsford — but it was clear heading into the 2022-23 season that Arturs Silovs was the Canucks’ new “goalie of the future” and that they’d be prioritizing his development.

As a result, the Canucks pulled the trigger on the trade that sent DiPietro to Boston.

The Canucks traded their return of the trade, Jack Studnicka, to the San Jose Sharks earlier this season in exchange for AHL defenceman Nick Cicek and a 6th round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

After spending almost all of last season in the ECHL, DiPietro, now 24 years old, has a 17-8-0 record with a .917 save percentage and four shutouts in 26 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season.