Calgary Flames prospect Jake Boltmann transfers to Northeastern University

A product of Edina, Minnesota, Boltmann is a 21-year-old right shot defenceman listed at 6’1″ and 190 pounds. He came up through Minnesota high school hockey and was a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award during his draft year. He split that season between Edina High School (where he was captain) and the United State Hockey League’s Lincoln Stars.

He was selected by the Flames in the third round, 80th overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Vancouver Canucks selected Joni Jurmo, recently acquired by the Flames in the Elias Lindholm trade, at 82nd overall.

Projected as a shutdown defender, Boltmann joined the Fighting Irish at the semester break of the 2020-21 season and had zero points in 19 games as a freshman. In 2021-22, his sophomore year, he had one goal and 13 points in 40 games. In 2022-23, his junior year, he had one goal and five points in 37 games. This past season, his senior year, he had two assists in 30 games.

In 126 games with Notre Dame, Boltmann had two goals, 20 points, and was minus-3. The Irish never finished higher than third in the Big 10 conference during Boltmann’s tenure, qualifying for the national championship tournament as an at-large team twice but never making it out of their region. They finished fifth in their conference this season. Northeastern competes in the Hockey East conference and finished seventh this season.

As to whether Boltmann’s college career being extended gives the Flames his rights for an extra season… well, that depends. Here’s how the CBA defines the NHL rights for college draftees:

If a Player drafted at age 18 or 19 is a bona fide college student at the time of his selection in the Entry Draft, or becomes a bona fide college student prior to the first June 1 following his selection in the Entry Draft, and remains a bona fide college student through the graduation of his college class, his drafting Club shall retain the exclusive right of negotiation for his services through and including the August 15 following the graduation of his college class.

Prior to Boltmann’s appearance in the transfer portal, the Flames only had until Aug. 15 of this year to sign him (or lose his rights).

Boltmann is headed into his fifth season of college hockey and will be considered a graduate student. Sometimes a player getting a fifth season extends the team’s window to sign them, sometimes it doesn’t. It completely depends on how close Boltmann is to graduating. (The Flames lost Josh Nodler’s NHL rights after the 2022-23 season, despite him remaining in college for a fifth year, because of how far he’d progressed towards graduation.)

Nevertheless, Boltmann plays a pretty good defensive game. But usually college prospects, even shutdown guys, need to have decent offensive numbers to have many professional options going forward. Given Boltmann’s circumstances, going back for a graduate year of NCAA hockey could generate those options… if he’s able to generate a bit more offence.

We’ll see how he does – and whether or not the Flames retain his rights past Aug. 15.