The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Luke Tuch to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Although the deal begins next season, Tuch also signed a one-way contract with the Laval Rocket and will finish the year in the American Hockey League.
Tuch had 10 goals and 20 assists in 39 games this season with the Boston University Terriers, who reached the Frozen Four semifinals and lost to eventual champions Denver University.
The 22-year-old from Syracuse, N.Y., was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, by the Canadiens in 2020. He is the younger brother of Sabres forward Alex Tuch and the siblings played together on Team USA at the 2023 IIHF world championship.
According to Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala, Tuch is a big-body forward who is hard to handle from the hash marks down in the offensive zone. He’s a sound skater who projects to be quick and fast enough for the NHL game, and was used in all situations at Boston University.
On the power play he stations himself around the crease as a bumper and to create screens. On the penalty kill he does a nice job of fronting the play and getting in shooting lanes. Tuch isn’t a deceptive player with the puck on his stick. He doesn’t produce much off the rush or direct a ton of plays to the net.
— With files from Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala
