With his teammates looking on and head coach Tom Anastos by his side at the podium Sunday at Munn Ice Arena, junior defenseman Torey Krug announced he is forgoing his senior year and signed a professional contract with the Boston Bruins.
“To have the opportunity I’ve been presented with by the Boston Bruins organization is tremendous, and I never thought this day would come,” Krug said. “When you make a decision like this, everything comes into it. Family plays a big role, the people you’re surrounded by, your teammates, the coaching staff, former Spartans. I’ve been on the phone nonstop with former Spartans and taking everybody’s opinions, and you try to make the best decision you can.”
Krug’s decision comes just two days after the MSU hockey team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Union. The 2012 CCHA Player of the Year and Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist will fly to Boston on Monday and join the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins in practice.
The Livonia, Mich., native amassed 26 goals and 57 assists for 83 points in 114 career games for the Spartans and has emerged as a leader since being named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team in 2010.
Krug finished the 2011-12 season as the CCHA’s Scoring Co-Champion with Notre Dame forward T.J. Tynan and was named the CCHA’s Best Offensive Defenseman for the second consecutive season.
Anastos said “about half” of the teams in the NHL were after the 5-foot-9, 180-pound defenseman, and it speaks to Krug’s desire to win that he signed with a talented franchise such as the Bruins, rather than a team that presented him a greater chance to play immediately.
“I wouldn’t even represent it as mixed feelings — I’m elated for him,” Anastos said. “I look at it kind of as a hockey commencement for Torey. Our program has helped him position himself to take on that next challenge. From my perspective, certainly we’d love to have him back, (but) he’s ready for this. He’s ready for this step.”
Krug’s new team in Boston currently has a record of 43-28-3 and sits in second place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. This season, the Bruins defense led by defenseman Zdeno Chára and goalie Tim Thomas has the fifth-best goals against per game average in the league (2.43).
“Torey has had an outstanding collegiate career at Michigan State,” Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli said in a statement. “He is a very intelligent player who is a terrific skater and shooter. But what stands out the most with Torey is his character. He is a two-time captain and a tremendous competitor. We are thrilled to have signed him and look forward to seeing him contribute to the Bruins.”
Krug joins an elite group of MSU stars to leave the program early in the past several years, including Derek Grant, Corey Tropp, Jeff Petry, Tim Kennedy, Mike Ratchuk, Andrew Rowe and Justin Abdelkader.
For Krug, making the leap to the NHL fulfills a lifelong dream, and it was too hard of an opportunity to pass up. But Krug said he’s incredibly proud of what he was able to accomplish in his three years at MSU.
“I don’t think there’s a better place in the country to spend my last three years,” Krug said. “I’ve grown as a person, obviously a student, a leader and a hockey player. I’ve had so many best friends along the way. I’ve been in the locker room with so many different guys, and I’m blessed to be surrounded by these people. There’s no other place in the country that I can imagine my last three years.”
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