The Minnesota Wild won the Christian Folin sweepstakes, as they announced the signing of college free agent defenseman on Monday. It’s a two-year entry level contract.
Folin, who stands six-foot-three-inches tall and weighs in at 215 pounds, is expected to join the National Hockey League team in Chicago during its current road trip.
Folin, in his second year with UMass-Lowell, was highly sought after as the top of the college free agent class, as per CBC. Less than two weeks ago, the Edmonton Journal reported that 15 to 20 teams were interested in acquiring the blue liner, and that following his freshman year, the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks were both working to get him signed.
“Christian is a big, mobile defenseman who has a heavy shot and moves the puck well,” said Wild assistant general manager Brent Flahr in a statement. “He plays a very mature game that we feel should allow him transition to the NHL very quickly. We’re very excited to have Christian join the Wild and further add to our group of emerging young players.”
This season with UMass-Lowell, Folin led all River Hawks defensemen in scoring with six goals and 14 assists in 41 games.
Below is a video clip of Folin driving a puck through the net on a slap shot against Vermont (at the :10 mark). The video is courtesy Hockey East Online.
More to come...