Jeremy Swayman was considered to be the best goalie in college hockey last season. And now, he has the hardware to prove that.
On Saturday night, the Boston Bruins prospect took home the Mike Richter Award, an award given annually to Division I's best goaltender. The top man in net for the Maine Black Bears, Swayman logged an 18-11-5 record and finished with the NCAA's second-best save percentage, .939.
In addition to winning the Richter Award, Swayman was named to the All-American first team, which is only logical considering that he was named the NCAA's best goalie. And he took home the Hockey East Player of the Year Award earlier in the year as well.
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Swayman's excellent play also made him a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to college hockey's best player. Scott Perunovich ended up taking home that award, as the Minnesota-Duluth defenseman logged six goals and 34 assists and a plus-18 rating in 34 games for the Bulldogs. Nonetheless, being among the three finalists certainly speaks to Swayman's level of play last season.
Swayman's next step will be attempting to find success at the NHL level. The top goalie prospect signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Boston Bruins in mid-March and he will be given a chance to jockey for position on the organization's goalie depth chart.
And with Tuukka Rask's future looking uncertain beyond the end of his contract in 2021 -- he has mentioned retirement openly at a number of points throughout his career -- Swayman will try to stake a claim as the top internal option to replace Rask should that day come. Either way, Swayman will look to find a role in the Bruins organization once the NHL and AHL return to action or once the 2020-21 season begins.