Milwaukee, WI–Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the team has signed defenseman David Farrance to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Farrance closed out a four-year career at Boston University on Saturday after leading his team to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to St. Cloud State. He recorded 16 points (5g-11a) in 11 games during a senior season that was capped by being named a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the second consecutive campaign, a Hockey East First Team All-Star and a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born Division I player in New England. Farrance tied for first on his team in points and his 1.45 points per game mark ranked first among NCAA defensemen and third among all Division I skaters at the time of his signing. He also was named the Hockey East Player of the Month for the month of January, tallying five multi-point efforts and scoring in four straight games from Jan. 9-12. Despite skating in just 11 games, Farrance finished his final season with the Terriers tied for 12th among all NCAA defensemen in goals (5) and tied for 20th in points (16).
Originally drafted by the Predators in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Farrance compiled 88 points (26g-62a) in 113 career games for the Terriers, leading or holding a share of his team’s lead in points in his final two seasons. The 6-foot, 190-pound blueliner earned his first nod as a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as a junior in 2019-20 after he led all Division I defensemen in points (43), goals (14) and power-play goals (9) and finished sixth among all skaters in points. His 1.26 points per game total led all NCAA defensemen and was the highest of any Hockey East blueliner in the last 25 years. As a freshman in 2017-18, Farrance tallied nine points (3g-6a) to help lead the Terriers to an NCAA Tournament appearance and he followed it up with a 20-point (4g-16a) sophomore campaign in 2018-19.
Internationally, the Victor, N.Y., native earned gold at the 2017 World U-18 Championship for the United States; he also helped the U.S. win both the 2016 and 2017 Five Nations Tournaments. Prior to enrolling at Boston University, Farrance skated two seasons for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (2015-17) and competed for his native Victor High School, where he left as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 81 points (55g-26a).
