Sunday afternoon was a big one for Northeastern hockey fans as we broke the news that Northeastern will be adding three more transfers to their roster for 2024-25. In this article we preview defenseman Jake Boltmann, who will come to Boston after a four year career at the University of Notre Dame.
Boltmann is a 6-foot-1 right shot defenseman from Edina, Minnesota. Boltmann plays with a defense-first, defense-second mindset. He was brought in halfway through the 2020-21 season, and in three and a half years at Notre Dame, he played 126 games, scoring 20 points (2 goals), with a career high of 13 in 2021-22. Last season he had two assists, so fans should not be expecting much offensive contributions. Where he thrives, however, is in his own zone where he can prevent offense. He was a third round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Draft. He will be the second player for Northeastern to be drafted by Detroit, after former fan favorite and NHL alum Dan McGillis, who was taken in the 1992 draft.
Prior to Notre Dame he played for the Lincoln Stars in the United States Hockey League, where he was an assistant captain, and at Edina High School where he was a captain and finalist for Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey Award. Jerry Keefe and his staff have put emphasis on bringing in leadership qualities via the portal previously, so no surprise Boltmann has exhibited them in his career.
As a defensive defenseman, Boltmann prides himself on his shutdown abilities. Selflessly admitting ““I never have been and probably never will be known a skill guy” in an interview with ND Insider in 2022, Boltmann prides himself on his physicality, his play on the penalty kill, and his ability to block shots. He’s a quality skater and can move the puck out of his zone once he detaches it from an opposing player. As a stay-at-home defender, he knows what is asked of him. In an interview with Flames Nation, he scouts his own game as “…being hard to play against, being physical, blocking shots, just trying to stop the top lines on the other team. That’s what I take pride in, that’s what I try to do as much as possible for my team because winning hockey games, there’s nothing better than that.”
From College Hockey Insider’s and The Mack Report’s Mike McMahon: “Boltmann is a hard-nosed, physical defenseman who is at his best in his own end. He punishes forwards in front of the net and along the walls. He’s going to set a tone and win battles in the dirty areas.”
Everything about Jake Boltmann should have Huskies fans excited to see him suit up at Matthews Arena next season. Responsible in his own end, the ability to shut down opposing offensive rushes, a penalty killer who loves to be out there blocking shots and turning the momentum of a game through defense, and a leader on and off the ice. We project that Boltmann will play a role similar to what Tommy Miller and Matthew Staudacher have played in the past for Northeastern, and likely will fill in as a second or third pairing defenseman on the right side, and will be one of the first penalty killers over the boards.
Welcome Jake to Northeastern!
As always, go Huskies!