DENVER – Defenseman
Boston Buckberger of the University of Denver hockey team has signed a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2026-27 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the NHL squad announced on Monday.
Buckberger, a college free agent, recorded career highs with 10 goals and also added 19 assists for 29 points during the Pioneers' 2025-26 championship campaign. The alternate captain finished second among both fellow blueliners and all NCAA players with a +32 plus-minus rating while ranking third at his position with five power-play goals (tied) and fourth with 130 shots on net.
A nominee for the 2026 Hobey Baker Award and a member of both the 2026 NCAA Frozen Four and NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Teams, Buckberger led DU in plus-minus rating, was second in power-play goals behind fellow defenseman
Eric Pohlkamp and finished third in shots.
Buckberger, 22, was one of the 15 Pios to skate in all 43 contests in 2025-26. He has played in 128 of a possible 131 games during his three-year career at Denver, including suiting up in 85 straight contests beginning in his freshman season. The only three contest he missed came in the 2025 NCAA Tournament after experiencing a season-ending upper-body injury in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship Game.
In the 2026 Frozen Four Championship, Buckberger had the primary assist on the game-winning goal by
Kyle Chyzowski to give him his second career NCAA Championship after also winning in 2022 with Denver. Additionally, he registered a career-high four blocks in the championship game as well as a +1 rating and two shots on net.
His career +94 plus-minus rating is the second-highest among all players since the statistics first started being tracked and the highest all-time among skaters that played four or fewer college seasons. Additionally, him and Pohlkamp ranked either first and second among defensemen at this year's Frozen Four in points, goals, power-play goals and plus-minus rating.
The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native scored in both the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Semifinals and Championship at Magness Arena, which included netting the tying goal with 3:41 left in the third period in an eventual 2-1 overtime win for Denver against defending national champion Western Michigan in the semifinals on March 14.
Buckberger was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week twice in the month of November after he recorded five goals in a five-game stretch from Nov. 14-29, which included a career-long, three-game goal streak from Nov. 14-21. He played in his 100th career contest and was named the Denver Player of the Game on Nov. 29 in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game against Minnesota at Ball Arena on Nov. 29; he tallied twice, including with 23 seconds left in the third period to force overtime.
The blueliner went on a career-best run with 17 points (7g/10a) in a 15-game stretch from Nov. 1-Jan. 9. He had four multi-point games in that time, which included a three-assist performance on Nov. 1 vs. Alaska Anchorage to tie a career high for helpers in a game.
A three-time NCHC Academic Honor Roll member and NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete, he was named this season to the inaugural NCHC Academic All-Conference Team, a new league honor where the upperclassman player with the highest cumulative grade-point average on each of the nine teams is recognized. He was a finalist for this year's Elite Scholar-Athlete Award at the Frozen Four after earning the honor in 2025 and has twice been named a National All-American Scholar.
Buckberger finished his collegiate career with 86 points on 24 goals and 62 assists in 128 career games. He added 67 penalty minutes, 118 blocked shots and netted three game-winning goals, including his first career overtime-winning tally this season on Nov. 14 vs. Boston College.
In the 2024-25 campaign, Buckberger finished fifth in the NCAA in plus-minus (+30) while recording nine goals and a career-best 21 assists for 30 points. He also picked up his second career NCHC Defenseman of the Week award on Feb. 24, 2025, after totaling two assists and five blocks in the series at Miami (Feb. 21-22). Buckberger also went on a career-long, four-game assist streak from Oct. 26-Nov. 8, 2024 (1g/4a).
In his debut season with the Pioneers in 2023-24, he was the only DU freshman to play in all 44 games and helped the program win its NCAA-record 10th national title. He registered 27 points with five goals and 22 assists while recording six multi-point outings. He was named to the 2024 NCAA Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team after adding an assist on the overtime-winner in the NCAA Regional Semifinals vs. UMass on March 28, 2024, while also recording an assist in the Regional Final vs. Cornell on March 30, 2024.
Buckberger made his NCAA debut and recorded his first career goal and point on Oct. 8, 2023 at Alaska Fairbanks alongside contributing an assist in the outing for his first multi-point game. He was named the NCHC Rookie of the Month in October 2023 after leading all league freshmen with seven points (2g/5a), which was part of a career-best six-game point streak from Oct. 20-Nov. 4 (2g/5a).
The rear guard joined Denver after playing one season for the Lincoln Stars in the United States Hockey League in 2022-23. The Saskatoon Blazers product suited up for the Brooks Bandits in 2021-22 and won the Alberta Junior Hockey League Championship that season while also being named to the league's South All-Rookie Team.
