The Colgate men’s hockey team saw a lot of success this past season, making it all the way to the ECAC finals. While the season might have ended for the majority of the team after the loss to Harvard, junior forward Kyle Baun got the rare opportunity to make his NHL debut for the Chicago Blackhawks against Minnesota on April 7. Baun recorded just shy of 14 minutes of playing time for the Blackhawks, playing on a line with Brandan Saad and Antoine Vermette. In addition, there are rumors that Baun signed a two year contract with Chicago after this debut to the NHL. As a result, Baun will forgo his senior season as a Raider and instead play for the Blackhawks this season, thus burning one year of his contract.  

“Playing at Colgate gave me the opportunity to play in front of NHL scouts. I was very lucky that Chicago liked my style of game and gave me an opportunity,” Baun said, when asked about how he arrived at this amazing circumstance. 

Baun has been a very aggressive forward for Colgate, and he throws his 6’2” body around a lot. His style of play is perfect for the NHL because he digs in the corners harder than anyone else and plays relentless defense. 

“They have a great organization with a lot of good players, and it will be an honor to play alongside them,” Baun said when asked what his thoughts were for signing the contract with the Blackhawks. 

After a successful junior season in which he tallied 14 goals and 15 assists, it makes sense the Baun would have the opportunity to pursue a professional career. Baun is one of just 18 Raiders who have made an appearance in the NHL, making his success all the more of an accomplishment. After the first two years of his contract, it will be very interesting to see whether or not Baun will get his contract renewed with the Blackhawks. Hopefully, the Colgate community will be able to see Baun on the sports channels in the next couple years.