John Farinacci

John Farinacci
Born	(2001-02-14) February 14, 2001 (age 23) Red Bank, New Jersey, United States
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team	Boston Bruins Providence Bruins  (AHL)
NHL draft	76th overall, 2019 Arizona Coyotes
Playing career	2023–present

John Farinacci (born February 14, 2001) is an American ice hockey forward currently playing for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 76th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He played college ice hockey for the Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey team.

Playing career

Raised in Red Bank, New Jersey, Farinacci played prep hockey for the Delbarton School before transferring to Shattuck-Saint Mary's. ^[1]

Collegiate

Farinacci was drafted 76th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He committed to play college ice hockey at Harvard University starting in the 2019–20 season.^{[ citation needed ]}

Farinacci had a successful freshman year with the Crimson, scoring 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 31 games. Unfortunately, Farinacci and the rest of the team's season was abruptly cancelled during the 2020 ECAC Hockey Tournament due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. ^[2]

After initially expecting to play, the Ivy League announced on November 12, 2020, that they would be cancelling winter sports for the season. ^[3] This meant that Farinacci would not play for Harvard in the 2020–21 season. However, this did not stop him from playing successful hockey. For the season, he returned to play for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he played for a little while before committing to Harvard. In seven games with the Lumberjacks, serving as an assistant captain, he scored four goals and four assists. Farinacci also played on the international stage during the season, representing the United States at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he scored five goals and two assists in seven games en route to the gold medal. After the tournament, he would not return to play for the Lumberjacks, instead opting to train and focus on preparing for his next season at Harvard. ^[4]

Farinacci returned to Harvard for the 2021–22 season for his junior year. Unfortunately for Farinacci, his production dipped in comparison to his freshman year, scoring 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points in 29 games. However, he helped Harvard win the 2022 ECAC Hockey tournament, giving Harvard an automatic bid in the 2022 NCAA tournament. Harvard would be eliminated in the first round to the Minnesota State Mavericks.^{[ citation needed ]}

Farinacci was named captain of the Crimson for the 2022–23 season. However, he would end up missing the first part of the season recovering from surgery due to a herniated disc. ^[4] After returning to action on January 13, 2023, Farinacci put up great numbers and had his best statistical season at Harvard yet, given his missed time. He scored five goals and 15 assists in 19 games. Farinacci would help Harvard reach the final of the 2023 ECAC Hockey tournament, where they would lose to the Colgate Raiders. Despite this, Harvard still received a bid to the 2023 NCAA tournament, where they would lose 8–1 in the first round to the Ohio State Buckeyes, in what would be Farinacci's final game of his college career. Farinacci scored the lone Crimson goal in the loss.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Ivy League did not offer their athletes another year of eligibility due to the lost 2020–21 season. As such, Farinacci could not return to Harvard for a fourth season. Although he could've transferred for another year, Farinacci did not want to play college hockey anywhere but Harvard, and as such, was set to turn pro. ^[4]

Professional

On April 12, 2023, it was announced that Farinacci would not sign with the Coyotes, and intended to test the free agent market. ^[5] He became a highly coveted collegiate free agent, and ultimately signed a two-year entry level contract with the Bruins on August 16, 2023. ^[6]

Farinacci was assigned the Bruins American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins, to start the 2023-24 season. ^[7] Farinacci would stay in the AHL for the entirety of the season, finding success with the P-Bruins, scoring 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points in 71 games. Farinacci would also score a goal and an assist in four playoff games, but the Bruins were eliminated by the Hartford Wolf Pack in four games in the opening round of the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs.

Personal

Farinacci has many connections within the hockey community. He is cousins with Chicago Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato, and his uncle, Ted Donato was his head coach at Harvard.

Farinacci is also Brady Tkachuk's brother-in-law. ^[8]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2017–18	Muskegon Lumberjacks	USHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Muskegon Lumberjacks	USHL		2	2	1	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Harvard University	ECAC		31	10	12	22	21		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Muskegon Lumberjacks	USHL		7	4	4	8	2		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Harvard University	ECAC		29	10	9	19	12		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Harvard University	ECAC		19	5	15	20	2		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Providence Bruins	AHL		71	12	26	38	16		4	1	1	2	0
AHL totals				71	12	26	38	16		4	1	1	2	0

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2021	United States	WJC			7	5	2	7	2
Junior totals					7	5	2	7	2

References

1. Bobal, Brian. "Former Delbarton ice hockey forward signs entry-level contract with Boston Bruins", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 16, 2023. Accessed April 9, 2024. "The Boston Bruins announced on Wednesday it has signed New Jersey native John Farinacci to a two-year entry-level contract. Farinacci, a Red Bank native, was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the third round, 76th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft but did not sign.... The 22-year-old center played one season with Delbarton when he was a freshman."
2. Gendler, Raphy (March 12, 2020). "ECAC Hockey Cancels Conference Tournament". The Cornell Daily Sun. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
3. Dilks, Chris (November 12, 2020). "Ivy League Cancels All Winter Sports Including Men's and Women's Hockey". SB Nation College Hockey. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
4. Morgan, Craig (February 21, 2023). "Coyotes prospect report: Checking in with John Farinacci, Ben McCartney, Jérémy Langlois". PHNX Sports. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
5. "Coyotes' John Farinacci: Will test free agency". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
6. Ryan, Conor (August 16, 2023). "Bruins bolster center depth by signing former Harvard captain John Farinacci to entry-level contract". Boston.com. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
7. Bruins, Providence. "PROVIDENCE BRUINS ANNOUNCE OPENING NIGHT ROSTER | Providence Bruins". www.providencebruins.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
8. Kumar, Ankit (August 16, 2023). "Is John Farinacci related to Brady Tkachuk? Exploring relation between Bruins' newest signing and Sens captain". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 2024-03-30.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com