FARGO, N.D. – The National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks announced today that they have signed University of North Dakota sophomore forward Brock Boeser to an entry-level contract. He was a first-round pick of the Canucks, 23rd overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Boeser served as an assistant captain for the Fighting Hawks in 2016-17 and collected 16 goals and 34 points in 32 games. Despite missing eight games due to injury, Boeser is tied for fifth in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in goals per game (0.50) and seventh in points per game (1.06).

He also won 55.9 percent of his faceoffs to rank fourth in the NCHC among players who have taken at least 200 faceoffs.

In 2015-16, Boeser earned AHCA All-America West First Team Honors after racking up 27 goals and a conference-leading 60 points in 42 games as a freshman. He was also named the NCHC Rookie of the Year and an All-NCHC First Teal selection and helped lead North Dakota to the program's eighth NCAA championship.

The Burnsville, Minn., native was also named to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team after collecting one goal and five assists with a plus-7 rating in two games.

A two-time NCHC Academic All-Conference Team selection, Boeser finished his collegiate career with 43 goals and 94 points in 74 games with a plus-52 rating. He averaged 1.27 points per game at UND, the program's best mark since Zach Parise averaged 1.53 from 2002-04.

Boeser will join former UND teammate Troy Stecher in Vancouver and will become the 21st UND product to play in the NHL season, which would tie the school record set in 1991-92 and matched in 1993-94. He will also become the 10th UND alum to make his NHL debut this season and the fifth from last year's national championship team.