Kuraly, 28, has registered 24 goals and 44 assists for 68 points with 134 penalty minutes in 270 career games with the Boston Bruins since making his NHL debut during the 2016-17 season. He has added 9-10-19 and 24 penalty minutes in 57 career playoff outings and helped Boston reach the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with a playoff career-high 4-6-10 in 20 games.
"Sean Kuraly is a big, strong center that plays a two-way game, can kill penalties and will add size, physicality and character to our lineup," said Kekalainen. "He grew up in this area, won league championships in college at Miami, won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships and was an important part of Boston's Stanley Cup finalist team. He's a winner and will be an important part of our leadership group as we move forward."
The 6-2, 213-pound forward was selected by San Jose in the fifth round, 133rd overall, at the 2011 NHL Draft and was acquired by Boston via trade on June 30, 2015. He notched a career-high 6-17-23 with 34 penalty minutes in 69 games during the abbreviated 2019-20 season and added 4-5-9 and 20 penalty minutes, while playing in 47-of-56 games in 2020-21.
Kuraly, a native of the Columbus suburb of Dublin, is a graduate of the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program (2008-10) and played two-plus seasons with the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League (2010-12) before enrolling at Miami University. In four seasons at Miami, he registered 43-50-93 and 177 penalty minutes in 154 contests from 2012-16. He helped the Redhawks win a CCHA regular season title as a freshman in 2012-13 and capture the NCHC tournament championship in 2014-15 when he notched a career-high 19-10-29 in 40 games during his junior campaign. He also helped Team USA capture the gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championships.
