Report: Bruins Among Long List of NHL Suitors for Merrimack Standout Stephane Da Costa

by Jill Seward on Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 11:05PM

Stephane Da Costa was an integral piece of the remarkable turnaround for the Merrimack hockey program, but now that his sophomore season is done, the temptation to move up to the professional game could take over.

The Paris, France native turned down several offers to go pro after his freshman season with the Warriors, but the NHL has come calling yet again, and this time Da Costa could be ready to make the jump. The talented forward has had more than 20 NHL teams with vested interest throughout his career at Merrimack, and several are still keeping tabs on the scorer, CBC.ca reports.

According to the report, Boston is among the long list of suitors, which also includes Ottawa, Minnesota, Anaheim, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Vancouver and Toronto.

The Bruins may be a long shot, however, considering cap restrictions and difficulty of breaking into the lineup. It's not easy to crack the Bruins forward lines, and Da Costa may be looking for a quicker route to landing on an NHL roster.

Also working against Boston's chances is the Wild's latest coup, as they recently scored a face-to-face meeting with Da Costa that will take place this week, according to a tweet by CBC's Elliotte Friedman. Minnesota is currently lacking in the young, talented forwards department, and that could mean a quick call-up for Da Costa if he signs with the Wild.

The market is still wide open for Da Costa, however, but he will likely make his NHL decision soon.

Da Costa has led the Warriors in scoring over the past two years, tallying 14 goals and 31 assists in 33 games played this season. In 2010-11, the talented centerman helped lead Merrimack to its first-ever Hockey East Championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since joining Hockey East.