St. Cloud State's Borgen signs 3-year contract with Sabres

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Defenceman Will Borgen is skipping his senior season at St. Cloud State after signing a three-year entry level contract with the Buffalo Sabres.

Borgen's contract with the Sabres won't kick in until next season. He will finish this year playing for Buffalo's minor-league affiliate in Rochester, New York, after agreeing to sign an amateur tryout contract.

The deal was reached Sunday, three days after Borgen's season ended when the top-ranked Huskies lost 4-1 to Air Force in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Borgen was selected by Buffalo in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. The 21-year-old had two goals and 15 points in 36 games this season, and named the National College Hockey Conference's defensive defenceman of the year.

Overall, Borgen had five goals and 36 assists in 106 games.

From Moorhead, Minnesota, he was one of four collegians selected to the United States Olympic team roster, though he did not appear in a game at South Korean Winter Games last month. In January, Borgen won a bronze medal representing the U.S. at the World Junior hockey championship, which was held in Buffalo.

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The Associated Press