Once a Bruin, Still a Contender: Sturm, Smith & Pietila Battle for League Crowns
June 5, 2025 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Austin Bruins News Release
AUSTIN, MINN. - It's every athlete's dream to win a championship. Regardless of the level of play, athletes dedicate countless hours of hard work, discipline, and passion in pursuit of one ultimate goal: to be the best. While the 2024-25 Austin Bruins came up short of hoisting the coveted Robertson Cup - the top prize in the North American Hockey League - that doesn't mean others in the Bruins family are done chasing championships. Three former Austin Bruins - Nico Sturm, CJ Smith, and Jed Pietila - are currently rostered on teams vying for their respective league titles, each with a shot at bringing home some hardware of their own.
Sturm has, no pun intended, already reached the top of the mountain before. The 2014-2015 Bruins forward hoisted the Stanley Cup as a member of the 2021-22 champion Colorado Avalanche. After a midseason trade, Sturm left the San Jose Sharks to join the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. The Panthers ran their way through the Western Conference for their third straight Finals appearance with Sturm appearing in eight games along the way.
Sturm, the only former Bruin to win hockey's top prize, spent one season in Spamtown, playing in 53 games while recording 41 points. The Augsburg, Germany native was the spark the Bruins needed, leading the Black and Gold with 13 points in the playoffs en route to the second of back to back Robertson Cup Finals appearances. The Bruins would fall to the Minnesota Wilderness in two games.
Smith is also no stranger to winning championships. Throughout his nine year career, the defenseman has had the honor of being a Calder Cup Champion with the 2021-22 Chicago Wolves. Now, following a come-from-behind victory on Tuesday, CJ Smith's Charlotte Checkers - fittingly, the Florida Panthers' AHL affiliate - are moving on to compete for the league's top prize: the Calder Cup.
Smith has been an AHL vet for the majority of his career. The Iowan has made it to the big leagues on several occasions, suiting up for 15 career NHL games between the Buffalo Sabres and the Carolina Hurricanes.
After beginning the season with the KHL's Barys Astana, Smith signed a one year contract with the Checkers, joining former Bruins broadcaster TJ Chillot in the Queen City.
He spent two seasons in Austin from 2011-2013, totaling 113 games and 86 points across his Bruins career. Smith ranks among the best to ever suit up in the Black and Gold, sitting top ten in career points and goals (43) while his 30 goals during the 2012-13 season set the benchmark until Walter Zacher topped it a whopping ten years later when he scored 32.
Pietila is the most recent of the trip to suit up for the Bruins and the only one to don the captain's "C". Across three seasons, the Howell, Michigan native skated in 119 games while recording 17 goals and 44 assists for a total of 61 points.
After his time in Austin, Pietila played four years for Michigan Tech before signing with the Detroit Red Wings ECHL affiliate Toledo Walleye. Now in his second season, the former Bruin suited up for 59 games throughout the regular season. At the time of printing, the Walleye trail the Trois-Rivières Lions in the Kelly Cup Finals two games to one.
North American Hockey League Stories from June 5, 2025
- Once a Bruin, Still a Contender: Sturm, Smith & Pietila Battle for League Crowns - Austin Bruins
- Two More Bruins Honored with NAHL End of Season Awards - Austin Bruins
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