Okay, so it wasn’t a headline-grabbing trade deadline, but the B’s have gone 1-0-0-1 with 3 out of 4 points since acquiring veteran forwards Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson in separate trades last week and on Monday’s annual NHL trade deadline.
We’re all still waiting on Don Sweeney’s “signature” trade- he’s made some relatively minor deals in his tenure as GM since succeeding Peter Chiarelli in spring 2015, but as of yet, we haven’t seen a major franchise-altering transaction under his watch. And that’s okay- as of right now at least- because it’s hard to argue that the Bruins haven’t at least improved since Sweeney sent scoring prospect Ryan Donato and a 5th pick to Minnesota for the Weymouth native and former San Jose 1st-rounder in 2010.
The biggest challenge facing Sweeney and Co. is the specter of the NHL’s top club in Tampa Bay (who summarily dismissed the B’s from the postseason a year ago) and an improving Toronto Maple Leafs franchise who will be an even tougher out (after taking Boston to seven games in the first round last year). It’s entirely possible that some of the consternation about what the team did at the deadline you might see out there from media and fans alike has to do with how potent the Atlantic Division is and that the perception is that Boston didn’t do enough. That’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes and no one ever said winning a championship is easy.
We brought the band back together for one final podcast before the 2018-19 season- it wrapped up on Labor Day weekend, the final official weekend of the summer before we go back to our busy schedules.
Thanks to all of the supporters who took the time to post some thoughtful questions- this one takes us about 90 minutes to get through.
Will try to put it up on Sound Cloud at some point, but for now- you have to listen to it here. It’s not on iTunes and isn’t going to be- limitations of technology at present.
Thanks for listening and be sure to stick around until the end to hear an important message from Dom.
Here’s the audio- appreciate all of the support!- Dom, Reed & Kirk
As the summer winds down, figured an audio post to cover more ground than a typical written narrative is the way to go.
In this 60+ minute audio segment, TSP weighs in on some of the Boston Bruins organizational rankings and why it’s a fool’s errand to put much stock in any of them . We also do a three-year on B’s prospects, looking at Ryan Donato, Zach Senyshyn and Jakub Lauko. Plus, we talk about the recently completed Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, the annual first real jump into the NHL draft tracking process. It’s sure looking like the late 2000/2001 birth year is shaping up to be a pretty good draft class!
(Ryan Donato, Boston’s 2nd-round selection in 2014 NHL Entry Draft )
We’re going to close out the forwards portion of our “What’s Next” for the Boston Bruins series with this entry on the prospects we didn’t cover in the two previous posts on the subject. These are players who are either unsigned (NCAA) or out of Europe. Some are closer to making a possible impact (Anders Bjork) than others (Ryan Donato), but this more proof that the B’s have a lot of options within their organization, and that doesn’t include the next talent boost, with the 2017 NHL Entry Draft about five weeks away.
So, in the spirit of the previous post- here’s a list of the players we think are going to not only challenge for NHL jobs sooner than later, but will also make an impact:
The 65th Beanpot championship is in the books and for the first time since 1993, a team not named Boston College or Boston University has won it, with the Harvard Crimson grabbing the trophy Monday night at the TD Garden.
The game between Harvard and the BU Terriers featured four Bruins prospects, and for the BU guys, it was an obviously disappointing night as the team sought a record 31st Beanpot title.
The championship’s outcome was not so much about Charlie McAvoy or Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson playing poorly (though neither had particularly strong performances) as it was about Harvard rising up and then Ryan Donato putting an exclamation point on the win with a great individual effort. Teammate and 2013 fifth-round project pick Wiley Sherman is enjoying a solid junior season in Cambridge as well.
With 16 goals in 25 games including 5 in his last two, Donato is starting to show the hockey world the sheer offensive acumen that saw him drafted in the second round after David Pastrnak in 2014. As a junior with Dexter, he potted nearly 3 points per game and rode that to a 56th overall selection in Philadelphia. Now, Donato is taking his game to another level as a sophomore after a solid freshman campaign. He began to really put things together at the end of the 2014-15 season when he finished the year (after Dexter lost the 2015 prep championship to Salisbury) out in Nebraska with JFK and the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. Lancer fans still talk about how impressive Donato was in his short time there and rue the fact that he wasn’t able to spend the whole season on that club.
He’s got elite offensive hockey sense with tremendous hands and a will to compete and win. Last year about this time, TSP interviewed Donato after losing in the 2016 Beanpot tourney and the soon-to-be 21-year-old declared that the Crimson would be back in 2017, and that winning one for the first time since just after his dad left the team to join the U.S. Olympic squad and then the Bruins at the conclusion of the 1992 Albertville Winter Games was something he was determined to achieve.Donato’s third period goal is worth watching over and over, because it shows that determination that is easy to talk about in an interview, but harder to pull off when the game is on the line.
Here’s the full highlight reel from the game courtesy of NESN, but the Donato goal comes at 5:45 for those only interested in that play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izboCRird3A
There is also no need to rush Donato into the mix. He’s a sophomore and the Bruins can afford to wait another year before signing him, however- there is always a thought about the ticking clock on when he could become an unrestricted free agent. Like Anders Bjork, he will be eligible to sign with any team after August 15, 2018 (though he’s still NCAA-compliant to play through the 2018-19 season if he doesn’t turn pro). However, given his history with the city of Boston and the Bruins, it would be hard to imagine Donato passing up a chance to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing for the Black and Gold.
For now- the Scituate native is one more impressive prospect to keep an eye on.
Amateur Prospects as of 02/15/17
Name/Team
League
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Jesse Gabrielle, Prince George
WHL
46
26
21
47
67
Zach Senyshyn, SSM
OHL
45
33
13
46
25
Anders Bjork, Notre Dame
HE-NCAA
29
17
23
40
12
Jakub Zboril, Saint John
QMJHL
35
9
22
31
36
Trent Frederic, Wisconsin
Big10- NCAA
20
10
16
26
24
Ryan Donato, Harvard
ECAC- NCAA
25
16
10
26
12
Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, BU
HE- NCAA
30
11
14
25
26
Ryan Fitzgerald, BC
HE-NCAA
26
7
18
25
36
Cameron Hughes, Wisconsin
Big10- NCAA
26
6
19
25
12
Jeremy Lauzon, Rouyn-Noranda
QMJHL
24
4
13
17
19
Jack Becker, Sioux Falls
USHL
35
10
7
17
30
Charlie McAvoy, BU
HE-NCAA
29
3
13
16
47
Cameron Clarke, Ferris St.
WCHA- NCAA
30
1
8
9
24
Wiley Sherman, Harvard
ECAC-NCAA
25
0
8
8
16
Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota
Big10- NCAA
24
1
4
5
55
Pro and European Prospects
Name/Team
League
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Peter Cehlarik, Providence
AHL
40
18
15
33
12
Joona Koppanen, Ilves Jr.*
U20- Finland
19
9
17
26
2
Danton Heinen, Providence
AHL
38
9
17
26
10
Colby Cave, Providence
AHL
50
10
16
26
28
Jake DeBrusk, Providence
AHL
48
11
14
25
13
Matt Grzelcyk, Providence
AHL
44
2
18
20
12
Sean Kuraly, Providence
AHL
37
9
8
17
19
Emil Johansson, Djurgarden IF
Sweden- Elite
38
6
7
12
22
Colton Hargrove, Providence
AHL
41
5
9
14
39
Anton Blidh, Providence
AHL
30
7
5
12
22
Chris Casto, Providence
AHL
41
1
9
10
28
Noel Acciari, Providence
AHL
18
4
4
8
11
Rob O’Gara, Providence
AHL
33
2
6
8
12
Austin Czarnik, Providence#
AHL
2
1
2
3
0
Justin Hickman, Providence
AHL
21
2
1
3
17
Oskar Steen, Farjestad
Sweden- Elite
37
1
1
2
6
Linus Arnesson, Providence*
AHL
18
0
1
1
4
Brian Ferlin, Providence*
AHL
2
0
0
0
0
Zane McIntyre, Providence
Atlanta
AHL
ECHL
14
2
11
0
0 (1)
1(1)
1.63
1.99
.944
.931
Dan Vladar, Providence
Atlanta
AHL
ECHL
6
5
3
2
0 (3)
2 (1)
2.84
3.58
.914
.889
Malcolm Subban, Providence
AHL
23
7
10 (1)
2.44
.919
# Czarnik recalled to Boston
*Arnesson, Ferlin injured
Tyler Randell, Tommy Cross, Alex Grant > age 25- not listed
We’re one month into the recent publication of the New England Hockey Journal’s annual Boston Bruins prospects ranking- we always do it in January, so we have about half a season to gauge how the kids look before ranking them.
Well, what can we say? There’s already some buyer’s remorse and after conversations with several people we trust and value as professional talent evaluators, we thought we’d take another stab at the B’s top-10 with a fresher perspective. Consider it an alternate take- a sort of Bizarro World version of the published list, with the impact of other ideas and rationales applied to some of the players who rose and fell.
Ultimately, the exercise reminds us all that opinions are varied. No matter how well you might rank order players, you’re never going to achieve 100 percent consensus, and that should not be the goal. You call it like you see it and you either stick to your guns and stand by your convictions or you don’t. At the same time, it is important in a fluid situation such a hockey season, to maintain room to allow your views to evolve.
TSP did this last year, so bringing it back for the 2017 version of the New England Hockey Journal’s Boston Bruins organizational prospect rankings.
You can read the full article at http://www.hockeyjournal.com; a top-20 is broken into a pair of pro and amateur lists. This podcast covers the non-pro futures, plus the HM 11th player who didn’t get an in-print capsule, but is a very good prospect for the B’s down the road.
Want to know who we’re talking about to the tune of about a 45-minute breakdown? Just click on the audio file to listen…
Trent Frederic was Boston’s 2nd choice, 29th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft
B’s prospects had quite the weekend in the goal scoring department as the calendar entered our final month of 2016.
Friday night was for hat tricks as Zach Senyshyn (4 goals), Jesse Gabrielle (3 goals) and Joona Koppanen (3 goals) all brought the head covers raining down.
Harvard’s Ryan Donato also had multiple goals, while another Ryan- Minnesota freshman defenseman Ryan Lindgren, tallied his first career NCAA goal, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Rem Pitlick in a loss to Ohio State Saturday night.
Additionally, Anders Bjork and Danton Heinen had a two-goal games for Notre Dame and the Providence Bruins (respectively) Friday night, and Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson added a goal in BU’s win over Providence College that same evening.
Senyshyn’s Texas hat trick (if “everything” is bigger in the Lone Star State and 4 > 3, ergo- a four-goal game is Texas-sized) came against the Barrie Colts one year to the day that he performed the same feat- December 2, 2015 against the Sudbury Wolves. In this one, Senyshyn accounted for all of the Soo Greyhounds’ goals, tallying in overtime on a nice spin-around to protect the puck, shake the defender and drive right to the net for his 13th marker of the season in 22 games. He’s ba-a-a-a-ck!
***
Going on a bit of a rant, here- so bear with us.
It can be grating that whenever we post a positive update on either one of Anders Bjork or Jesse Gabrielle on Twitter, people seem to constantly respond with concerns about their signing status. Here’s the TSP take: we fail to see what the big que pasa is right now. Yes, we’re going to use that analogy again- FAST FOOD mentality- to describe fans who can’t ever seem to be happy with what is going on and want to overly dissect and analyze everything down to the gnat’s ass, including wanting every contract move and decision resolved in the immediate. Look, we get it- if we weren’t stressing over what the Bruins might or might not do with their sizable stable of futures on Twitter or elsewhere, whatever would we do with ourselves? At some point, you just have to enjoy what is happening and let the pieces fall when the time comes.
Bjork is well on his way to his best season in college? No, we’re afraid he’s going to “pull a Vesey” even though he’s still some 20 months away from August 15, 2018- the absolute earliest date that he could walk away from the Bruins and become a free agent. Gabrielle on another 40+ goal pace for the second consecutive season in the WHL? Dammit, Bruins- why haven’t you signed him already??? Never mind the fact that the B’s drafted six major junior players in 2015 and have successfully signed the first five…Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, Zach Senyshyn,Brandon Carlo and Jeremy Lauzon. Gabrielle is next, and they have until June 1 to make him a “bona fide” offer to retain his rights. It’s going to get done, folks- he grew up cheering for the Bruins and they’re the team that put their faith in him when everyone else passed until the mid fourth round. If it doesn’t happen and the B’s lose one or the other somehow, then we’ll be totally wrong and you can remind us of this post all you want. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Look- there’s no guarantee that the Bruins will sign both of Bjork and Gabrielle, but there are no indications that it won’t happen either. They’ve got 27 goals between them with room for a lot more, so for now, our advice is to enjoy the fireworks and don’t sweat the small stuff. Rookie salary caps and the like have put an end to the days when Hall of Fame-caliber junior players like Kyle Wanvig could just refuse a team’s offer and fax machine jams could result in them going back into the draft. Yes, the CBA allows for players like Jimmy Vesey and Matt Benning to name a few to become free agents and sign elsewhere, but those experiences are making teams like Boston wise to playing the longer game so that they don’t lose the assets. Again- there is no reason to assume that Bjork is in the same place Vesey was in terms of how he approaches his pro hockey future, so until he actually turns down an offer from the B’s, we should just let it play out for now. There is such a thing as paralysis by analysis, after all.
Or, to coin a popular phrase from the 1980’s, “Frankie says…relax.”
Amateur Prospects as of 12/05/16
Name/Team
League
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Jesse Gabrielle, Prince George
WHL
23
16
11
27
32
Anders Bjork, Notre Dame
HE-NCAA
16
11
15
26
8
Zach Senyshyn, SSM
OHL
22
13
8
21
15
Jakub Zboril, Saint John
QMJHL
17
6
10
16
10
Ryan Fitzgerald, BC
HE-NCAA
16
5
11
16
22
Ryan Donato, Harvard
ECAC- NCAA
11
7
7
14
8
Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, BU
HE- NCAA
14
3
10
13
14
Cameron Hughes, Wisconsin
Big10- NCAA
14
2
10
12
6
Charlie McAvoy, BU
HE-NCAA
14
1
11
12
14
Jeremy Lauzon, Rouyn-Noranda
QMJHL
12
2
9
11
6
Trent Frederic, Wisconsin*
Big10- NCAA
8
4
6
10
8
Jack Becker, Sioux Falls**
USHL
17
2
3
5
28
Cameron Clarke, Ferris St.
WCHA- NCAA
16
0
4
4
16
Wiley Sherman, Harvard
ECAC-NCAA
11
0
4
4
8
Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota
Big10- NCAA
14
1
2
3
47
* Injured
Pro and European Prospects
Name/Team
League
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Joona Koppanen, Ilves Jr.
U20- Finland
20
12
17
29
2
Peter Cehlarik, Providence
AHL
16
8
5
13
6
Danton Heinen, Providence
AHL
12
7
5
12
0
Matt Grzelcyk, Providence
AHL
22
1
10
11
6
Anton Blidh, Providence#
AHL
19
5
4
9
22
Colby Cave, Providence
AHL
22
3
6
9
11
Jake DeBrusk, Providence
AHL
22
3
6
9
11
Colton Hargrove, Providence
AHL
19
3
5
8
22
Emil Johansson, Djurgarden IF
Sweden- Elite
18
3
4
7
6
Austin Czarnik, Providence#
AHL
2
1
2
3
0
Sean Kuraly, Providence
AHL
13
1
2
3
11
Rob O’Gara, Providence
AHL
17
0
2
2
2
Chris Casto, Providence
AHL
19
0
2
2
20
Oskar Steen, Farjestad
Sweden- Elite
19
1
1
2
2
Linus Arnesson, Providence
AHL
18
0
1
1
4
Brian Ferlin, Providence
AHL
1
0
0
0
0
Justin Hickman, Providence
AHL
7
0
0
0
7
Zane McIntyre, Providence
AHL
5
3
0
0.93
.965
Dan Vladar, Providence
AHL
6
3
0 (3)
2.84
.914
Malcolm Subban, Providence
AHL
11
1
6 (5)
3.12
.897
# Czarnik, Blidh recalled to Boston
Tyler Randell, Tommy Cross, Alex Grant > age 25- not listed
After a two-goal, five-point weekend (two games), University of Notre Dame junior right wing Anders Bjork sits atop the NCAA scoring list one month into the 2016-17 hockey campaign.
The fifth-round pick in 2014 has come on like gangbusters going back to last season after originally being projected as more of a grinding defensive-type forward coming out of the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team. The Wisconsin native always had impressive speed and agility, but his slick hands and a noteworthy offensive hockey IQ have him as the topic of frequent discussions in the scouting community as a classic late-bloomer. Obviously, if anyone had seen this coming from Bjork (whose father, Kirt, and NHL cousin Erik Condra, were also standout members of Fighting Irish teams of old), the former Chicago Mission standout would have been drafted much higher than the 146th overall selection.
Bjork plays with urgency and pace- you notice him on just about every shift because he’s moving his feet- either attacking into the teeth of defenses or pressuring the opposing puck carrier as a relentless forechecker who forces turnovers with his feet and instincts.
Watch the highlight video here, and on the last goal you can see how aggressive he is at using his speed and stickhandling skills to take the puck to the net and the poor netminder doesn’t have a chance here with some grade-A maneuvering to finish off the play.
We saw some of this last year in the WJC when Bjork joined fellow B’s prospect and 2014 draft selection Ryan Donato with two goals apiece to secure the bronze medal. Admittedly, TSP wondered if it was an aberration, but we need no further proof- Bjork is for real. Where once we thought his ceiling was a solid third-liner good for 15-20 goals, there’s the potential for a good deal more if he continues his upward trajectory. An added bonus is Bjork’s versatility- he can play any forward position.
Of course, his 7 goals and 16 points in 8 games has created immediate discussion of Bjork “pulling a (Jimmy) Vesey” on Twitter and other Internet locales. Not to be glib or dismissive, but…really guys? That kind of talk is premature, predicated on the assumption that because other successful NCAA players have opted to wait out the four-year rights-owning period by the drafting club, that Bjork will do the same thing.
It’s possible that Bjork could do just that, but he’ll have to wait until August 16, 2018 to become an unrestricted free agent and because he’s playing so well, you have to imagine that the Bruins will do all in their power to sign him this spring, when his season is officially done. This is not to say that Bjork will sign or politely rebuff the attempts as Vesey did in the spring of 2015 when he was coming off a 30+ goal season at Harvard. If Bjork does that, then the B’s will have a precedent for what could transpire and all bets are off- they’ll have to protect the asset and do what they can to get something back for him. However, that’s a bridge we can cross later- it’s November 1- we’re still months away from the team even being in a position to tender Bjork an opportunity to turn pro. However, nobody should just assume that because Vesey took the action he did, that Bjork will opt for the same.
Now, in order to get him to commit, the B’s might need to get creative an offer Bjork a spot with the NHL club right away and the chance to burn a year off his three-year ELC the way Torey Krug did when he chose Boston as an unrestricted free agent in 2012. Sometimes, you have to give to get, but this is the new reality of CBA-permitted tactics that players and their advisors can leverage to their advantage. A fifth-round pick getting max rookie money and a chance to be an RFA one year earlier is a pretty enticing deal- it’s easy to project that someone might just wait it out until 2018, but there’s risk involved with suffering a major injury or going through a lackluster campaign that could diminish the bargaining power.
Bottom line- we’ll eventually find out, but let’s get past the whole “Bjork could pull a Vesey” trope and enjoy the 20-year-old’s season for what it is: a breakout performance that signals the latest impressive find for the Bruins, whose scouts (led by college scouting chief Ryan Nadeau) have mined the NCAA ranks for promising talent.
Other B’s prospect notes-
The Bruins announced today that with Patrice Bergeron a game-time decision (when it rains it pours) tonight against the Florida Panthers (and David Pastrnak serving the second of a two-game suspension, plus David Backes still injured) former San Jose Sharks prospect Sean Kuraly has been called up to the big club.
Kuraly, who was acquired on June 30, 2015 as part of the deal that sent Martin Jones to the West Coast for a first-round pick (Trent Frederic), is a big-bodied forward who can play either center or wing. He’s got good feet and hands, but the offensive hockey sense probably has him projecting more as a third/fourth-line guy. He had a strong training camp, however, and played well enough to earn the look. In eight AHL games, he has just one assist.
It’s one more opportunity for a young player to get a look, but perhaps we should be thankful that the Bruins are 4-4 instead of much worse given the adversity they’ve dealt with in the early going. Ruck up- injuries are a part of the game, so you have to deal with it as best you can, but the depth is being tested.
***
2015 first-rounder Zach Senyshyn is off his 45-goal pace from a year ago, but cut the kid some slack- he dealt with mononucleosis over the summer and then an emergency appendectomy right before the start of rookie camp. It’s not an excuse, but anyone bagging on the kid is probably looking for a reason to be negative at this point.
In a perfect world, Senyshyn would be on pace for 55-60 goals, but that isn’t reality- hockey is an imperfect game played by imperfect humans. Just because you expect certain things to happen doesn’t mean a player is a failure if your statistical expectations aren’t met, and unless you’ve been through the double-whammy of mono and appendicitis in the span of weeks, you probably ought not to be talking about how well he should or shouldn’t be playing. Just sayin’. Sometimes, just because you can vomit forth an uninformed opinion on something, doesn’t mean you should.
Senyshyn is still a fine NHL prospect albeit one who isn’t getting the expected points, so critiquing the lower-than-expected numbers is fair game, while writing him off is not. We’re a little over a month into the season…chillax, folks.
***
Ryan Donato began his sophomore season with a bang, netting a pair of goals in a lopsided victory over Arizona State in a weekend series. Wiley Sherman also registered a pair of assists. The ECAC regular season officially begins on Friday. With Donato’s high-end hockey sense and hands, watch for him to put up a lot of points this season, but undrafted 23-year-old senior Luke Esposito bagged 2 goals and 6 points against the Sun Devils to take the early scoring lead for the Crimson.
***
I like what Zane McIntyre is doing for the Bruins. Technique has never been his strong suit- it’s always been about the compete and battle level with him. He deserved a better fate against the NY Rangers last week, he earned a longer stay in Boston because he gave his team a shot in that game. McIntyre struggled at times last season with the pace and skill of pro hockey, but what has benefited him most throughout his hockey career is his personality and a mental toughness that allows him to play the role of both workhorse and backup.
We are all seeing how important an effective Tuukka Rask is to this Bruins club, but McIntyre has done pretty well in his limited audition to show that he is capable of being an NHL goaltender, even if his time is not quite now.
Here’s the updated stats charts:
Amateur Prospects as of 11/01/16
Name/Team
League
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Anders Bjork, Notre Dame
HE-NCAA
8
7
9
16
2
Jesse Gabrielle, Prince George
WHL
11
6
8
14
12
Trent Frederic, Wisconsin
Big10- NCAA
6
3
5
8
4
Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, BU
HE- NCAA
5
2
5
7
2
Ryan Fitzgerald, BC
HE-NCAA
9
3
4
7
12
Jakub Zboril, Saint John
QMJHL
9
2
5
7
6
Zach Senyshyn, SSM
OHL
10
4
2
6
10
Cameron Hughes, Wisconsin
Big10- NCAA
6
1
5
6
6
Charlie McAvoy, BU
HE-NCAA
5
0
4
4
4
Jack Becker, Sioux Falls
USHL
11
2
2
4
8
Jeremy Lauzon, Rouyn-Noranda*
QMJHL
2
1
2
3
0
Ryan Donato, Harvard
ECAC- NCAA
2
2
0
2
0
Wiley Sherman, Harvard
ECAC-NCAA
2
0
2
2
2
Cameron Clarke, Ferris St.
WCHA- NCAA
8
0
1
1
8
Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota
Big10- NCAA
6
0
0
0
2
* Jeremy Lauzon out indefinitely (UBI/concussion)
Pro and European Prospects
Name/Team
League
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Joona Koppanen, Ilves Jr.
U20- Finland
11
7
9
16
2
Peter Cehlarik, Providence
AHL
5
2
2
4
4
Anton Blidh, Providence
AHL
8
2
1
3
2
Austin Czarnik, Providence#
AHL
2
1
2
3
0
Emil Johansson, Djurgarden IF
Sweden- Elite
10
1
2
3
6
Matt Grzelcyk, Providence
AHL
8
1
2
3
2
Colton Hargrove, Providence
AHL
7
1
0
1
5
Colby Cave, Providence
AHL
8
1
0
1
4
Linus Arnesson, Providence
AHL
8
0
1
1
2
Sean Kuraly, Providence
AHL
8
0
1
1
9
Oskar Steen, MoDo
Sweden- Div 2
3
0
0
0
2
Justin Hickman, Providence
AHL
3
0
0
0
5
Rob O’Gara, Providence
AHL
3
0
0
0
0
Chris Casto, Providence
AHL
7
0
0
0
6
Zane McIntyre, Providence#
AHL
3
1
0
0.44
.977
Malcolm Subban, Providence
AHL
5
0
4
4.50
.857
Dan Vladar, Providence
AHL
2
1
0
2.97
.917
Brian Ferlin, Providence*
AHL
0
0
0
0
0
# Czarnik, McIntyre recalled to Boston
*Brian Ferlin- injured
** Tyler Randell, Tommy Cross, Alex Grant > age 25- not listed
The Boston College Eagles and Wisconsin Badgers Sunday tilt (the teams split the weekend series in Madison after Wisco triumphed Friday night) featured three Boston Bruins prospects and all of them made an impact in BC’s 8-5 win in what was a highly entertaining game.
The larger story for the Bruins is that the reports of freshman center Trent Frederic’s unworthiness as a first-round pick may have been greatly exaggerated, as he currently leads the Badgers in scoring with six points in four games, posting a goal and three helpers in the Sunday loss. Full disclosure- your TSP founder was one of the critics of the selection, admittedly not seeing much top-six NHL forward potential at the U18 championship last April (and this despite Frederic getting a hat trick in one of the round robin games vs. Latvia). Red Line Report had Frederic outside the top-100 and didn’t see him as much more than a fringe fourth-liner, but the perception began to change when talking to former coaches and players who knew him better than any of the talent evaluators who buried him in the rankings.
There’s much hockey left in the season, but Frederic certainly appears to be silencing the critics in the early going.
Here’s what to like about him (film study of two games): Long, powerful stride gets him up the ice quickly…smart and patient; handles the puck well and makes good decisions in where he moves it. Creative. Uses his big frame to drive the net and is effective around the net.
Frederic has an aggressive offensive mindset- more than I (and others) gave him credit for. On JD Greenway’s first collegiate goal to tie the game (after BC had taken a 2-0 lead) in the second period, Frederic led a 3-on-1 that materialized quickly in the neutral zone because he jumped on a loose puck and caught the BC defense flat-footed. Granted, it was a 3-on-1 advantage, but Frederic showed an immense amount of patience to let Greenway drive to the far post before putting a perfect pass on his blade for the easy score. This apple came after Frederic had tallied to get the Badgers on the board, and he would add two more assists as the home team got within a goal of the Eagles after going down 6-2 at one point in the second period.
But Frederic wasn’t only Wisconsin Badger who turned heads in a losing effort Sunday…
Cameron Hughes, who was drafted by the B’s in the 2015 draft’s sixth round scored as pretty (and filthy) a goal you will see late in the second period to make it a 6-3 game when he wheeled back after a turnover in the high slot of the BC zone got him the puck alone in front of Eagles netminder (and Leafs 2016 third-rounder) Joe Woll. Hughes pulled the puck behind him and through his legs and then roofed the shot up under the crossbar. Forget it…just see the play for yourself and then imagine trying to do that at top speed as Hughes did.
The Alberta native is in position to break out in his junior season after some growing pains as a freshman and sophomore. Always ultra-talented, Hughes arrived in Madison at an alleged 140-150 pounds as a freshman and he wore down pretty early, according to one source close to the Badgers program. As a result, where he was once thought of as a top-60 prospect for the 2015 NHL draft, he fell all the way down to the mid-sixth round where Boston pounced. It’s looking like a solid value pick for the B’s in hindsight- Hughes is more of a passer/playmaker but that goal will be replayed over and over, and shows a deft finishing touch that the 19-year-old hasn’t gotten much credit for.
Not to be forgotten in the game was BC senior and alternate captain Ryan Fitzgerald, who was visible with his energy and two-way play and tallied a late empty-net goal by outworking his opponents on the back wall and then beating everyone to the front of the vacated cage. That play is what makes the 2013 fourth-rounder such an effective three-zone presence for the Eagles. He scored the goal through sheer will and hustle, and that it came via an empty net should not diminish the impact of the play itself.
Anders Bjork and Jesse Gabrielle have begun the season like gangbusters for their respective teams/leagues. It’s funny, because Bjork (5th round) and Gabrielle (4th round) weren’t drafted in the top-100 picks in 2014 and 2015, and yet they’ve been two of Boston’s most productive prospects over the past full season and about a month into the new campaign. It isn’t just about giving the team and scouts credit- give a lot to the two guys who took the later selection as motivation and have both put in the work off the ice to make sure the on-ice performance translates. If I’m Don Sweeney, I’d better get hot on signing both of these players. Bjork will have to play out his NCAA season first, but Gabrielle has between now and June 1 to come to terms- he’s done enough to earn that NHL entry-level pact in our view.
On the pro side, it’s been a disappointing start for the Providence Bruins, but not altogether unexpected when you consider that they’re without Frank Vatrano (though he likely would’ve made the Bruins out of camp), Alexander Khokhlachev (KHL), Seth Griffith (lost on waivers to Toronto) and a couple of key youngsters in Austin Czarnik and Danton Heinen (both in Boston) plus Brandon Carlo and Rob O’Gara on defense (also in Boston). We expect to see one or more of those latter names back at some point, but give goalie Zane McIntyre a lot of credit- he’s gotten off to a great start after his final 2016 start left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. He’s outplayed Malcolm Subban by a wide margin…some of it is Subban’s fault, but the team has some holes, so there are going to be some bumps in the road this season.
Bruins Amateur (NCAA/major junior/junior) Prospects as of 10/17/2016
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