Editor’s note- In our (soon to be finished) series breaking down an immediate and longer-term future for the Boston Bruins, the 3 Amigos consisting of TSP founder Kirk Luedeke, hockey scout/analyst Dominic Tiano and Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) PBP man Reed Duthie have tried to cover all the bases. In this penultimate post on the subject, KL briefly looks at a trio of unsigned young defensemen on the eve of the start of the Stanley Cup final series.- KL
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Cameron Clarke, RD, Ferris State (WCHA)- The NAHL’s top defenseman for the 2015-16 season was Boston’s second of two picks in the fifth round last June in his final window of draft eligibility. The Michigan native just turned 21 this month and is coming off a solid, if unspectacular freshman year with the Bulldogs in which he found the back of the net just once, and finished with 11 points in 35 NCAA games. He’s got good size at about 6-1, but is still light and continuing to work on adding mass. He’ll play one more season, perhaps two in college, continuing to develop his body and overall defensive game. We should see him emerge as more of an offensive threat, as with his skating, vision and hockey IQ, he has the potential to put up good numbers at this level. In a nice side story, Clarke’s father was a Bruins fan growing up (his favorite player was Rick Middleton), so although the prospect was born and raised in Detroit Red Wings country, it was not hard for the family to switch their allegiance to the B’s after the 2016 draft.
Ryan Lindgren, LD, University of Minnesota- The U.S. NTDP U18 team captain in 2016 was drafted with the second of two picks acquired when the B’s traded Johnny Boychuk to the NY Islanders on the eve of the 2014-15 season. Although not considered “big” for the position, Lindgren plays with fire and has some real nasty to his game. He didn’t produce much in the way of offense as a true freshman with the Golden Gophers, but saw a good amount of ice time and is expected to be one of the team’s “bell cow” blue liners going forward. He’s a good skater with a fine stick and brings the kind of physicality and tenacity every team wants. With his excellent skating and agility, he has the potential to chip in offensively at the pro hockey level, but we’re not sure he projects as someone who will be a true point-getter, but will bring more value with his mobility and hard-nosed defense. Lindgren is strong in puck retrieval. He suffered a nasty lower body injury late in the season that cost him the remaining schedule and B1G 10 & NCAA tournaments- the Gophers sure could have used him against Notre Dame, giving up a third period lead to get bounced right away as the top seed. It will be interesting to see how Lindgren performs going forward, but he’s expected to rise up the B’s organizational depth chart as one of the team’s better prospects after helping USA win gold at the 2017 WJC- he could wear the ‘C’ for the 2018 squad.
Wiley Sherman, LD, Harvard- This 6-7, 220-pounder was drafted in 2013 (fifth round) out of the Hotchkiss (prep) Bearcats and played another year at that level before arriving to Cambridge for the 2014-15 season, As a rising senior with the Crimson, he’s effectively used his size and long reach in three collegiate seasons. He’s not going to be a two-way D at the next level, but he did post a career-best 13 helpers (no goals) as a junior. With fluid footwork and skating for such a big man, Sherman is a capable puck-mover who doesn’t play all that physical a style, but keeps opponents to the outside with strong gaps and the huge wingspan he possesses. The Connecticut native is expected to finish out his NCAA eligibility at Harvard and earn that degree- he could possibly sign with the B’s next spring, whenever his team’s season ends, as former Yale standout Rob O’Gara did in 2016.
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