2015-16 European season, Boston Bruins prospects, Emil Johansson, Peter Cehlarik , , Leave a comment

B’s prospects deep dive 5: Europe report Cehlarik, Chudinov & Johansson

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We’re here again with another post charting the progress of B’s prospects as we get close to the end of the 2015-16 regular season.

In the case of the European leagues, those regular campaigns are already in the books and the playoffs are in full swing. European pro hockey starts a full month sooner than the NHL and AHL do, so with that in mind, the B’s have just a few players overseas at this stage with Linus Arnesson, Anton Blidh, Jakub Zboril, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson and Daniel Vladar all playing in North America.

Peter Cehlarik, RW/LW

The 90th overall selection in 2013 is from Slovakia but has been playing pro hockey in Sweden for the past four seasons. He just posted a career-best 11 goals and 20 points (in 46 games) for Lulea of Sweden’s top professional circuit and his near .5 points-per-game clip reflects his decent if not high-end potential to make an impact one day in the NHL.

At 6-1 and about 200 pounds, the left-shooting right wing (he has played both sides in Sweden) has the size to handle the more rugged North American style when he comes over. Cehlarik is not a physical player but will go to the net and use his frame to establish position in the high-danger areas in close. He’s an average skater- his initial burst has improved from when he was drafted at the end of the third round, and once he gets a good head of steam going, Cehlarik is powerful in the open ice and can back defenses up. He’s still not overly agile and tends to play the game more in straight lines, which is fine, but he’s not explosive, lacks the speed to separate and isn’t ideal in the short-area game where the ability to make quick starts and stops to change direction is needed.

Bruins GM Don Sweeney once described Cehlarik’s drive as a “slingshot” and the winger does like to score goals off the rush, where he is able to generate power on it as it comes off his stick in full gallop. He also has the quick hands to stick handle and dangle for the highlight reel goal, but that’s not really his bread and butter. He’s got the natural offensive hockey IQ and puck skills to make offense happen on his own, and if paired with an effective playmaker, could be even more dangerous than he’s been in the SHL. Here’s some of his work between the hash marks in a game earlier this season (video posted by kristiantrencin):

While not a rugged, hard-nosed power forward Cehlarik has more toughness than I might have given him credit for. This week, he took a skate blade to the lower neck and received a nasty gash that required at least 15 stitches to close. He went right out and back into the game after the repair work was done and assisted on the game-winning goal. I’m sure that earned some serious respect from the B’s organization, which has some choices to make entering the offseason with a lot of players in the system and some needs at defense that will likely require some of those intriguing prospects to be offloaded at some point.

Current assessment: The 20-year-old does not currently project as a forward who has star/top-six forward potential but looks more like a very good third-liner and complementary wing who can provide secondary scoring. He’s likely going to need AHL time to learn Boston’s system and acclimate to the three-zone demands that he’ll be expected to uphold, which is different from what he’s been asked to do as one of Lulea’s top threats on a larger ice surface. As alluded to earlier, there’s also a chance Cehlarik could be used as trade bait in a package deal to bring in a defenseman if another team out there likes his potential enough, but he’s not enough of a talent to be the centerpiece in any discussion. You have to give to get, so even with Cehlarik’s skill and interesting development curve to date, I could see the B’s offering him up in trade talks as opposed to having to be talked into including him in any deal. That’s just pure speculation, but the skate injury is certainly something we should be glad wasn’t more serious, and my hat’s off to him for getting right back in there and having a direct hand in his team’s win that night.  That just goes to show that grit and toughness is not solely defined by how hard you hit or how good a fighter you are- Cehlarik is not that style of power forward, but he might just be someone who can earn a spot in Boston one day.

Maxim Chudinov, D

The seventh-round pick in 2010 (he was one of two Boston selections on defense in that round with Zach Trotman being the other) turns 26 on the 25th of this month and is a smallish (5-11, 200-pound) player with a bulldog mentality on the ice.

Chudinov earned a level of infamy (and Pierre McGuire’s ire) on a late, after-the-whistle hit he leveled on Claude Giroux during the 2007 Canada-Russia Super Series tournament. But hey- don’t let me deprive you of the moment- you can watch for yourself (video posted by GregC89):

Built like fire hydrant, Chudinov might be short, but is an excellent skater who accelerates quickly in a couple of rapid, powerful strides and uses his straight-line speed and fine agility to effortlessly navigate the ice surface. He’s got some underrated offensive tools- Chudinov uses his superior vision and offensive hockey sense to distribute the puck effectively in the offensive zone when on the man advantage and can move it quickly when coming out of his own end. He also has the mobility and puck handling savvy to carry it out of his end and through the neutral zone on his own, which is a plus in the modern NHL.

He’s a nasty, dirty player who is known for his stick work and for taking liberties when the referee’s attention is elsewhere (and sometimes he’ll engage in cheap stuff when the ref is looking at him, as evidenced by his high penalty numbers every season).  While there is a time and place for the chippy play, Chudinov often lacks the personal discipline to pass up on an opportunity to destroy an opponent or take advantage of one in a vulnerable position. It all comes down to how you view the game, with a player like Chudinov: if you appreciated what someone like Zac Rinaldo brought to the Bruins, you will have no problem getting behind the Russian defender (who has a world of ability better than Rinaldo does). If you did not appreciate Rinaldo’s antics, then it won’t take much for Chudinov’s act to wear thin. Assuming he ever signs and comes over in the first place, that is.

Current assessment: My friend and colleague Dominic Tiano has done honest work in talking to Chudinov’s people to determine whether he will sign and join the Bruins organization before his rights expire at the end of the season. He’s been told that Chudinov wants to come over, but at this stage, it is up to Boston to decide whether to invest the contract and effort to get him integrated. I have heard through other sources that Chudinov wants a situation similar to that of Carl Soderberg– where he can come over and go right into the NHL lineup and not down to Providence right away. Whatever the truth behind that, the B’s don’t exactly have a lot of openings on the blue line with their big club, and depending on how they view Chudinov, this could be a case where they opt just to let him go.

I won’t lie- while I recognize Chudinov’s impressive speed and puck-moving/offensive skills, I don’t care for him or his attitude. Dom and I just disagree here, and if he ends up being worked into the mix, then so be it. But, I don’t think he’s done much to earn a straight chance into the Boston lineup and given that the B’s have Torey Krug and another similarly built and skilled defender in Matt Grzelcyk waiting in the wings, I don’t think the B’s need bother with Chudinov. Grzelcyk plays the game the right way and isn’t going to put his teammates at a disadvantage with undisciplined play. I like physical, intense hockey like the next person, but there is a line and Chudinov has built a reputation for crossing it in his body of work. I don’t see him as a true difference-maker at his position, so I have no problem with the Bruins moving on from him if that’s their choice.

Emil Johansson, D

The Swedish seventh-round pick in 2014 is another average-sized defender with good wheels and puck-moving skills, but doesn’t have a high offensive ceiling.

At about 6-foot in height and a stocky build, Johansson’s greatest strength is his skating and mobility. He gets off the mark quickly and has a fluid stride with the ability to pivot smoothly and control his balance and edging with grace and ease. He’s effective when moving backwards and crossing over, able to stay with fast and agile puck carriers.

The HV71 rearguard is coming along in his second full season at the pro level and after going without a goal for much of the regular campaign, netted a pair of goals in recent weeks to get off the schneid. He’s more of a defensive presence who can advance the puck and works well in retrieval when he has to retreat deep into his zone to corral pucks along the walls and beat the forward in order to gain possession and transition the play back the other way.

Johansson isn’t the most instinctive or creative of players- he’s at his most effective when he’s moving up the ice and keeping the puck in front of him. He doesn’t seem to have the vision to instantly read/react and recognize the unfolding play before and as it happens- that instantaneous ability to process and then decisively act on offense and defense is what separates solid players with NHL-caliber tools with the exceptional players who are difference-makers at the highest level as opposed to average or journeyman types.

Current assessment: Johansson was a seventh-round selection for a reason. He’s not a bad player, and seems to have the raw materials that could one day see him earn a job in the NHL if he wants one. But, he’s also a player who was never able to crack his country’s World Jr. squad, and he’s not taken broad leaps forward in his development. He’s more of a safe/steady type of player in the Arnesson mold, only his countryman and 2013 B’s pick is bigger and more talented. Taking Johansson where they did made sense to the Bruins as a project player worth letting percolate and seeing if he could grow into something more than the sum of some solid but unspectacular parts, but he’s not a prospect who is making much of a bold statement as one who has legitimate long-term potential to contribute as anything more than perhaps a bottom-pairing role player.

TSP will be back next to look at some of the players in Providence: Seth Griffith, Alexander Khokhlachev, Zane McIntyre and Brian Ferlin.

 

 

2015-16 NHL season, 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Boston Bruins, Ryan Spooner , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scouting Post founder on TSN 1260 Edmonton to talk Bruins & 2016 NHL Draft

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I was invited to go on host  on Edmonton-based Allan Mitchell aka Lowetide’s mid-day sports radio show on TSN 1260 yesterday.

Mr. Mitchell is a thoughtful guy with a lot of interest in hockey at all levels. Before the Oilers came along, he was a Bruins guy during their glory years of the early 1970s, so he’s been kind enough to have me on his show to talk Boston since 2011, when he got his own show and has developed quite a following. I do appreciate his kind words about the blog (and me) on his show.

Yesterday, I was asked about Boston’s youth movement (David Pastrnak, Noel Acciari), drilled down on Ryan Spooner’s progress, and an update on the Dougie Hamilton trade. I also talked Riley Tufte, Dante Fabbro and a New England prep sleeper for the 2016 NHL draft.

I hope you will give it a listen. I come on at the 6:55 mark of the SoundCloud clip for a 12-minute segment. And you can follow me on Twitter if you want more: @kluedeke29

https://soundcloud.com/lowdownwithlowetide/hour-2-31016-feat-kirk-luedeke-frank-seravalli

2015-16 AHL season, 2015-16 NCAA season, Anders Bjork, Boston Bruins prospects, Colton Hargrove, Ryan Donato, Ryan Fitzgerald , , , 1 Comment

B’s prospects deep dive 4: Fitzgerald, Donato, Bjork & Hargrove

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The Scouting Post is back to continue the ongoing deep-dive on Boston Bruins prospects coming up through the system as we enter the final days of the 2015-16 hockey season across the various professional and amateur leagues.

Today’s edition features a trio of collegians and one rookie pro. Enjoy. Will keep steadily cranking these out while balancing the NHL/Boston schedule and work requirements. I appreciate the support and feedback as always.

Ryan Fitzgerald, C/LW

The Boston College junior is a versatile, energetic and productive forward who has taken a step ahead in his third NCAA season after being a fourth-round selection of the B’s in 2013.

The son of New Jersey Devils assistant GM and former NHL forward and 1986 first-round pick (NY Islanders) Tom Fitzgerald (his uncle, Scott Fitzgerald, is the B’s assistant director of amateur scouting)is an extremely bright two-way player who has the hockey intellect and will to compete to make his impact felt as an effective 200-foot player. Along with younger brother (and freshman defender) Casey, Fitzgerald is leading the Eagles to greater heights this season after a step backwards in 2014-15. A Beanpot Trophy was only beginning, as BC looks to take the positive momentum forward in the quest for Hockey East supremacy and an extended run in the NCAA tournament that will culminate in Tampa at the 2016 Frozen Four next month.

Although undersized, Fitzgerald is strong  and feisty- he doesn’t shy away from traffic or taking the physical punishment often doled out along the walls. He will initiate contact and take a hit to make a play, but will also draw and take penalties with his edgy play. He doesn’t have the high-end straight line speed ideal for one of his 5-foot-10, 180+-pound frame, which is said to be one of the reasons his draft day stock dropped him down to pick 120. He is slippery and elusive, which allows him to shake defenders inside the blue line and slide through seams in the offensive zone. The good news is that even without the ideal size and speed, Fitzgerald has been able to make an impact all three seasons up on the Heights because he’s so smart and has silky hands with a lightning release and a nose for the net.

Fitzgerald plays with a lot of passion and energy; you notice him when he’s on the ice and he has a bit of an agitator streak in that he can get opponents off their game with his relentless energy and ability to forecheck and disrupt opposition attempts to generate a transition game with speed. With an active stick and ability to fill skating and passing lanes, Fitzgerald often creates his own chances through hustle and hard work.

Current assessment: In the midst of his best single season, Fitzgerald recently netted his 50th career goal at BC and is doing all the things the B’s want to see from him. As good as his numbers look right now (20 goals, 40 points in 33 games), the real questions about whether he can parlay his smarts and energy into a solid bottom-six NHL role one day won’t be answered until he turns pro. Whether the B’s look to sign him this year or let him return for his senior year is not known at present, but current projects are for him to go back for a fourth season and complete his senior season at BC. In the meantime, he’s gaining valuable experience and confidence by being able to contribute more consistently to the Eagles’ attack and he’s clearly growing under the tutelage of Coach Jerry York and the staff there.

Ryan Donato, C

Freshman pivot and 2014 second-rounder out of Dexter School in Brookline is having a rock solid first NCAA campaign at Harvard playing for his dad.

A brilliant prep player in four seasons from Scituate, Donato was often on a whole different level from his peers, lighting it up in his junior year (37 goals, 78 points in 30 games) en route to being a top-60 selection of his hometown NHL team. He produced nearly a two point-per-game pace over his entire time at Dexter, scoring 99 goals and 129 assists for 228 career points in 115 prep games playing for his uncle, Dan Donato. He finished the 2014-15 season with a flourish, skating with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and scored five goals and 10 points in eight contests.

At 6-foot-1, Donato is taller than Ted, and he says he gets his height from the other side of his family, which produced an NFL linebacker uncle, West Point wrestling captain cousin and of course his mom, Jeannine- a standout soccer player as an undergraduate student at Villanova. The younger Donato doesn’t move on the ice with the pure speed his father had as a player, but he’s not a poor skater, either. He’s improved his first couple of steps and uses his tremendous hockey sense to read and anticipate, often getting the jump on defenders to loose pucks in the open ice. Donato has a powerful stride and can bull his way to the net when he needs to. As he gets stronger and grows into his frame, he’ll be that much tougher to contain.

When it comes to pure offensive skill, passion for hockey and natural leadership- they don’t come in much more of a complete package than Ryan Donato. He grew up around the NHL and the Bruins and what has always impressed me the most about him is how when he was at Dexter, opponents would go hard after him every night, knowing that the best path to success was through shutting that team’s star center down. The flaw in that plan was relatively simple- Donato was too good a player to be contained and often burned them anyway. He did it most nights drawing double coverage and taking a lot of slashes, hooks and obstruction fouls, but he rarely lost his temper and put his team at a disadvantage by retaliating.

He took a major step forward in silencing any doubters this past winter, when he was named to the Team USA World Jr. (Under-20) Championship squad, beating out several other higher-profile (and earlier) draft choices because of the versatility he provided. Donato did not look a bit out of place and used the honor in representing his country in Helsinki (and earning a bronze medal in the process) to validate his place as a top NHL prospect, albeit one that is still pretty early in his growth.

Donato is not yet a dominant offensive player in the NCAA with the Crimson, but he’s certainly showed he belongs and is on track to raise his production considerably with an expanded role as key upperclassmen move on. His 11 goals and 17 points in 27 games include his first collegiate hat trick and are just scratching the surface of what he’ll likely do there going forward.

Current assessment: It is almost cringe-worthy in hindsight that Boston’s selection of Donato at the end of round two in Philadelphia drew any criticism whatsoever.  He’s justifying his draft position’s value and the B’s faith in him with his performance in Cambridge, but make no mistake- Donato is on a longer developmental path, as there is no need to rush his development or force him to turn pro sooner than necessary. He has a potential ceiling as a top-six forward who will likely play center but could convert over to the wing depending on how the B’s are stacked up the middle when his time comes to compete for a big league job. With Donato’s natural creativity and slick hands, it makes the most sense to keep him at center and develop him as a potential heir apparent when Boston’s star pivots are in the final years of their successful careers. As of now, however, the focus is on his work at Harvard and becoming a top-flight player in the NCAA.

Anders Bjork, RW

The Notre Dame sophomore is having a breakout year in South Bend with the Fighting Irish after being a fifth-round pick in 2014.

One season after posting a solid seven-goal, 22-point performance as a freshman (41 games in a bottom-six role), the Wisconsin native and former U.S. National Team standout has 11 goals and 32 points in as many games as one of his team’s more consistent wingers.

Bjork has average size at 5-foot-11/pushing 6-foot and 185 pounds, but is a speedy and instinctive player who thrives on the forecheck and forces opponents into making mistakes with his wheels and effective stick. He sees the ice well and reads/reacts quickly to the developing play. He’s tenacious and very good at being the disruptor who forces errant passes and finishes his checks.

He’s a curious specimen- not projected to be a high-end scorer at the pro level, but perhaps undersold in terms of his quick hands and ability to finish off plays. He scored a pair of goals (along with Donato) in USA’s bronze medal-clinching game against Sweden at the WJC and one of them was of the highlight reel variety. You be the judge…is he underrated as a scorer or what?

(video posted by Weekend at Bergy’s)

He’s done that a few times in the NCAA as well…he can be explosive and put a defense on their heels as he takes the puck right to the net, so to get his level of talent in the fifth round looks like pretty solid value for Keith Gretzky and his team of amateur scouts.

Bjork is plays a good all-around game. He’s smart and opportunistic…he takes his defensive responsibilities seriously and is a natural leader. Watch for him to emerge as one of Jeff Jackson’s go-to guys in 2016-17. Come to think of it- he’s there already.

Current assessment: Bjork is not a natural scorer, but his NCAA production is encouraging as he further develops his effective 200-foot game as an ideal checking line winger with some upside. Realistically, he’s not going to be a prolific 30-goal or more guy in the NHL, assuming he gets there, but a consistent 15-20 level of production is not out of the question. A prototypical Boston Bruins-type player, Bjork isn’t all that big, but he plays big. And has a big heart. And is very smart. Like Donato, there is no need to rush him, but at some point, the B’s will have to figure out how to work him in the mix as a guy you win with.

Colton Hargrove, LW

The 205th overall selection (seventh round) of the 2012 NHL draft is surprisingly scoring at a .5 points-per-game pace in his very first rookie pro season with the Providence Bruins after signing with the B’s last spring at the conclusion of a third year at Western Michigan University.

The Rockwall, TX native was always a rugged, aggressive power forward with soft hands around the net. but officials in the Bruins organization told me recently that his dedication to improving his conditioning has been notable in his success in the AHL this season. Hmmm…where have we heard that one before?

Coming into camp leaner last fall meant that he picked up a step from what is a bit of a plodding skating stride, and he’ll never burn defenders in the open ice. However, on the cycle and down around the front of the net, Hargrove uses his big 6-foot-2 frame to box out would-be checkers and establish a presence outside the paint. He’s been effective at getting his stick on loose pucks in front and has a terrifyingly heavy drive when he has the time and space to uncork it at full throttle.

And while he has a long fuse, once angered, he’s a nasty fighter who can do some real damage if he gets his left hand free. Southpaw. He’s a good hitter and effective along the walls and in front of the net.

He’s answered questions about his fitness and drive, now Hargrove just needs to keep learning the finer things to build trust with his coaches and the ability to adapt to the higher demands of a Claude Julien-coached team if he can earn his way up to a shot with the big club.

Current assessment: Hargrove still has much work to do on his all-around game, even if the offense is coming around well- 13 goals and 25 points in 50 AHL contests this season. However, when you look at what Tyler Randell has done in very limited minutes for Boston, Hargrove has impressed observers in his very first professional season and brings the kind of lower-line potential with what could be a higher ceiling.

The 23-year-old isn’t likely going to evolve into a high-end power forward, but he’s got the right kind of Triple S combination of  size-scoring-snarl to get a longer look in the Bruins organization.

 

 

2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

B’s aren’t wary of the Ides of March

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Brad_Marchand

Brad Marchand…boss (Photo courtesy of Alison M. Foley)

In a month that is clearly the toughest of  all the Boston Bruins have had to face in the 2015-16 regular season, the team is off to just about the best start possible, going 4-0-1 and earning nine of 10 possible points.

If not for Torey Krug’s negated goal against the Washington Capitals last weekend, the Bruins might boast a perfect 5-0 record in March and own sole possession of first place.

As it stands, the team prevailed in a real battle Tuesday night on the road at Amalie Arena in Tampa, finally solving Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop 10 seconds into sudden death when Brad Marchand took Patrice Bergeron’s centering feed off a 2-on-1 break and whipped it into the open side for his team-leading 34th goal of the season. Every tally adds to Marchand’s career-best NHL season, one in which he’s not only scoring, but playing a more disciplined (save for the suspension he got for low-bridging Ottawa defenseman Mark Borowiecki) and mature game.

The B’s performance in earning their 38th victory of the season was not perfect, but they’ll take it. Skeptics will point to it as one more example of the team not putting together a full 60-minute effort, but that’s a convenient position to take on the heels of an emotional win. A year ago, there’s little doubt that the Bruins would have lost a game like this one- they weren’t able to get their offense out of second gear and the fight and grit that has been there for so much of the 2015-16 NHL season wasn’t quite there with the squad that missed the playoffs for the only time in Claude Julien’s 389-win tenure.

Boston’s scoring is currently third in the NHL behind Dallas and Washington after being down near the bottom in 2014-15. They’re getting a much more balanced attack and since Noel Acciari joined the team and Julien put together a stable fourth line with Landon Ferraro and Brett Connolly on the wings. It’s a rugged, but smarter and more capable unit now that Zac Rinaldo and Max Talbot are down in the AHL and allows the B’s to attack opponents with three capable lines (though the third grouping of Matt Beleskey-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes has not been able to get much going at even strength consistently throughout the season when they’ve been together). Last night, the goaltenders conspired to limit the offense, but the Bruins on the whole have been able to make up for their defensive deficiencies because they can put the puck in the net.

Backup Jonas Gustavsson was brilliant, earning a career-best 42 saves in his up-and-down NHL career. He stopped everything the Lightning threw at him and especially stood tall in the third period when the home team hemmed the B’s inside their end and prevented any shots on Bishop for about the first 10 minutes of the period. ‘Gus’ has given the Bruins everything that his countryman Niklas Svedberg was unable to provide last season. As Tuukka Rask sat on the bench last night, he had to genuinely enjoy seeing his teammate rob and stone the powerful Tampa offense…he deserved a night off and got one. That kind of a performance from Gustavsson will do more to motivate Rask to raise his game than anything else, and it just goes to show you why the Bruins did not throw an untested Jeremy Smith, Malcolm Subban or Zane McIntyre into the role this season. The B’s just needed Gus to be healthy and to give Rask a chance to not have to carry such a heavy load. He’s done that and more with his 11-5-1 record and .916 save percentage.

The defense changed a bit last night, as Joe Morrow came into the rotation for Zach Trotman and played a serviceable game. John-Michael Liles is not only playing like someone in his mid-20’s with his quick wheels and ability to make the long stretch passes to spring Boston forward and force opposing defenses to scramble, but his presence has stabilized the B’s defense on the whole. (note- Liles could face supplemental discipline for his extended elbow and head hit to Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov last night- we’ll find out today if a fine or suspension could be coming.) Torey Krug is a beneficiary, as he has someone else who can carry the puck out on his own and has a little pressure taken off him. He’s still not scoring goals like he has in the past, but he’s posted career-high numbers in assists and registered his 30th helper on the overtime winner last night.

Nobody is going to argue that the Boston defense is championship caliber- they’re giving up a lot of shots and the team has benefited from strong play in the nets from Tuukka Rask and Gustavsson. If we had mediocre outings from the goaltenders, we might all be signing a different tune. Having said that- the defense is playing a heavier, more physically punishing game to wear down opposing forwards and doing a decent job of funneling those players out and away from the higher danger areas. There is reason for hope that if Don Sweeney can add at least one younger No. 2 defenseman in the offseason, there is enough raw material on the roster and in the organization that the team’s Achilles heel might not be a vulnerability for too much longer.

In the end, there are still going to be those who don’t believe in the 15-16 Bruins and think the team should have burned it down to the water line. I would submit that is a video game mentality- and that the idea of being recognized as a “contender” or not being the driving force in making drastic maneuvers for better or worse- is simply not realistic. Sure, I was one of the voices that honestly thought moving on from Loui Eriksson made the most sense going into the trade deadline, but that was under the mistaken assumption that the veteran forward would be in demand and that teams would pony up for him. If we take Bruins president Cam Neely at his word, then that was not the case- so I think it was the right move to add guys like Liles and Lee Stempniak to the mix rather than just mail it in.

It would be one thing if the Bruins had been disinterested and lacked motivation this season. Clearly, they have character and have played hard for Julien and the staff, even if they don’t have the pure talent and depth to compete on paper against the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals. However, the 1-0-1 performances against both clubs, not to mention the 7-3 road thrashing of the vaunted Dallas Stars in recent weeks, has sent a message that when skating and competing, the Bruins are a better team than I and many others gave them credit for entering the season.

It’s simply not right to turn around after the players have sacrificed and done their part (for the most part) in a regular season to get in a prime position to make the postseason to then cut their legs out from under them for the sake of acquiring extra assets that you *might* be able to turn into that key defender in the offseason. The Bruins still have pieces and components to make that trade, but this version of the B’s has earned the right to see what they can do in the playoffs without the mixed messages of taking away a veteran like Eriksson and trading four picks for Liles and Stempniak.

Since the trade deadline, the B’s have gone 4-0-1 and the line of Marchand-Bergeron-Stempniak has posted 19 points- a combined 8 goals and 11 assists (per B’s media relations guru Eric Tosi). If fans ever wanted an example of a team answering the call of “show me” after a GM showed faith in the roster by adding to it, this club has done that. Marchand has already set his career standard for goals, and Bergeron is just three away from tying his best of 31 set way back when he was just 20 years old in the post-lockout 2005-06 season.

So, while the recent positive run doesn’t mean we can start planning the parade route or booking the Duck boats as some of the snarky, more sarcastic people who love to throw straw man arguments out there when their negative narrative is threatened, Bruins fans can breathe a little bit. No team is just entitled to win- it takes hard work and dedication. Right now, the 15-16 Boston Bruins are all rowing in the same direction and the guys who deserve to be here are on the roster and making it happen. The team has some options if injuries hit, as well- Frank “the Springfield Rifle” Vatrano is tearing it up in the AHL with 19 goals since he was returned to the farm in January.

Things won’t get much easier for the B’s: they have a three-game West Coast swing against three of the top Western Conference clubs: Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose. The team then gets to fly back to the East Coast and close out the roadie with a date in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. However, by beating Calgary, Chicago, Florida and Tampa since the calendar flipped over to March, the pressure for Boston to face must-win situations is lessened. They can’t afford to leave points on the table and will need to dig down deep to run the table in their schedule, but sometimes- we have to acknowledge that when playing superior clubs, victories are harder to come by.

All in all, there is reason for some optimism in Boston. The team seems to have drafted well in recent seasons and even when they haven’t, undrafted diamonds in the rough like Acciari and Vatrano have give the coaches better options than some of the more heralded and hyped draft picks have. It doesn’t mean that all is sunshine and unicorns with the Bruins, but fans should expect their team to do their best.

We don’t live in a perfect world, so their best might not be good enough for some, but for the rest of us- moving in the right direction is good news.

Bring on the Ides of March.

2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins , , , , Leave a comment

Thunderstruck

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Sometimes, there are times when a detailed game summary just doesn’t do what happened any justice.

Tonight’s 1-0 Boston Bruins win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was one of those.

60 minutes of frenetic pace and no goals…Jonas Gustavsson stood on his head in the third period as the B’s were outshot 15-5. Another solid, mature and effective game from rookie Noel Acciari.

On the overtime center ice faceoff, Patrice Bergeron to Torey Krug…Krug to Bergeron…Bergeron to Brad Marchand on the 2-on-1 break, shot…score…his 34th- good for 3rd in the NHL in goals behind Alexander Ovechkin and Patrick Kane. Game over.

Bruins now have a share of first place in the Atlantic Division and have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games to keep their competition in the rearview.  This was a huge statement win, a character win. I’ll be back with more later, but wow- let’s just let this one sink in for the night.

I’ll let Brian, Angus and the boys carry it home…

(Original video brought to you by Vevo)

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Are You Not Entertained? Bruins recover to grab critical 2 points in South Florida

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The Boston Bruins blew a pair of three-goal leads- 3-0 and 4-1 to the Florida Panthers, but got a tremendous top-shelf snipe from Lee Stempniak to get out of the BB&T Center with a critical two points in a 5-4 sudden death victory Monday night. It marked the 388th coaching victory of Claude Julien’s Boston career, moving him past Art Ross for sole possession of first place in Bruins franchise history.

Stempniak’s 17th goal of the season was his first as a Bruin- he broke into the zone during 3-on-3 overtime play with Ryan Spooner, took a cross-ice dish from Boston’s third-line pivot and then wired the puck over Al Montoya to escape Southern Florida after the Panthers tied it late on Jiri Hudler’s second marker of the night.

Things started well enough for Boston- Patrice Bergeron, No. 37 in your programs, No. 1 in your hearts one-handed a feed from Brad Marchand into the Florida net behind starter Roberto Luongo to give the road team a 1-0 lead just 37 seconds into the game. On 3.7.2016. Coolness.

David Pastrnak went five-hole on Luongo after slipping past the Florida defense for his 10th strike of the year (equaling last season’s total in 46 games) to make it 2-0 and then Brett Connolly rushed into the zone after getting the puck from Noel Acciari (his 1st NHL point) and firing a shot past Luongo to make it 3-0 at 12:22, his ninth goal.

Third-year center Aleksandr Barkov ( he’s Finnish, btw) cut the Florida lead to a pair of goals when he jumped on the rebound of a Jaromir Jagr shot and ripped home his 20th. The Jagr apple moved him past Gordie Howe for sole possession of third place all-time on the NHL’s scoring list (he trails No. 2 Mark Messier by 37 points).

Bergeron restored the three-goal lead with his 28th goal of the season and second at 17:25 of the opening frame when he took a Stempniak pass and buried it on a rush.

It looked like the B’s would cruise, as Luongo gave way to Montoya to start the second period. The Panthers had other ideas and jumped on the B’s when they came out for the middle frame stuck in neutral. The game seemed to turn when Shawn Thornton fought Adam McQuaid after a heavy hit in the corner, and fired up his team and the fans. Of course, the Bruins skating like they were in quicksand might have had something to do with goals by Hudler and Jussi Jokinen to cut the lead to 4-3, while allowing the Bruins to get just four shots on Montoya in the entire period.

That set up a back-and-forth third, which started to click down to the wire when the B’s lethargy in the neutral zone caught up with them and Hudler pounced on a rebound of an Alex Petrovic shot to make it a 4-4 game with under five minutes left in regulation.

Tuukka Rask gave up a couple he’d like to have back, but faced 51 Florida shots (he’s 7-0-1 when the B’s surrender 36 shots or more) and turned aside 47 (for a .922 save percentage). It was Rask’s 27th win of the season and put Boston in position to jump past both the Panthers and Lightning if they can beat Tampa on Tuesday.

Every point counts- the B’s can’t afford to leave anything on the table and tonight nearly got away from them if not for Stempniak, who now has one goal and six points in four games since coming over for a fourth-round pick this year and a second in 2017.

Although it was an ugly win, the scoreboard don’t say how, just how many. And it also allowed the Bruins to take on a little swagger (just a little- they did blow a couple of three-goal advantages, after all) and head out of South Florida saying this:

Gladiator

 

 

2015-16 NCAA season, Boston Bruins prospects, Jeremy Lauzon, Linus Arnesson, Matt Grzelcyk, Rob O'Gara , , , , , , 2 Comments

B’s prospects deep dive 3: Grzelcyk, O’Gara, Lauzon & Arnesson

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We’re back with four more B’s prospects- a defense-focused edition that looks at a pair of NCAA players, a major junior D and one unheralded Providence performer who is all but the forgotten man in Boston’s system.

Speaking of unheralded- the next post will take a look at BC junior Ryan Fitzgerald’s progress, plus Ryan Donato, Anders Bjork and Seth Griffith. This blog will continue to be forward thinking…(get it?)

Matt Grzelcyk, D

The Boston University senior has overcome injuries this season to post another fine offensive season from the blue line. He’s already matched his single season-best 10 goals from a year ago, but in 17 fewer games.

Grzelcyk had off-season knee surgery in May, which caused him to miss the beginning of the 2015-16 NCAA season with the Terriers. Unfortunately, after just a few contests back and an immediate contribution on the offensive ledger, he injured his other knee and was lost for several more weeks. However, he came back with a flourish early in the new calendar year and promptly scored his first career NCAA hat trick in the process.

Although he stands about 5-foot-10, Grzelcyk has huge heart and a high-end hockey IQ. He’s an outstanding 4-way compass skater with instant burst, rapid acceleration/top straight-line speed and the ability to move laterally and change direction quickly with smooth pivots and transitions. The 22-year-old Townie pushes the pace by using that pure speed and quickness to lead the rush and has improved his shot significantly from where he was when the B’s drafted him in the third round four years ago.

The two-year captain is more of a skater/puck-mover/distributor in the offensive end than he is a pure trigger man and finisher, but he has the vision and creativity to set the table and finish off plays as one who isn’t afraid to go into the high danger areas and expose himself to a big hit to get pucks to the net. After scoring six total goals in his first two years (57 games- lower minutes/60 than he played as a junior and senior) in the NCAA, Grzelcyk has potted a nifty 20 and counting in the last two seasons (65 games) with a little more to go before he closes out his college career.

Like Torey Krug, Grzelcyk will be forced to prove that he can develop into an NHL defenseman but he’s so dynamic in terms of his skating and ability to get back on pucks quickly in retrieval and then advance the play back up the ice. I avoid player comparisons in general, so I don’t want people to get the idea that Grzelcyk = Krug…they’re two pretty different players once you get past the physical similarities. Grzelcyk will probably beat the Boston veteran (sounds weird typing that, but Krug’s three full NHL seasons and 225 career games affords him that distinction) in a foot race, but Krug’s got a bigger shot and (this year aside) is more of a scoring threat when he uncorks his drives from the blue line and out near the circles. He’s snakebit, but Krug didn’t score 26 goals in his first two NHL campaigns by accident. Both D are good at carrying the puck out of their own end and getting it up the ice with the quick first pass to beat the forechecking pressure or rushing it themselves through the neutral zone and negate any attempt to trap them into surrendering possession. Those are key attributes for the modern NHL rearguard.

Unfortunately, because of Grzelcyk’s size, coaches have to use him in favorable matchups and as Claude Julien has often mentioned when discussing Krug over the past several seasons, the smaller defender has to outwit and play a savvy positional game. Mitigating physical 1-on-1 matchups is the key to not getting overpowered when covering down in your own end, so the more Grzelcyk can help the B’s move the puck out of their own end and maintain possession in the offensive zone, the lest actual defending he’ll have to do.

Factor in the natural leadership and character and he’s the right kind of person and player to bring along and one day put into the NHL lineup. But first things first- he’s trying to get his Terriers back to the national championship after falling short in 2015.

Current assessment: The Bruins are no doubt looking forward to getting this player into their pro system when his college season ends in the next month or so. They took him much earlier than he was projected to go in 2012 and he’s steadily progressed in his development in the Hockey East. He has had two major surgeries, however- his 2013-14 campaign ended early due to shoulder surgery and then he had the aforementioned knee procedure about a year ago. That’s something for the B’s to keep an eye on, but it should not stand in the way of them signing Grzelcyk. Given his dream of playing for Boston and his connection to the team with his father’s position on the TD Garden bull gang, it is difficult to envision a scenario where he would attempt to not sign and become a free agent on August 1. He’ll likely need time in the AHL first but could gradually work into a role in Boston within the next season or two.

Rob O’Gara, D

Brandon Carlo has gotten a lot of attention as a top prospect in the Bruins organization for his size, skating and shutdown potential, but O’Gara is a few years older and plays a more refined game with a similar style and physical package.

O’Gara, who like Grzelcyk, is finishing up his NCAA hockey career after four strong years. The Yale Bulldog was named the ECAC’s best defensive defenseman last season after also putting up career offensive numbers as a junior. The production is down this year, but the Long Island native who turns 23 in July is not the kind of player who should be judged by statistics and offensive output. His three goals and 11 points in 27 games this season are well off his six goal & 21-point effort from a year ago (33 games), but more par for the course in terms of how he’s performed at Yale since arriving for the 2012-13 campaign.

Size and skating are the two main pillars for O’Gara: at 6-foot-4 and about 220 pounds, he’s big and strong, yet mobile enough to thrive in the modern professional hockey circuit. Ever since the B’s drafted him out of Milton Academy at the end of the 2011 draft’s fifth round, O’Gara has impressed with his fluid footwork and smooth, powerful skating stride. Even at his first Bruins development camp (he turned 18 the day he reported to Wilmington), he stood out with his poise and ability to move well and defend his own net. He was an extremely raw young player when drafted, but in the nearly five years since, has developed into one of the more poised and dependable shutdown defenders in the entire NCAA.

O’Gara leads his peers with a quiet tenacity manifested in the near-universal respect he garners from teammates, coaches and scouts. He’s not a rah-rah, in-your-face, fiery leader, but sets the right example and inspires others to follow him through consistency and his natural humility. In his first year of prep school with the Milton Mustangs, he often times had to cover for his higher-risk D partner Pat McNally, but did so with the skill and poise of a polished and seasoned player at that level. Since leading the Mustangs to a prep championship in 2011 (Milton lost the 2016 NEPSIHA/Elite 8 title yesterday to the Gunnery), O’Gara was a member of Yale’s first (and only) NCAA title-winning squad in 2013, his freshman season. He has a proven track record of being part of a winning formula, which is one of the things that attracted the Bruins to him in the first place.

Even as a shutdown prospect, O’Gara is an underrated passer and puck mover. He moves confidently up the ice with his head up, looking to hit forwards in stride to force defenses back on their heels. When the play is coming at him, he keeps the puck in front of him and uses his smarts to angle the carrier away from his net and out to more oblique angles to cut down on quality scoring chances. He’s not an overly physical defender but will make contact and use his natural strength to win board battles. He uses his long reach to make effective poke checks in the open ice. Like any young ‘D’ he has to guard sometimes against running around and trying to do too much, but when O’Gara keeps things safe and simple, he’s difficult to beat 1-on-1.

Current assessment: Like Grzelcyk, O’Gara has been carefully cultivated and developed in the Bruins organization, so the expectation here is that he will sign once he plays his last game for Yale. Whether that means he makes the jump to pro hockey right away or finishes out his semester in New Haven as Cornell’s Brian Ferlin did in the spring of 2014 after signing his entry-level contract with the B’s remains to be seen, however. He’s been patient in terms of his development and a long but steadily upwards developmental curve, and the team has exhibited the same kind of patience as well. It’s probably too much to expect him to jump right to Boston straight out of college, but stranger things have happened. If he goes to Providence to finish out the regular season, he’ll likely benefit from the chance to get his feet wet and experience the faster pace and higher skill level of the AHL before he begins his first full pro season in 2016-17. Regardless, O’Gara appears on track for bigger and better things, and consistently is underrated and overlooked when in fact the organization is solidly and firmly in his corner as a solution player going forward.

Jeremy Lauzon, D

The third of three defensemen drafted out of ten selections in 2015 might provide the best payoff of the trio in pro hockey when all is said and done.

Though not a truly exceptional player in any key area or specific hockey skill, Lauzon nevertheless is above average and more than capable at just about everything. He’s got good (Lauzon is about 6-1, 195 pounds) if not great (6-4, 220+ pounds or more is what is considered ideal in the modern NHL for D) size, and skates well though doesn’t provide dynamic speed and quickness. He’s a deft passer and effective goal scorer from the blue line, and has the ruggedness and smarts to neutralize opposition rushes and prevent players from getting to the front of his net.

Lauzon is putting up the best offensive numbers of his major junior career with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in his third season with them. He’s off his goals pace from a year ago (eight vs the 15 he netted in 2015) but with 44 points in 41 contests, Lauzon has already exceeded his 36 points set last season. He’s had to deal with some nagging lower body injuries that have limited his effectiveness in the new year after injuring himself after returning from Team Canada’s World Jr. Championship training camp in December. As one of the final cuts, Lauzon opened a lot of eyes around the CHL this year after being the 52nd overall selection by Boston last June.

Lauzon is a smart player who often does the little things in terms of maintaining his gaps, keeping the proper stick positioning and forcing opponents into committing early. He likes to go for hits in the open ice and will take every opportunity to finish his checks along the boards and remind guys in the other sweaters that he’s there. Though not a feared fighter, he’s willing to drop the gloves to defend teammates and plays a naturally rugged and aggressive defensive style that will translate well in Boston.

Current assessment: Lauzon has work to do in terms of refinements and tweaks to his overall body of work, and unfortunately, as a 1997-born player, won’t be able to jump to the AHL next season. The good news for Lauzon is that after his camp showing in December, he’s just about a sure bet to skate for Team Canada at the 2017 WJC (along with fellow B’s prospects Zach Senyshyn and Jesse Gabrielle I would add) assuming he stays healthy and continues to progress. He’s currently tracking as a potential top-3 NHL defender one day, but will need time to develop in junior. Depending on how Boston’s blue line situation looks in 2017, we’ll have a good read on how much AHL time he might require before he’s ready to stake a serious claim to regular NHL work.

Linus Arnesson, D

Like O’Gara anyone looking at the 2013 second-round selection’s offensive numbers is likely going to think that the smart and poised Swedish defensive defenseman is headed for Bustville.

That’s not the case, though some of us were admittedly thinking that he might develop into more of a two-way threat when Boston drafted him.

The 60th overall pick that year is a lean 6-foot-1 who moves around the ice efficiently with a long, mechanically-sound stride and is known for his consistent and effective two-zone ability. The product of the Djurgardens club isn’t going to wow you on any particular night, as he tends to play a pretty vanilla style. He keeps his stick in passing lanes, makes quick decisions and essentially keeps it simple without taking needless risks. No one is going to mistake him as the next Erik Karlsson, but he’s a more impactful than his four assists in 43 games might attest.

Because Arnesson is a smart and engaged player, he’s picked up fairly quickly on Providence (and Boston’s) zone-oriented scheme after playing more of a man-to-man defense in Europe. It hasn’t been a perfectly smooth transition to date, but when you go back and watch the film, there aren’t many glaring mistakes or issues jumping out at you either. Think about it- how many times do you hear or read about Arnesson and his play in Providence this season? I would submit to you- not very often. And if ever the old adage that says you don’t notice a good defenseman if he’s doing his job properly holds true with anyone, it’s the case with Arnesson.

Current assessment: Because he’s not exciting, dynamic or carries a first-round draft pedigree, it’s easy to overlook or forget about Arnesson. Whether he can carve out a niche for himself in Boston as a solid, steady middle-pairing D who may get you about 10-15 points per season tops but who can likely be paired with a smaller, but more offensively-inclined (read: risk-taking) partner or just never does enough to stick in the Boston organization is something we’ll all have to find out. When Dennis Seidenberg was helping the Bruins win a Stanley Cup and get to the final series of second championship, a lot of people could see his utility. Arnesson is obviously not the same player that Seidenberg is, but he brings the kind of safe, but limited ceiling that every good club needs.

 

 

2015-16 AHL season, 2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins, Boston Bruins prospects, Frank Vatrano , , , 1 Comment

Springfield Rifle: Frank Vatrano nets 3rd hat trick in AHL this season

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When you look at what Frank Vatrano is doing for the Providence Bruins this season, it just doesn’t add up.

After all- he’s an undersized, formerly chunky kid who didn’t even get drafted, right? How is it possible that he’s on the verge of hitting the 30-goal mark (in the AHL) in his first pro season and is leading that league in goal scoring? It doesn’t seem to compute, and yet here we are- the undrafted free agent who played just one full season of NCAA hockey with the UMass Minutemen before signing with the Boston Bruins a year ago- is the hockey story of the year. He has to be.

Vatrano’s 29 goals are two more than (former UNH star) Mike Sislo’s 27, but here’s the thing: Vatrano has done it in 26 *fewer* games than Sislo’s 54 with the Albany Devils. That’s simply astounding.

I posted an update on B’s prospects yesterday that featured Vatrano and joked that he had “cooled off” with “only” 26 goals in 27 AHL games headed into yesterday afternoon’s home contest against the Portland Pirates. Then, he not only lit the lamp three times for the third time (including a Texas hat trick- 4 goals- in there) this season and fourth when you include the three-goal game he posted for the Boston Bruins against Pittsburgh in December, but he became only the third player in AHL history to tally three unassisted goals and the first since Michel Picard of the Prince Edward Island (PEI) Senators in November of 1994.

To put it another way- he is simply killing it and can score whether someone is setting the table for him or he’s having to create his own offense. Don’t believe me? Just look at yesterday’s three tallies and decide for yourself (video thanks to the excellent Weekend at Bergy’s Bruins blog)

On the first one, he gets some good puck luck as he comes around the back of the net on a wraparound and it goes in off of someone else. The second goal comes off of an intercepted pass at the blue line and he beats Pirates goalie Mike McKenna with a wicked snipe that has become his trademark calling card. The third goal- in overtime- comes when he puts on a burst of pure speed at center ice, blows by the defender in the offensive zone and buries another of his shots to close it out.

Had Vatrano not played 30 NHL games with the big club from November to January, we might see him on the verge of 50 markers. Having said that- he realized his dream in reaching the NHL in his very first professional season and we can all rest assured that it won’t be long before we see him in Boston again.

At this point, though, when you have such a mature outlook the way Vatrano does, that’s of secondary importance given how well he’s playing in Providence and how much more dangerous he makes his team when he’s in the lineup. Here’s his response to the Providence Journal’s Mark Divver when asked if Vatrano wonders what he needs to do to get back up to Boston/the NHL?

‘It’s something I can’t control. I’ve just gotta keep doing my thing down here. When the time is right for me to go up, the time is right.’

You can make a good argument that he should be back up with the big club now. However, with the forward lines rolling of late pretty well, it’s just as well that he’s being allowed to spread his wings and dominate the way he is in the AHL. It’s not a matter of if Vatrano will be back in the NHL but when.

Not bad for a guy who was passed over repeatedly in the draft but who went to work over the summer to reinvent himself as a dedicated professional.

We talk about a movie being produced for John Scott and his All-Star weekend experience, but what about Boston’s own “Springfield Rifle”? I don’t think Hollywood could script this improbable path from the Boston Jr. Bruins to the NHL Bruins any better than what Vatrano has accomplished on his own this season.

As we enter the final month of the AHL season, we’re now eagerly left to wonder- how high can Vatrano soar?

We’ve already seen some impressive stuff from the soon-to-be 22-year-old. It looks like a lot more is in store.

Here’s his first NHL hatty:

 

 

 

2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins, Boston Bruins prospects, Noel Acciari , , , , , , , 2 Comments

A little more on Noel Acciari & why he’s impressing people

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Exhibit A for stats not telling the story- I give you Boston Bruins center Noel Acciari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYU0T2eK3HU

(Acciari talks to reporters about his 1st NHL shift vs Calgary- when Landon Ferraro scored to take a 1-0 lead; Boston Sports Desk video)

The Johnston, R.I. native was an undrafted free agent signing after being one of the captains who led his Providence College Friars to the 2015 National Championship, stunning their Hockey East rival (and the favorite) Boston University with a third period comeback Acciari had a hand in.

Aside from his minor hockey days, Bishop Hendricken high and final year of prep with the Kent Lions (the Connecticut school that if I’m not mistaken produced one Billy Jaffe, esteemed hockey analyst and broadcast personality) under Jaffe’s fellow Michigan Wolverines alum, Matt Herr, Acciari has not been one to put up big offensive numbers. That’s not his game.

What is his game is what we saw from him last night, in his third NHL contest since being brought up from Providence this week when Zac Rinaldo was optioned to the AHL. In a hard-fought 2-1 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, winners of seven straight games against the B’s going back to the 2013-14 season, Acciari stood out in a good way, even if he has yet to register a single point.

Besides, who doesn’t love a good underdog?

His signature moment, the one that created major buzz online among B’s fans last night, was when he dropped Caps defenseman and former BC standout Brooks Orpik with a big, clean hit along the boards. Many folks don’t like Orpik for some of the predatory hits he’s laid on players during his career, and he more recently (in December, 2013) took out Loui Eriksson, leading to Shawn Thornton’s retaliation and subsequent suspension, as he caused injury to Orpik when he pulled him down from behind and pounded him on the ice. Regardless of whether you root for Orpik or not, he’s a legitimate shutdown defenseman who is known for and experienced in playing a physical brand of defense- so when he’s out looking to make body contact, the veteran defender is usually the one who comes out on top.

Acciari, still playing with a jaw protector on his helmet after taking a slap shot to the face from Providence teammate Chris Casto earlier in the season, stepped into Orpik like a seasoned vet and used his lower center of gravity to drive the Washington player back and off his skates.

That’s the type of hard, but clean hit that has become Acciari’s hallmark over the years. He stands at just a shade under 6-foot, but he’s a stout 200+ pounds and understands how to give and take a hit.  Ever since he broke in with the Friars after taking a red shirt season in 2011-12, he’s done it. And while his offensive numbers grew in each of the three consecutive seasons he played in his home city, what was always consistent for him was how he finished his checks and forced opponents to think about how early or how late they held onto the puck, because they knew Acciari was coming.

He’s not a prolific scorer and won’t ever be that kind of guy, but he brings a well-rounded set of skills to the table: he’s a good skater who has the kind of short-area burst that is essential to thrive in a checking line role. To be able to do the job right, it’s about being more quick than straight-line fast and being able to change directions through a series of rapid stops and starts- Acciai’s excellent command of his edges allows him to be a disruptor on the forecheck and deny the opposing center time and space to make plays when the puck is in the Boston end. Watch the way he comes in behind unsuspecting puck carriers and lifts their stick to (legally) interfere with their possession. When you say that a player is smart- it’s not just about how creative he is at creating scoring chances. Making the right defensive play is just as commendable, especially when you’re in a 1-1 contest.

Acciari is a relentless ball of energy when he plays. As he gets more comfortable and experienced, he’s going to be able to assert himself a lot more in all three zones. Last night against the Capitals was the first of the three games he’s played (he was whistled for two marginal fouls against the Blackhawks) in which I’ve truly seen him start to morph into the wrecking ball that we’ve seen him be since his days at Kent and PC. Like most youngsters getting their first taste of NHL action- he was playing conservatively and skating more not to lose than to win. Against Washington, we started to witness that grinder who can wear opponents down and force players to think about what’s coming. Overthinking it equals errors that can be forced and exploited.

What’s best about Acciari is that he comes in with zero fanfare. He was a late-bloomer who was never drafted, but got the thrill of his young life when his favorite Bruins team came calling to offer him a job last June. Like Frank Vatrano, he simply could not pass that up, even though he was eligible to stay at PC under head coach Nate Leaman for another year. Also like Vatrano, the undrafted free agent that no team ever spent a pick on, can now say what a lot of guys who were drafted in each of the three years Acciari was available (2010-12) can’t: he’s made it to the NHL. Where he goes from here is still very much open to debate, but the B’s are no doubt pleased at what they’re seeing in his small audition. A team can do far worse than NA55 as a fourth-line center, and perhaps not a whole lot better.

We’re seeing things come together for Boston’s forward lines. A fourth unit that gives Claude Julien and his staff confidence and can do all of the things you want from the bottom-three, but also chip in with some speed and scoring to go with the physicality- that’s coming to fruition with Landon Ferraro and Brett Connolly flanking Acciari.

Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke, and for one Rhode Island kid who grew up in local rinks plugging away and envisioning himself putting on the Black and Gold for the big club that played in the shiny building about an hour up the road on I-95, that time has come.

Here’s to seeing continued growth and Acciari being that next good “hometown kid makes good” story for the B’s.

 

2015-16 AHL season, 2015-16 CHL season, 2015-16 NCAA season, Boston Bruins prospects, Frank Vatrano, Goalies, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Jakub Zboril, Malcolm Subban , , , Leave a comment

B’s prospects deep dive 2: Vatrano, Zboril, JFK & Subban

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Due to the overwhelming response on the first end-of-regular season Boston Bruins prospects deep dive I did on Friday, I’m back with another iteration. I’m limiting these to five players maximum, not only because they can get pretty unwieldy in terms of reading with 2,000+ words a pop, but because they take some time to put together. If you don’t see the B’s prospect you’re most interested in, hang in there- I will get to every one of them between now and the next 1-2 weeks when the CHL and NCAA playoffs begin in earnest. Everything will build towards and culminate in an end-of-season ranking- similar to the one I did in the January issue of New England Hockey Journal.

So, without further ado- here’s the second deep dive. As always- appreciate the support and feedback.

Frank Vatrano, LW

The undrafted free agent from East Longmeadow, Mass. left the University of Massachusetts after his first full season nearly a year ago to sign with his childhood favorite Boston Bruins and became the Cinderella story of the 2015-16 hockey season.

In the span of a year, Vatrano reshaped his physique, tore apart the AHL with a four-goal game and multiple hat tricks en route to a goal-per-game performance (he’s cooled off a bit of late and “only” has 26 goals in 27 AHL games), and then earned his first NHL opportunity, debuting against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre and netting his first big league goal. He would eventually score his first NHL hat trick against Pittsburgh later on and although he was optioned back to Providence, he’s shown immense promise going forward.

Since his days in minor hockey and the Boston Jr. Bruins (as well as two years with the U.S. National Team in Ann Arbor), Vatrano has been a goal scorer. He’s long had an NHL release, which he showed off in dazzling fashion during the exhibition season last fall and then proved it was no fluke when he began terrorizing AHL goalies with Providence to begin the year. He has a natural nose for the net and sublime hands, which allow him to exploit gaps in defenses and find open spaces where he can get his heavy, accurate shot off with a minimal amount of time to work with. Vatrano is a born shooter- he generates a tremendous amount of torque and power on his shots and can pick the corners at will. He also has superior reflexes and hand/eye coordination to get his stick on shots for deflections and batted pucks into the net.

Not tall and with a naturally stocky build, Vatrano dedicated himself to improving his conditioning in the offseason after seeing a few games in Providence at the end of the 2015 campaign (5 games- 1 goal) and having a “come to Jesus” with the Bruins in his exit interviews. The results were staggering, as he not only saw the improved ability to take extended shifts and recover faster, but also picked up some speed and quickness in his first few steps. He’s got such a good hockey IQ that he can recognize developing plays well and explodes to the puck in just a few strides.

His defensive game is still a work in progress, but there is no denying that the will is there. He often hustles on the back check and has shown impressive open ice speed in winning foot races back to his own end for loose pucks. He’s one of those players who was previously asked to go out and score, so it’s not a question of whether he’s committed to playing more of a complete game, but just getting him the experience and situations that will allow him to be more effective when he inevitably returns to Boston for his next chance.

Current assessment: Vatrano is the top prospect in the pro ranks in the B’s organization. He’s proven that he can find the back of the net in the AHL and NHL and at this point is better off playing an extended role in Providence as a first liner and top power play ace. His 38 points in just 27 games in the AHL shows a dominance at that level that nobody, even his most ardent supporters, could have predicted at this time a year ago. Vatrano is a good kid (he turns 22 in a week) who is living the dream of being a Boston Bruin- he played at the Gillette Stadium in the 2016 Winter Classic- and is sure to build more experiences and memories. The good news for the B’s is that their offense has not been an Achilles heel this season, so Vatrano can spend more time getting the development in seasoning he needs rather than being more of a spare part and lower line option in Boston. This sets the conditions for him to go in and earn a top-9 NHL billet and gives the team some options to perhaps make some critical moves on defense by leveraging roster assets, knowing that players like Vatrano are in the system and could be ready to make the full-time jump next fall.

Jakub Zboril, D

Statistically speaking, it’s been a disappointing year for Boston’s top pick last June (13th overall- acquired with the draft choice that sent Milan Lucic to Southern California). A brutal start in September and October put the Czech native behind the 8-ball and while he’s shown improvement in his all-around play since he returned to the Saint John Sea Dogs from the World Jr. Championship in early January, there’s no getting around the fact that the production isn’t where it should be for one of his talents.

On the plus-side, Zboril has the physical attributes of the prototypical modern NHL defender: Good size, superb skater with a powerful stride/quick first few steps and an impressive glide, hard, heavy shot.  He has the natural vision and instincts to be a two-way threat and power play quarterback where he uses his agility to navigate the offensive blue line with ease and fires pucks to the net. Physically speaking, Zboril plays the game like a North American player- he’s known for throwing big hits and getting extra shots in (that often earn him extra time in the box). He’s obliterated surprised opponents in the past who made the mistaken assumption that Zboril was a soft Euro and dropped the gloves only to find they had a tiger by the tail.

All of these traits should endear him to the Bruins and their fans- it’s precisely what the team needs most in terms of upgrading the NHL roster’s blue line. However, many things in life are rarely so simple as that, and in Zboril’s case- there is more nuance here than meets the eye.

Even when he was rising on the team’s radar last year as the first of the second tier of defenders available in 2015 (it’s not really a secret that the Bruins coveted Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski and tried unsuccessfully to maneuver themselves into the top-5 and 10 to get one of the two) that Zboril came with some warts. Even though the B’s jumped on him with the first of three consecutive picks, his natural effort levels and compete  were a question mark. What’s interesting to me is that in some circles, Zboril was given high marks for his work ethic and hustle, but when I broke him down in film study, I saw a player who went through stretches of passive, even disengaged/uninterested play. Often times- that’s a simple thing: ineffectual waving at a forward as he skates by in the lane instead of gapping up and forcing him wide or disrupting his speed/momentum with body contact.

Current assessment: This season, the shift-to-shift inconsistency and wavering intensity levels have been more of the same with Zboril, unfortunately. He will demonstrate immense promise on one shift, revving up with the puck in his end and blitzing through the neutral zone to fire a shot on net or dish to a teammate in prime scoring position. Or, maybe it’s closing quickly with an opposing puck carrier and knocking him on his keister with a solid body check or deft poke check with his stick. But then a few shifts later, he’s gliding around, not asserting himself or taking advantage of opportunities to push the pace or impose his will in the same way.

The good news is- he just turned 19 at the end of last month and there is time for him to mature and develop more of a consistent game with coaching and experience. The question is becomes, however- does Zboril have it in his intangibles to be the player he *could* be given his prodigious natural gifts? That’s the proverbial $64,000 question, and why drafting and player development is an inexact science. On pure ability alone, Zboril could have been playing in Boston this year, but he’s got more work to do at developing his positional play and of course- on the aforementioned intangibles.

It’s no accident that the B’s tried to move up last June to take someone else- they likely saw the same things. Zboril is one of those boom-or-bust players and the reward with him could be key in the next 1-3 seasons, but just as the team has the responsibility to work with the player to put him in a position to succeed within the organization, the player also needs to raise his compete and do what is asked of him.

There is no doubt that Zboril should have been a first-round pick last June and that the B’s not only upgraded their prospect pool at the defense position with him but brought in the kind of high potential player you want as opposed to a safer but limited upside option. It is a bit intriguing that the B’s could have drafted Zboril’s Sea Dogs teammate Thomas Chabot instead (he went a few picks later to Ottawa) and Chabot is having a far more impactful season as Saint John’s No. 1 D, but that’s water under the bridge. Woulda, coulda, shoulda- if if’s and but’s were candy and nuts it would be Christmas every day of the year.

What happens with Zboril going forward will be interesting to watch. Unfortunately, as a 1997-born player drafted out of the CHL, he either makes Boston’s roster next fall or has to go back to the QMJHL (or he could opt to play in Europe) but AHL and Providence is not available to him as a developmental path in 2016-17.

JFK

Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson aka “JFK”

 

Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, C

Taken with the 45th overall selection last June, “JFK” is one of the two second-rounders the B’s got from Calgary in the Dougie Hamilton trade (Senyshyn and D Jeremy Lauzon round out the three-pick haul for Boston) has been one of Boston University’s top adds this season.

He’s coming off a two-game sweep of UMass, the second game of which he scored a pair of goals and added an assist, which brings him to 9 goals, 28 points in 36 games for the Terriers as a freshman. He’s fourth on the team in scoring- tied with senior Matt Lane in points but Lane has 14 goals.

JFK has come as advertised this season: he’s a smart, smart player who brings a polished, advanced game for one who only turned 19 in the fall. He’s a good skater- quick to accelerate and smooth in the open ice. He’s faster than he looks, but doesn’t bring an electric presence with his skating. Often times- he might appear to be kind of gliding and coasting, but then he’s used that rangy, loping stride to slip by the defender at the blue line and is making a pinpoint pass to set up a scoring opportunity.

The Stockholm native, who spent two seasons in Nebraska playing in the USHL at Omaha getting used to the smaller ice surface and more rugged, physical nature of the North American game, has what scouts call 360-degree vision.  That’s the rare ability to not only see the entire play in front of him, but also a penchant for understanding what is behind him and on the periphery, so he often makes flawless drop passes or dishes that many other players simply aren’t capable of executing. He is most often compared to (by others I would point out) Patrice Bergeron, but while that’s a valid style comparison, I don’t think he’s as heavy on the puck at this stage of his development as Bergeron was even at a young age. However, the smarts, attitude and general ability to excel in all three zones appears to be there and JFK quickly earned David Quinn and his staff’s trust this year.

JFK was knocked in junior hockey for not playing with a lot of pace and urgency, and I can see those observations at times with BU this year. He’s not a player who is buzzing around the zone the way other high-energy forwards do, but he’s an economy of motion type who has the hockey sense and skill set to do a little more with less. It’s not going to win him many style points, but it’s effective. He’s slick and creative- your mind starts to wander a bit in terms of what he’s bringing to the table and all of the sudden he’ll make a play and bring your focus right back to what all the talk has been about.

He’s legit.

Current assessment: As one who advocates patience and not rushing prospects into the fray so to speak, I would not be at all surprised if the Bruins try to coax JFK into turning pro right away. With Bergeron and David Krejci about to both be on the other side of 30 (Bergeron turns 31 in July, Krejci hits 30 late next month), the B’s need to get another quality center into the pipeline sooner rather than later, even with the success Ryan Spooner is enjoying this year.

That’s probably an alarming prospect to the BU team and its fans, and I won’t say that it’s a done deal by any stretch, but I have been hearing a lot of positive buzz on JFK this year and because he plays that position that the B’s could have a developmental opening for in Providence next season, it would makes sense from an organizational standpoint to see that push come when the NCAA season is done.

Bottom line- Forsbacka-Karlsson is mature and plays a refined enough game that he could make a seamless jump to pro hockey now, but if the team and player feel it is in his best interest to return to school, he’ll be the top center and a good bet to take it to another level in 2016-17. Either way, he’s a top prospect who may not have a huge NHL ceiling in terms of offense, but is the kind of forward who will play for a decade-plus and bring consistent production and the kind of 200-foot play that a winning foundation is built on.

Malcolm Subban, G

It was a tale of two seasons for Boston’s top choice in 2012, but Malcolm Subban was playing the best hockey of his professional career when a shot in warmups hit him up under the mask and fractured his larynx. That serious injury will end up costing him more than two months of the season, but the team and its fans should be encouraged by what he put together in December and January before suffering that personal misfortune.

Always a brilliant athlete whose physical prowess in the net was clearly on display, Subban’s development has been steady and methodical because he came to the position late after years on defense and needed significant coaching on technique. He’s come a long, long way since the draft and is on the cusp from establishing himself as an NHL regular in Boston with the backup spot up for grabs next season.

I’ve always admired how explosive his movements are in net- Subban’s pads are some of the quickest in pro hockey and can be tough to beat down low when he’s able to keep his legs horizontal and seal the posts from east-to-west. He’s always been one who plays deep in his net, and the good news is- he has the athletic ability to get by with that, even if he’s been consistently coached to play out at the top of the crease more and improve his positioning to reduce shooting angles. When you play along the goal line, your margin of error goes down, so this is something that Subban has continued to work on. His glove is has shown significant improvement since he turned pro for the 2013-14 season, and Subban has all the tools to not only make the NHL, but establish himself as a starter at the highest level eventually.

He battled through a LBI that cost him the month of October to start the AHL’s regular season and was rusty when he got into the Providence crease for November. Things went from bad to worse, as the focus seemed off and his statistics- especially the save percentage plummeted down near the bottom of all AHL goaltenders. There were whispers about the attention to detail and willingness to work at addressing the flaws in his game and things seemed to snowball. To Subban’s credit, however, he righted the ship in December and earned the trust of Bruce “Butch” Cassidy and Kevin Dean in Providence- getting the bulk of starts and rolling off some impressive victories in both December and January.

Just as he had truly seized the No. 1 job in Providence for the first time in three pro seasons there, he took the shot in the throat in Portland and has been on the shelf since, opening the door for Jeremy Smith to return to the PB’s. Both Smith and Zane McIntyre have done a good job of keeping the good times rolling.

Current assessment: Subban is maintaining a good attitude about the injury and the corresponding rehab, which required surgery and established an eight-week minimum timetable for return around the beginning of April. It’s unfortunate that he’s had to take a step backwards, but the Bruins can afford to be patient given that Providence is getting good goaltending from Smith and McIntyre right now.

Back when Boston signed Tuukka Rask to his big ticket extension, a lot of folks engaged me wanting to know when the B’s would trade Subban. I think this injury should serve as a reminder of the importance of goaltending depth in any organization. Just because you have an established No. 1 like Rask does not mean it is mutually exclusive for a player of Subban’s potential to succeed in Boston as well. While that won’t preclude the Bruins from entertaining offers for him if they come in, it would have to be about value and given the elite-level showing Subban brought before his injury, he looks to be ready to take that next important step next season as Rask’s backup.

For now, we’ll wish him great speed and success in his recovery- it will be interesting to see how the long layoff affects Subban and how slowly he’s integrated back into the lineup when he returns. But, after two mostly up-and-down years in the AHL, he’s finally really turning the corner and establishing himself as the player Boston thought enough of to pick in the first round for only the third time in the team’s history (Evgeni Ryabchikov was the first in 1994 and it wasn’t pretty; Hannu Toivonen in 2002 at least brought Carl Soderberg in trade, but the track record in net for 1sts= not great).

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back in a day or two with the next installment with some of the “ministers of defense” in the prospect ranks: Matt Grzelcyk, Rob O’Gara, Zane McIntyre and Jeremy Lauzon