We hope you’re enjoying the offseason series on the Boston Bruins. There’s more in the works, but this post will quickly break down several of the forward prospects who could be ready for a bigger impact/contribution with the B’s in 2017-18. Now granted- we still need to see who comes and goes when the roster shaping period begins in earnest on and after 1 July, but for now- here are just a few players we think are going to push the coaching staff to either get them into the lineup sooner rather than later, or will make the decision to send them down a tough one.
Tag Archives: Jesse Gabrielle
Dominic Tiano: What’s Next for the Bruins (Part 4)
So, here I am with another post with my 3 Amigos colleagues Kirk Luedeke (the founder of TSP) and Reed Duthie. If you missed the previous posts, look back not too far and you will find them. I hope (I’m sure) you will find them informative.
Decisions, decisions, decisions: That’s what is facing Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney, President Cam Neely and the brain trust of your Boston Bruins. The most critical decision dropped this week when the interim tag was removed from coach Bruce Cassidy. It was crucial for this to be done as early as possible because, despite being two months away from the expansion draft and the entry draft, some key decisions are going to have to be made by mid-June as to which players receive qualifying offers and contracts, and who moves on, potential buyouts and buried contracts.
This is what we’ll focus on today.
Bruins prospects update 1/30/17: Re-ordering the amateur prospect rankings
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.
Podcasting New England Hockey Journal’s Bruins annual prospects review: Amateur list
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
Bruins prospect update 12/27/2016: 2017 WJC- McAvoy leads the way
The 2017 World Junior (Under-20) Championship started on Dec. 26 in Toronto and Montreal for Groups A & B in the round robin portion of the annual NHL prospect extravaganza that will run into the first week of January.
The Boston Bruins have five players (four defensemen and one goaltender) currently competing in the tourney: USA’s Charlie McAvoy and Ryan Lindgren; Jeremy Lauzon on Team Canada, Czech Republic D Jakub Zboril and goaltender Daniel Vladar round out the group. Guys who did not make the cut for their respective countries: Zach Senyshyn (Canada) and Oskar Steen (Sweden). Trent Frederic was not invited to the USA evaluation camp portion, but he was coming off of a hand injury that might have influenced USA Hockey’s decision to have him return to school. We don’t know for sure, but watch for Frederic to be solidly in the mix for the 2018 USA WJC squad. Canada did not even invite Jesse Gabrielle to the eval camp, which is probably more of a reflection of his not being part of the Canada Program of Excellence than anything else- you would think that a gritty power forward who can score and affect game flow with his physicality would be of value, but apparently not enough in Canada’s eyes. With both Canada and USA winning their opening games, the rosters look fine for now.
3 Amigos Podcast with special guest Jesse Gabrielle + B’s prospects and the legend of Moe Lemay
The boys are back with another 3 Amigos podcast- Reed Duthie, Dominic Tiano and me bring you our sixth episode since we started doing these before the 2016 NHL Entry Draft last June.
This time, Bruins prospect Jesse Gabrielle joins us fresh off of signing his entry-level contract with Boston over the weekend. The Prince George Cougars winger scored 40 goals a year ago and is on pace for more with a surging team that already has 24 wins on the season.
We also talk Bruins prospects and the upcoming World Junior Tournament. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon made the final roster for Team Canada, announced last night, while Zachary Senyshyn was the last forward cut. That disappointment will probably provide some extra motivation for Senyshyn, but we can’t help but question Canada’s decision here. His speed and scoring prowess seems like a no-brainer, but they have their reasons. If at the end of the tourney, Canada is not skating around with gold medals around their necks, the decision not to include the player with the second most goals scored in the OHL since the 2015 draft will likely be revisited.
We also have a discussion about the Bruins’ poor home record over the past several seasons, which goes in several different directions before revisiting Boston’s memorable 1988 playoff series win over the Montreal Canadiens and cult hero (former Ottawa 67’s star) Maurice “Moe” Lemay.
It’s a jam-packed 1.5 hours, so we hope you’ll stay with it. We eschew the normal 3 Amigos theme to go all Christmas on you, as well. The Waitresses classic “Christmas Wrapping” is a great way to close it out.
Thanks for listening!
Bruins sign Jesse Gabrielle to ELC
The Boston Bruins announced today (December 11) that the team has signed 2015 fourth-round pick Jesse Gabrielle to a three-year entry-level contract.
This comes as welcome news for some who were already starting to beat the drum on Twitter and other places that the team needed to get off the pot and make it happen. Now, of course, that Gabrielle is in the fold- the focus has no doubt shifted to signing Anders Bjork, the sensational University of Notre Dame junior right wing and 2014 fifth-rounder who has captured the imaginations of B’s fans everywhere by being up near the top of the NCAA scoring list all year. That’s the nature of the beast, we suppose- once you get a player like Gabrielle under contract, the feeling is to move onto the next shiny object…in this case- Bjork.
As far as Bjork goes, he can’t sign an NHL contract and maintain his NCAA eligibility, so the earliest movement we can see on him will be after the Fighting Irish season ends. We’re being told that the Bruins are going to push hard to bring him out of school this spring and they may have to get creative to do it, but we don’t see it being a Jimmy Vesey situation, because Bjork is still more than 1.5 years away from being able to exercise his rights in the CBA as an unrestricted free agent. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t thought about it, or won’t take the same course of action, but the B’s will get a chance to make a hard pitch to him this spring. If he rebuffs them, they may have to recalibrate and eventually prepare for him pursuing free agency, but for now, this won’t be resolved anytime soon, so relax and enjoy the season he’s having. He potted two more goals last night against Boston College including a filthy shorthanded strike. Bjork lacks ideal NHL size, but he’s fast, smart and tenacious- it’s not hard to figure out why he’s generating so much buzz.
Speaking of fast and tenacious- we had an inkling that something was up with Gabrielle this week because he was scheduled to do a 3 Amigos podcast with us on Thursday afternoon, but we got a message from him early that morning that something “really good” had come up and he needed to reschedule until resolved. The initial thought was that he might be getting a shot at Team Canada for the World Jr. tournament, but the other belief that the three of us kicked around was that he was working on a contract. Well done, Jesse and congratulations- he patiently waited for his turn after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th choices from 2015 signed (the 5th choice- Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson– will be next, as we anticipate him coming out this spring when his BU season ends) ELCs with the B’s, and he can now focus on playing the season without the distraction of a looming June 1 signing deadline.
Gabrielle is tailor-made for what the Bruins want in their forwards: he’s got good (not great) size, but has worked hard in the offseasons to add strength and mass to his frame, and it hasn’t cost him any of his speed. He’s still able to fly up and down the wings and slash into the middle of the ice and unleashing lasers to corners or driving the net and banging home rebounds. Gabrielle relishes physical contact and thrives in the dirtiest areas of the ice. People keep asking about Brad Marchand comparisons…we’ll try it one more time here…
Marchand is the player Gabrielle (a Bruins fan) enjoys watching the most for his goal scoring acumen and moxie/abrasiveness. But, we don’t see a lot of Marchand in Gabrielle- to TSP, he’s more of an Andrew Shaw type without (hopefully) the un-PC, self-defeating bullshit that Shaw has engaged in at times. This is a prime example of why we don’t like making player comparisons to begin with, though. Comparing Gabrielle to Marchand sets the bar high right off the bat, and Shaw is a proven playoff performer who plays with a lot of jam and is an opportunistic scorer also known for meltdowns and selfish penalties. Gabrielle is probably somewhere in the middle between the two, but he’s his own player and one who has potted more goals in the WHL over the past two seasons (59 and counting) with the exception of Tyler Wong (63). At some point, you have to let these players just be themselves without having to picture what they could be in your mind. We’re talking about a guy who scores, hits and fights- you don’t need a name attached to those attributes to get an idea about where Gabrielle might fit in Boston one day.
Gabrielle has done a better job this season of picking his spots and not spending as much time in the penalty box. His overall game is coming along, but the goal scoring continues to move at a nice clip, and the B’s love the edge/skill combo he brings. This is a kid who was deadlifting 450 pounds when he was about 15 years old, so he’s got the natural strength to thrive in just about any role on an NHL club, especially if it means working his way up from a bottom-unit grinder to eventually establish himself as more of a scorer…just like his hockey idol Brad Marchand once did.
Bottom line- Gabrielle has been one of the top prospects for Boston performance-wise since they drafted him in the fourth round some 18 months ago, and it’s nice to see the team get the deal done if nothing else so that we are spared the drama of hand-wringing and the demands of fans to sign him on their convenient timelines while conveniently overlooking the fact that the B’s have managed to do a pretty good job of getting their prospects to sign on the line that is dotted. (There is some Glengarry Glen Ross for you on a Sunday)
Bruins Prospect Update 12/05/16: Goal eruption
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
Bruins prospect report 11/15: Zboril, Gabrielle ascending
Two selections from Boston’s deep and promising draft class of 2015 are making positive waves in their respective junior leagues this season.
Defenseman Jakub Zboril, who was Boston’s top pick at 13th overall (acquired from Los Angeles as part of the Milan Lucic trade), is answering some of the questions about him coming into the season after being focused more on defense last season and posting a mediocre 6-14-20 stats line in 50 games with Saint John a year ago, he already has 5 goals in just 14 contests, and has not slowed much since the return of fellow blue liner Thomas Chabot to the QMJHL after breaking camp with the Ottawa Senators and beginning the season there for a few games.
If you have been a regular to this blog, then you know that TSP has never questioned Zboril’s skill and talent levels. When breaking down the top tier of the 2015 defensemen, the Czech two-way rearguard belonged in the discussion going off of pure ability- he wasn’t that far off from any of Noah Hanifin, Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski, all top-10 selections and all three of whom are in the NHL this year and making an impact on their respective clubs. What caused Zboril to fall into the second tier and below the cut line of the top defenders available in that strong draft crop was his waning compete levels and inconsistent application of his abilities. In short- when Zboril is working hard and on his game, he’s an ideal fit for the modern NHL: he’s fast, hard-hitting and can make a top first pass, not to mention having a blistering point shot when he has the time and space to cock the cannon and unload. Unfortunately, Zboril isn’t always on his game, and that is what has led to some of the doubts about his long-term viability.
For now, he’s certainly getting the job done for Danny Flynn and the Sea Dogs, and that is good to see. Flynn is a good coach- he helped mentor Brad Marchand when he was an assistant under Ted Nolan with the 2006 Moncton Wildcats, so he knows how to get good mileage out of players who might not always be on the same page when it comes to applying themselves. This is not to stir undue concern where it isn’t warranted, but not to put too fine a point on it- Zboril is still very much a work in progress who has yet to prove that he really wants to succeed and be the kind of NHL player his talent implies he should be. We shall see, but as B’s assistant GM Scott Bradley said in the offseason- the team sees their top choice a year ago as “on track”- that wasn’t what you would call a ringing endorsement, but to Zboril’s credit- he’s playing effective defense and contributing offense much more consistently than he was a year ago. That’s encouraging and we’ll see where it leads- pointing out a player’s shortcomings doesn’t make them “haters” so we’ll hope that people who ought to know better don’t try to polarize the discussion as often happens in sports discussions and take the feedback in the spirit intended- he’s making positive progress and is answering some of the questions, but it’s early yet- we’ll re-evaluate at the end of the year and see how it all went.
We’re not ready to eat crow yet, but we’ll give Zboril a stick tap for a strong Bruins training camp and a fine start to the season. It’s all you can ask for at this point, and he looks like a top-15 pick, which is encouraging.
***
Jesse Gabrielle is stepping it up for the second consecutive season in Prince George of the WHL after scoring 40 goals a year ago.
He’s the kind of forward that Bruins fans instantly took a shine to because he can score and plays a physical, abrasive style that makes him a tough opponent that teams have to account for whenever he’s on the ice.
The Saskatchewan native fell in the draft, and he’s been a man on a mission to show the teams that passed him up that they were wrong in doing so. So far, so good. He’s done impressive offseason work in the weight room to get his body in shape to handle the punishment that he takes on by driving hard to the net, firing himself into corners and along the walls to win battles for loose pucks and bouncing through checks to set up in the high danger areas where he makes the most money.
He’s playing a more controlled style this season- staying within his parameters and not taking undisciplined penalties as much. Gabrielle continues to understand that he’s more effective when he’s on the ice firing pucks into the back of the net, much like his hockey idol Brad Marchand has learned over time with the Bruins.
You have to give Gabrielle credit for not only getting himself into top physical shape but taking the coaching to heart and continuing to be a key offensive player, leading the Cougars in goals and pacing a blistering offensive attack that can beat opponents any which way. Gabrielle is the embodiment of that—he can play a finesse style or he can pound you, take the puck away and finish off the play himself.
He’s still refining his overall game, but at present, Gabrielle is looking like one of the top values in a very good 2015 draft class.
And here’s the updated stats lines for both amateur and pro (AHL and Euro) players:
Amateur Prospects as of 11/15/16
| Name/Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| Jesse Gabrielle, Prince George | WHL | 15 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 16 |
| Anders Bjork, Notre Dame | HE-NCAA | 9 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 2 |
| Jakub Zboril, Saint John | QMJHL | 14 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 6 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald, BC | HE-NCAA | 13 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 16 |
| Trent Frederic, Wisconsin | Big10- NCAA | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 |
| Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, BU | HE- NCAA | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
| Charlie McAvoy, BU | HE-NCAA | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Zach Senyshyn, SSM | OHL | 14 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 10 |
| Ryan Donato, Harvard
|
ECAC- NCAA | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| Cameron Hughes, Wisconsin
|
Big10- NCAA | 8 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Jeremy Lauzon, Rouyn-Noranda
|
QMJHL | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Jack Becker, Sioux Falls
|
USHL | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 26 |
| Cameron Clarke, Ferris St.
|
WCHA- NCAA | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Wiley Sherman, Harvard
|
ECAC-NCAA | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota
|
Big10- NCAA | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
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 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 |
| Anton Blidh, Providence
|
AHL | 13 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Danton Heinen, Providence | AHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0
|
| Jake DeBrusk, Providence | AHL | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2
|
| Matt Grzelcyk, Providence
|
AHL | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Austin Czarnik, Providence#
|
AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Emil Johansson, Djurgarden IF
|
Sweden- Elite | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Colby Cave, Providence
|
AHL | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| Rob O’Gara, Providence
|
AHL | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Sean Kuraly, Providence#
|
AHL | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Colton Hargrove, Providence
|
AHL | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Linus Arnesson, Providence
|
AHL | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Justin Hickman, Providence
|
AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Oskar Steen, MoDo
|
Sweden- Div 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Chris Casto, Providence
|
AHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Zane McIntyre, Providence#
|
AHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.44 | .977 |
| Dan Vladar, Providence
|
AHL | 5 | 2 | 0 (3) | 2.93 | .917 |
| Malcolm Subban, Providence
|
AHL | 8 | 1 | 6 (1) | 3.31 | .888 |
| Brian Ferlin, Providence*
|
AHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
# Czarnik, Kuraly, McIntyre recalled to Boston
*Joona Koppanen, Brian Ferlin- injured
** Tyler Randell, Tommy Cross, Alex Grant > age 25- not listed
Boston Bruins prospect roundup #1: Frederic, Hughes lead Sunday hit parade; Bjork & Gabrielle en fuego
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
| Name/Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| Anders Bjork, Notre Dame | HE-NCAA | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| Jesse Gabrielle, Prince George | WHL | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| Trent Frederic, Wisconsin | Big10- NCAA | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Jakub Zboril, Saint John | QMJHL | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Zach Senyshyn, SSM | OHL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Cameron Hughes, Wisconsin | Big10- NCAA | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeremy Lauzon, Rouyn-Noranda* | QMJHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, BU | HE- NCAA | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald, BC | HE-NCAA | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Jack Becker, Sioux Falls | USHL | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Charlie McAvoy, BU | HE-NCAA | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota | Big10- NCAA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Clarke, Ferris St. | WCHA- NCAA | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ryan Donato, Harvard** | ECAC- NCAA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wiley Sherman, Harvard** | ECAC-NCAA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Jeremy Lauzon out indefinitely (UBI/concussion)
** ECAC regular season begins November 4, 2016
Pro and European Prospects as of 10/17/16
| Name/Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| Joona Koppanen, Ilves Jr. | U20- Finland | 11 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 2 |
| Emil Johansson, Djurgarden IF | Sweden- Elite | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Colton Hargrove, Providence | AHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Colby Cave, Providence | AHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Matt Grzelcyk, Providence | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Linus Arnesson, Providence | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Anton Blidh, Providence | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jake DeBrusk, Providence | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Oskar Steen, Farjestad BK | Sweden- Elite | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Sean Kuraly, Providence | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Justin Hickman, Providence | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Chris Casto, Providence | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Zane McIntyre, Providence | AHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.57 | .969 |
| Malcolm Subban, Providence | AHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4.18 | .857 |
| Dan Vladar, Providence | AHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | .000 |
| Peter Cehlarik, Providence* | AHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Ferlin, Providence* | AHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Peter Cehlarik and Brian Ferlin- injured
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