Georgii Merkulov – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – BOSTON BRUINS – Top 15 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #21

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:54:08 +0000

Prospect System Ranking – 21st (May 2025 - 27th)
GM: Don Sweeney Hired: May 2015
COACH: Jim Montgomery Hired: July 2022

Thanks to the 2025 NHL draft, the Boston Bruins’ prospect pool has received a much needed shot in the arm. Thanks to the seventh overall pick, Boston landed James Hagens—a skilled forward once projected as a potential top three selection. He immediately becomes the organization’s top prospect and debuts at 14th in McKeen’s rankings.

The Bruins also struck in the second round, selecting William Moore, who now sits as their fourth-ranked prospect. Both Hagens and Moore are slated to suit up for Boston College, though there’s always a chance Hagens signs his entry-level deal early and pushes for a spot in Boston this fall.

At the trade deadline, Boston acquired Fraser Minten from Toronto, who slots in between Hagens and Fabian Lysell to round out the team’s top three. Both Minten and Lysell are nearly NHL-ready and could both challenge for a roster spot as early as this fall, though Providence may be their more likely starting point.

Beyond those names, the pool still lacks the depth to impact the NHL roster in the short term, meaningfully. Mason Lohrei, John Beecher, and Matthew Poitras are carving out roles, but the group isn’t strong enough to alter Boston’s contender status.

Still, there are encouraging signs. The Bruins added Matej Blumel during the off-season, who’s coming off a strong Calder Cup performance. Alongside him is a promising third-rounder, William Zellers, who impressed with 71 points as the USHL’s third-leading scorer in his rookie season.

The jury remains out on 2024 first-rounder Dean Letourneau (25th overall). Making the jump from high school to Boston University, he posted just three assists in 36 games as a freshman. Given questions about his readiness, his quiet debut does little to quiet skepticism.

With David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman anchoring the present, Boston appears committed to replenishing its future through the draft. For the first time in years, there’s a flicker of optimism that the next wave of Bruins talent might be worth the wait.

Boston Bruins Top-15 Prospects

1 - James Hagens

James Hagens had a disappointing draft year, but the Bruins were far from disappointed that they were able to snag him seventh overall in June’s NHL Entry Draft. Hagens came into last season with fans and scouts alike admiring his combination of elusive skating, elite hockey IQ, and high-end skill to the point that he was the projected first overall pick. After setting records with the USA in international tournaments (All Time tournament scoring marks in U17s, U18s) and being among the all-time point leaders in USNTDP history, Hagens’ step into the NCAA was not quite as seamless as many expected. The freshman didn’t put up the numbers that were expected centering Boston College’s first line but still ended the season with 37 points. A natural playmaker, Hagens has a skillset that will likely result in him being a key offensive piece in Boston for years to come. This year he is heading back to Boston College for another NCAA season, but the Bruins are lacking in center depth, and a year from now, there may already be a top six center role waiting for him.

2 - Fraser Minten

Little bit of a chaotic first pro season for Fraser Minten as he spent his time with four different teams(!) but was able to make the most of it. Fraser got traded mid-season to Boston, and it was probably the best for his development. Toronto had a stacked team and since Boston has become sellers this season, he has an easier time staying in Boston’s thinner roster. He creates chances off the rush thanks to his quick first steps, plays a responsible two-way game and is a dual scoring threat in the offensive zone. Fraser does not possess dynamic skills and is more of a play connector when getting his assists. Neither is he a sniper but he’s so strong around the net that he’s going to get his fair share of goals by slamming home rebounds. Fraser’s game is incredibly translatable to the NHL and since Boston is in a semi-rebuild there’s a huge opportunity for Fraser to make himself a permanent roster player.

3 - Fabian Lysell

Having spent three seasons playing professional hockey it looks like Fabian Lysell is ready to take the next step. His off-puck game still isn’t his strongest trait, but Fabian is an offensive player, and he has taken the necessary steps at the AHL level to become an acceptable defensive player. He’s not going to learn a ton more playing in the minor leagues and it’s time for Boston to see what they got by giving him an opportunity. One area of his game that immediately pops out is his skating. He loves to skate with the puck through the neutral zone, using his crossovers to shift from side to side to throw defenders off and when he gets past the defencemen he will drive hard towards the net. The skating combined with his versatile goalscoring ability and deceptive playmaking should project Fabian into a top six player. This season Fabian should be able to solidify a spot on the NHL roster playing a top nine role.

4 - William Moore

Boston’s fourth-ranked prospect and second-round pick this past draft failed to reach the expectations set before this season. Moore was hailed as a top prospect in the 2025 class during his GTHL days and opted to play in the NTDP, choosing the college route over the OHL. After looking like he was the sure-fire top forward that the program had to offer, Moore was taken after notable teammates Conrad Fondrk, Jack Murtagh, and Will Horcoff. Boston is buying low on the potential Moore showed to be a skillful, two-way center. His offensive upside stems from his stickhandling, solid enough passing vision, and ability to get open in space around the net, all of which were best displayed in his power play minutes for the NTDP. Additionally, he uses his size well enough to be an effective penalty killer. He won’t lay out foes in open ice, but he can quell a puck carrier’s momentum along the wall. Moore does suffer from effort issues and some weak overall offensive awareness, but these are issues that can be rounded out in the NCAA, especially the prospect assembly line known as Boston College.

5 - Georgii Merkulov

Much like Fabian Lysell, Merkulov has spent three seasons with the Providence and had great offensive numbers. However, his development has stagnated a bit and if Boston wants to see if Georgii is a capable NHL player, they need to give him an opportunity. There are no questions about his offensive game. The shifty Russian has amazing talent with the puck, using his great vision to find open lanes through traffic, throwing hard, accurate passes and is also quite deceptive when handling the puck in the offensive zone. There are issues with his off-puck game and it’s crucial that he works on this if he cannot be a top six player with the big club. Moving him from center to wing will alleviate that defensive pressure and would probably be best for his NHL path going forward. A good camp this preseason will probably result in an NHL spot for the start of the season as Boston has moved away from their previous talent.

6 - Dans Locmelis

Dans Locmelis took a big step forward offensively in his sophomore year at UMass, more than doubling his freshman production by jumping from 14 points to 33. The Latvian established himself as a dependable two-way center, earning minutes on the power play, penalty kill, and taking on tough defensive matchups. After the conclusion of his season at UMass, Locmelis jumped into the Providence Bruins’ lineup, piling up a dozen points in his first six games. Despite this offensive outburst, Locmelis is more known for playing a smart, responsible two-way game than being an offensive dynamo. His adaptability and work ethic make a bottom six role a very realistic outcome in Boston for Locmelis. His versatility will make him an asset throughout the lineup when needed, and he should settle in as a consistent penalty killer. Before that, he likely has a year or two in the AHL ahead of him.

7 - Dean Letourneau

Letourneau experienced a challenging freshman season, struggling to adapt to the college game. His skating remains a significant weakness, limiting his ability to be a consistent presence in both zones. While his size and strength offer the potential of a power forward, he often fails to use his physicality effectively. Puck handling remains inconsistent, though he has shown flashes of skill in tight areas. Defensively, he lacks awareness and engagement, contributing minimal impact. On the positive side, Letourneau has demonstrated solid puck protection and net-front presence, particularly during even-strength play. His willingness to engage in battles has improved slightly over time, but his effort remains inconsistent. Despite receiving power play opportunities, he did not make a meaningful impact. With all of that said, Letourneau could have a big year coming up. He should have played an extra year before playing at BC, especially as a fourth liner. With the poor start last year, there were improvements in multiple areas of his game as the season went on, including his confidence. Projection-wise, Letourneau projects as a bottom six forward. Significant improvements in skating, puck control, and physical assertiveness will be essential for him to maximize his size and develop into a reliable depth contributor.

8 - Matej Blumel

Matej Blumel has been a very effective offensive player in the last few seasons. All of them with the Dallas Stars AHL affiliate, he has now signed with the Bruins in hope of NHL play time. Matej can do a little bit of everything, plays all situations, is okay defensively but forechecks well and puts tenacious pressure on defenders. Rather than having extraordinary playmaking ability, he gets his assists more thanks to his play drive and the amount of puck touches he makes. An effective scorer on the rush by coming down his weakside in transition and firing off his strong wrist shot but also has the offensive instincts to find open areas and can frequently score with his one-timer. A future as a top six forward in the NHL is probably out of the picture as his playmaking game never really has taken off and he probably won’t be getting the same amount of power play time he had with the Texas Stars. He could still be an effective middle six winger but needs to be competitive consistently if he wants to find success in that role.

9 - Will Zellers

A recent acquisition from the Colorado Avalanche, Zellers decided to hold off on joining North Dakota this year to play his post draft year in the USHL after playing previously with the Shattuck St. Mary’s program. With the Green Bay Gamblers, Zellers was consistently one of the most dangerous players in the USHL this year, leading the league in goal scoring by a significant margin. Not only is Zellers a skilled finisher and a creative player, but he’s also a hard-working player who finds success in higher traffic areas. The work rate and skill combination give him a really solid chance of becoming a quality pro. The question mark remains his skating. For an undersized forward, he doesn’t have the kind of speed or explosiveness that you prefer to see and that’s why he was a third-round selection despite possessing solid upside. He’s going to need a few years at the collegiate level to improve that.

10 - Michael Dipietro

Michael DiPietro has finally broken out at the AHL level at 25, becoming one of the league’s top goalies. He’s a very aggressive and intense goalie who relies on speed and rapid movements to get things done. He skates very well and is so fluid, but because that is his whole identity, it can hurt him in certain areas. With the overly aggressive style of play, it means that he lacks composure in areas, often not setting his feet and opting to travel longer when he shouldn’t have to, just to grab a little bit more depth on the shooter. When hot in the AHL, he has shown backup potential in the NHL but given his erratic nature it’s not likely he can sustain a starter’s workload at the highest level. He’s knocking on the door to being NHL ready in some capacity, but with Korpisalo under contract, he will have to bide time and learn to be calmer to some degree.

11 - Frederic Brunet

Entering the final season of his ELC, the unassuming Brunet saw his first NHL action last season while serving as one of AHL Providence’s top two defenders. A good-sized all-round defenceman, Brunet will pop out at you with the odd, impressive play on the attack every now and again. With no less than eight solid NHL-caliber players ahead of him in Boston’s blueline pecking order, he’ll likely have to bide his time until trades/injuries enter the picture.

12 - Chris Pelosi

Drafted in the third-round as a developmental project right from the get-go, the tenacious Pelosi followed a 55-point season in the USHL with a fantastic 13-goal, 24-point freshman year at Quinnipiac. Thanks to his feistiness and determination around the goal mouth and in the slot, he keeps the opposition on its toes and proved deceptive last season with longer range wrist shots. Could mesh well this season with incoming freshmen Markus Vidicek and Antonin Verreault.

13 - Oskar Jellvik

After a monstrous 2023-24 season for Boston College, where he gelled brilliantly with linemate Cutter Gauthier, Jellvik’s drop in production this past season was one of the more notable NCAA drop-offs whatsoever. An upper body injury at the Beanpot Tournament in February then ended all hopes of him regaining his touch this season. A sound skater with a strong sense of creativity, the onus is now on him to bounce back into a top six role for the always competitive Eagles.

14 - Elliott Groenewold

A well-built native of Vermont, Groenewold made a seamless transition from the USHL to college hockey this past season, becoming an absolute minute-muncher on Quinnipiac’s blueline. Some nights were better than others, but there’s no real hesitation in his reads and ability to pressure attackers, often suffocating players on the rush or in the corners. Production may never be something to write home about, but he’s on track to compete for a lower line NHL job one day.

15 - Riley Duran

Having just completed his first full pro season, Massachusetts native Duran snuck into two contests for the Bruins this year due in part to his dependability as a fourth line grinder, a role that will surely be his only viable path to NHL employment. Alas, they do like their blue-collar combatants in Beantown and Riley’s solid skating ability and lunchpail nature makes him a serious candidate as a penalty kill and forechecking option down the road. Offensively, a non-factor.

2025 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: #27 BOSTON BRUINS – Top 15 NHL Affiliated Prospects

Sun, 18 May 2025 14:41:49 +0000

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 05: Boston Bruins center Fraser Minten (93) rushes up ice during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes on April 5, 2025, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

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Boston 25 Prospects

MCKEEN’S 2024 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: TOP 30 NHL PROSPECTS

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 12:22:26 +0000

At McKeen’s Hockey we do a ranked affiliated prospect list twice a season. Our first, this ranking, follows the end of the regular season for most prospects but does not include the playoffs. It is a ranking of the top 200, plus the top 15 by team, prior to the NHL Draft. Once the NHL Draft is complete, we begin the process of updating the organizational ranking to a top 20, and then rank the top 300. That is completed in August, once the dust has settled on free agency, and any trades that are made in the meantime. We include that ranking in our McKeen’s NHL Yearbook, published in late August, Early September.

Our team of 16 scouts are based in key markets around the world, in the rinks, supported by video scouting. They utilize some terrific tools from Hudl/InStat, which can isolate so many aspects of a player’s game, along with proprietary statistics. They spend countless hours in rinks and in front of screens and are deeply familiar with these players and their progression. Our management team of Brock Otten (Director of Scouting) and Derek Neumeier (Assistant Director of Scouting/Senior Western Regional Scout), along with Video Scouting Coordinator, Josh Bell, will take the teams input and finalize the list you see below. Brock, Derek and Josh are responsible for the player write-ups in the Prospect Guide.

The organizational rankings are based on an algorithm that takes into account how many prospects are ranked within the top 200. The teams are broken down by the number of prospects in our top 1 -25, 26 - 50, 51 - 100, and 101 - 200. A weight is attached to each group and then some subjective tweaking is done based on our knowledge of the players. There can be a wider discrepancy in the top 25 group than the latter groupings that needs to be taken into account.

Here is our definition of an NHL prospect: Players under 26 years of age as of 9/15/2024 who have appeared in less than 60 NHL games (30 for goalies) and less than 35 in one season (25 for goalies).

Check back in with us in the fall to see how things change following the draft. We are releasing out top 30 NHL Prospects free to non-subscribers. If you want to learn more, link here.

Subscribers can link to the full top 200 listing here

Here is an excerpt of Brock Otten's Risers and Fallers article from the magazine to give you more perspective and a little taste of our content.

The best part of scouting is the somewhat unpredictable nature of human development. Some players improve dramatically from one year to the next…others do not. When we compare the rankings from our 2023-24 NHL Yearbook (where we did a Top 300 prospect ranking) to now, these are the players who have risen/fallen the most.

Risers

DALLAS, TX - APRIL 22: Dallas Stars center Logan Stankoven (11) reacts to a goal score during game one of the Western Conference First Round between the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights on April 22, 2024 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire)

Logan Stankoven (27 to 5) - Dallas Stars

Stankoven’s jump from one of the best players in the WHL to one of the best players in the AHL has been impressive. So has his quick start in the NHL.

Ryan Leonard (32 to 6) – Washington Capitals

Leonard is returning to Boston College after a Championship barely eluded him this year. However, he has proven to be an elite play driver to go with his strong off puck play.

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 11: Look on Montreal Canadiens right wing Joshua Roy (89) during warm-up before the St. Louis Blues versus the Montreal Canadiens game on February 11, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire)

Josh Roy (63 to 35) – Montreal Canadiens

Roy continues to prove doubters wrong after a terrific AHL season with Laval. His skill set has become so well rounded since being drafted.

Conor Geekie (68 to 18) – Utah

Geekie’s power game from the middle of the ice makes him such an interesting prospect for today’s NHL. His skating continues to improve.

Mavrik Bourque (79 to 23) – Dallas Stars

Bourque emerged as one of the best players in the AHL this season as a sophomore professional. He’s ready to take that next step with the Stars.

Gabe Perreault (86 to 19) – New York Rangers

Once thought to be the third wheel on the talented Will Smith/Ryan Leonard threesome, Perreault’s progression as a play driver at Boston College this season has altered the perception that he can be a front-line NHL player.

Bradly Nadeau (109 to 34) – Carolina Hurricanes

Drafting early out of the BCHL has yielded inconsistent results, however Nadeau was exceptional as a freshman at Maine. Did he leave school too early though?

Jagger Firkus (112 to 47) – Seattle Kraken

Firkus took his game to another level this year in his final WHL season, leading the league in scoring. He’s ready to be a pro.

Gavin Brindley (122 to 66) – Columbus Blue Jackets

One of the most improved players in the NCAA this year, Brindley emerged as a star for the University of Michigan and really altered his projection as a potential top six forward.

Quentin Musty (125 to 51) – San Jose Sharks

The dynamic American winger worked hard to fine tune components of his game in Sudbury this year and deserves a bump for improving his consistency.

Jani Nyman (135 to 81) – Seattle Kraken

Nyman emerged as one of the top goal scorers in Finland this season as a U20 player. This, combined with his strong WJC performance, has helped push him up our board north.

Logan Mailloux (145 to 45) – Montreal Canadiens

Mailloux proved to be way more refined at the AHL level than previously perceived. Simply put, he was one of the best defensive prospects in the AHL this year.

Josh Doan (153 to 55) - Utah

What a terrific story to the end of the Coyotes franchise. Doan emerged as a potential star this season and finished the year strong in the NHL, scoring in his debut.

Riley Heidt (157 to 44) – Minnesota Wild

We still don’t understand how Heidt fell as far as he did in the 2023 draft, however he is proving NHL scouts wrong thus far after a remarkable year with Prince George.

Ville Koivunen (165 to 71) – Pittsburgh Penguins

The main piece of the Jake Guentzel to Carolina deal, Koivunen emerged as one of the top players in Liiga this year.

Ethan Del Mastro (169 to 73) – Chicago Blackhawks

There was little doubt that Del Mastro’s strong defensive ability would translate to the AHL level well, but he continues to improve offensively and that has altered his projection.

Theo Lindstein (185 to 91) – St. Louis Blues

Lindstein’s strong year for Brynas has helped to elevate his upside as a two-way defender. We may have ranked him too low in our 2023 Draft Rankings.

Carson Rehkopf (201 to 69) – Seattle Kraken

Consistency off the puck and a lack of engagement held Rehkopf back last year. This year marked improvement in those areas helped him emerge as a top offensive talent in the OHL.

Easton Cowan (204 to 67) – Toronto Maple Leafs

One of the surprises of the 2023 draft, Cowan set a new OHL record with a 42-game point streak. More than just a high energy guy now, he can be a difference maker offensively.

Seamus Casey (214 to 63) – New Jersey Devils

Casey continues to improve in the NCAA. He may not have elite size, but he has everything else, and it has the Devils excited about his future.

Jacob Fowler (222 to 52) – Montreal Canadiens

Fowler compiled a list of accolades as a freshman this year at Boston College, emerging as one of the top goaltending prospects in the game.

Fraser Minten (226 to 84) – Toronto Maple Leafs

After starting the year with the Leafs, Minten returned to the WHL and ended up captaining Canada at the World Juniors.

Jackson Blake (277 to 117) – Carolina Hurricanes

A finalist for the Hobey Baker this year, Blake became an NCAA star for North Dakota, and he now turns pro.

Erik Portillo (Unranked to 118) – Los Angeles Kings

Acquired by the Kings, Portillo turned pro after three years at Michigan and he was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL as a first-year pro.

Rodwin Dionicio (Unranked to 139) – Anaheim Ducks

Dionicio still plays a high risk, high reward game from the back end, but his offensive upside has become too large to ignore.

Fallers

EDM - Xavier Bourgault

Xavier Bourgault (from 48 to 113) – Edmonton Oilers

After a mediocre first professional year last season, Bourgault was even more disappointing as a sophomore with Bakersfield. The Oilers just haven’t been developing prospects well in recent years.

Eduard Sale (72 to 140) – Seattle Kraken

Sale’s first year in North America did not go according to plan as he struggled to be a consistent impact player in the OHL.

Jack Rathbone (96 to not ranked) – Pittsburgh Penguins

Perhaps we ranked Rathbone too aggressively this summer, but not only did he fail to earn a spot on Vancouver, but he’s now an NHL after thought after entering Pittsburgh’s organization via trade.

Jacob Perreault (127 to not ranked) – Montreal Canadiens

Perreault’s off puck play and skating just haven’t improved to the point where he can be a consistent pro and it caused the Ducks to move on from him, trading him to Montreal.

Jan Jenik (156 to not ranked) - Utah

Once a highly ranked prospect, Jenik continues to fall. He just hasn’t been able to take that next step and even passed through waivers this year unclaimed.

RNK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Will Smith	SJ	C	19	6-0/175	Boston College (HE)	41	25	46	71	14
2	Matvei Michkov	Phi	RW	19	5-10/170	SKA St. Petersburg-HK Sochi (KHL)	48	19	22	41	26
3	Brandt Clarke	LA	D	21	6-2/185	Los Angeles (NHL)	16	2	4	6	10
4	Cutter Gauthier	Ana	LW	20	6-2/190	Boston College (HE)	41	38	27	65	18
5	Logan Stankoven	Dal	C	21	5-8/170	Dallas (NHL)	24	6	8	14	4
6	Ryan Leonard	Wsh	RW	19	5-11/190	Boston College (HE)	41	31	29	60	38
7	Alexander Nikishin	Car	D	22	6-3/195	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	67	17	39	56	39
8	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	21	6-3/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	44	30	13	2.39	0.911
9	Jesper Wallstedt	Min	G	21	6-3/215	Iowa (AHL)	45	22	19	2.70	0.910
10	Matthew Savoie	Buf	C	20	5-9/179	Wen-MJ (WHL)	34	30	41	71	10
11	Simon Edvinsson	Det	D	21	6-6/215	Detroit (NHL)	16	1	1	2	4
12	Jonathan Lekkerimaki	Van	RW	19	5-11/170	Orebro (SHL)	46	19	12	31	10
13	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	23	6-0/166	Calgary (AHL)	36	20	12	2.45	0.922
14	Devon Levi	Buf	G	21	6-0/192	Rochester (AHL)	26	16	6	2.42	0.927
15	Olen Zellweger	Ana	D	20	5-9/180	Anaheim (NHL)	26	2	7	9	4
16	Dmitri Simashev	Ari	D	19	6-4/198	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	63	4	6	10	18
17	David Reinbacher	Mtl	D	19	6-2/185	Kloten (Sui-NL)	35	1	10	11	18
18	Conor Geekie	Ari	C	19	6-3/193	Wen-SC (WHL)	55	43	56	99	66
19	Gabe Perreault	NYR	RW	18	5-11/165	Boston College (HE)	36	19	41	60	29
20	Daniil But	Ari	LW	19	6-5/203	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	55	10	11	21	10
21	Shane Wright	Sea	C	20	6-0/200	Coachella Valley (AHL)	59	22	25	47	18
22	Jiri Kulich	Buf	C	20	6-1/186	Rochester (AHL)	57	27	18	45	26
23	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	22	5-10/190	Texas (AHL)	71	26	51	77	32
24	Nate Danielson	Det	C	19	6-2/185	Bdn-Por (WHL)	54	24	43	67	42
25	Danila Yurov	Min	RW	19	6-1/175	Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)	62	21	28	49	35
26	Brennan Othmann	NYR	LW	21	6-0/175	Hartford (AHL)	67	21	28	49	65
27	Lane Hutson	Mtl	D	20	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	38	15	34	49	24
28	Tom Willander	Van	D	19	6-1/180	Boston University (HE)	38	4	21	25	12
29	Marco Kasper	Det	C	20	6-1/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	71	14	21	35	30
30	Dalibor Dvorsky	StL	C	18	6-1/200	Sudbury (OHL)	52	45	43	88	17

MCKEEN’S 2024 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #27 Boston Bruins – Organization Overview – Top 15 Prospects

Player Profiles - Brock Otten, Team Overview - Robert Howard — Wed, 29 May 2024 21:07:47 +0000

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 24: Boston Bruins right wing Fabian Lysell (10) eyes a face off during a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers on September 24, 2023, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

The Bruins successfully transitioned to the new era without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, both retired. They finished with 109 points, good for seventh in the league after setting records the previous season with 135. They once again advanced to the second round of the playoffs, only to fall to the Florida Panthers once again. GM Don Sweeney was quite reserved this season, after moving out a lot of draft capital last year prior to the 2023 playoffs, including their first three picks this year. He moved two first round picks (2023 and 2024), a second (2025), third (2024), and a fourth round (2025) picks for Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitri Orlov and Garnet Hathaway, who all moved on after the season. The draining of all that fresh blood into the system meant the remaining prospects and younger players had an opportunity to step up and the Bruins saw their first graduations in a few seasons. John Beecher and Mason Lohrei, both established themselves in the line-up this season.

The new core of their team is just entering their prime in David Pastrnak (26-years-old), Charlie McAvoy (26) and rising star goaltender Jeremy Swayman (25), who was outstanding in the playoffs. While that is an excellent base to build upon, the rest of the crew are a solid support group, and credit must be given to coach Jim Montgomery in getting the most out of them. Given low expectations going into the season, their efforts will be a confidence booster. After a quiet year, Sweeney will have some options this coming season, if not in draft picks to offer. He will look to add to that core, and the franchise is retooling for further playoff success.

RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Fabian Lysell	RW	21	5-11/181	Providence (AHL)	`21(21st)	56	15	35	50	37
2	Brandon Bussi	G	25	6-4/218	Providence (AHL)	FA(3/22)	41	23	10	2.67	0.913
3	Georgii Merkulov	C	23	5-11/175	Providence (AHL)	FA(4/22)	67	30	35	65	20
4	John Farinacci	C	23	5-11/197	Providence (AHL)	FA(8/23)	71	12	26	38	16
5	Oskar Jellvik	LW	21	5-11/175	Boston College (HE)	`21(149th)	41	13	29	42	16
6	Reid Dyck	G	20	6-3/190	Swift Current (WHL)	`22(183rd)	35	25	7	2.70	0.911
7	Justin Brazeau	RW	26	6-5/220	Providence (AHL)	FA(2/24)	49	18	19	37	14
					Boston (NHL)	FA(2/24)	19	5	2	7	2
8	Riley Duran	C	22	6-1/175	Providence (HE)	`20(182nd)	35	9	7	16	18
9	Alec Regula	D	23	6-4/211	Providence (AHL)	T(Chi-6/23)	55	4	22	26	41
10	Michael DiPietro	G	24	6-1/205	Providence (AHL)	T(Van-10/22)	30	18	9	2.51	0.918
11	Andre Gasseau	C	20	6-4/205	Boston College (HE)	`21(213th)	40	12	17	29	27
12	Trevor Kuntar	C	22	6-0/205	Providence (AHL)	`20(89th)	70	10	10	20	113
13	Dans Locmelis	C	20	6-0/170	Massachusetts (HE)	`22(119th)	30	7	7	14	4
14	Brett Harrison	C	20	6-2/189	Providence (AHL)	`21(85th)	47	5	9	14	8
15	Frederic Brunet	D	20	6-3/196	Providence (AHL)	`22(132nd)	48	2	10	12	21

1. Fabian Lysell, RW, Providence Bruins (AHL)

Lysell has made some waves this year, for both good and bad reasons, but he is unquestionably Boston’s best prospect currently because of his significant offensive upside. On the positive end of things, he’s such a dangerous player in transition because of his speed and playmaking ability. He can create something out of nothing, and he puts opposing defenders in a tough spot with his ability to attack with pace. On the negative end, his play away from the puck and his decision making with the puck have been called into question this year by scouts and even his own coach. It’s the reason why he has yet to play an NHL game despite producing at a great clip this season. Next year’s Boston training camp will be a big one for Lysell to prove that he can make adjustments and play more of a team-oriented game.

2. Brandon Bussi, G, Providence Bruins (AHL)

Barely still eligible for this list based on his age (25 turning 26), Bussi needs to be in the conversation as among the top young netminders outside of the NHL. His strong play with Providence is the reason why trade rumours have swirled around Boston’s netminders (especially Ullmark) this season. It will also be the reason why they will swirl this offseason too. The big, 6’4 Bussi has a penchant for the highlight reel save; his play tracking ability and in crease movement are terrific. At this point, given the trade rumours and Swayman’s RFA status, in combination with Bussi’s pending waiver requirements, it would be shocking to see Bussi not in the NHL next year as Boston's back-up. Due to his age, his high end upside as an NHL netminder remains a bit of a mystery, however, he looks the part of an NHL goalie in some capacity.

3. Georgii Merkulov, C, Providence Bruins (AHL)

Merkulov continues to produce for Providence, inching close to the point per game mark as an AHL sophomore. The dynamic forward is a potential scoring line forward for the Bruins in the near future. Heading into the year, the Bruins wanted Merkulov to focus on improving his off puck play and defensive zone coverage to help him stick as a center at the NHL level. By adding strength and increasing his intensity level, he’s been able to do that. In a nutshell, he looks pro ready and should push for a permanent roster spot next season, providing Boston some cap flexibility given DeBrusk and JVR’s pending UFA status. He's probably not a future leading scorer for the Bruins, but he has a chance to be a long time middle six contributor.

4. John Farinacci, C, Providence Bruins (AHL)

Poached from the Arizona Coyotes’ system after Farinacci played his senior year at Harvard in order to become a free agent, Arizona’s loss is Boston’s gain. Farinacci has been as advertised with Providence this year, playing a strong two-way game while chipping in offensively from time to time. He’s not the most dynamic offensive player, but he is incredibly efficient because of his off puck play and three zone awareness. He has focused his development the last few seasons on improving his skating and improving that further will be the key to him developing into a high end two-way NHL player. Not likely to be a top six forward, Farinacci’s future is almost assured to be in the bottom six, but he could be a long time fixture on the Bruins and eventually develop into a coaches’ favourite.

5. Oskar Jellvik, LW, Boston College (NCAA)

Lost in the hype machine at Boston College this year, Jellvik quietly had a tremendous sophomore season playing alongside Cutter Gauthier on BC’s other scoring line (outside of the NTDP trio). A playmaking winger, Jellvik oozes skill and creativity as he darts in and out of traffic to create time and space for himself and linemates. He consistently extends plays and has shown this year that he has the potential to be a scoring line forward at the NHL level if he can continue to develop at the collegiate level. This includes upgrading some of those physical tools, like strength on the puck and quickness. However, that's why he took the NCAA route, to help him improve physically. Boston fans should be excited about his upside and the growth shown in his game this year.

6. Reid Dyck, G, Swift Current Broncos (WHL)

“Positive progression” has been the underlying theme of the Bruins system this year and Dyck is another great example of that. Dyck struggled mightily with consistency in his draft plus one year, but he’s really transformed himself this year and has closed out the year playing some of the best hockey in the entire WHL. The 6’4” netminder has all the tools that you like to see in today’s NHL netminder. He’s athletic. He’s competitive. He makes post to post saves look easy. Dyck is currently unsigned by the Bruins, but given the progress he showed this year, they would be foolish not to offer him an ELC. Depending on what happens with his contract situation, Dyck could either turn pro or return to the WHL as an OA in hopes of impressing another NHL organization.

7. Justin Brazeau, RW, Providence Bruins (AHL)

One of the best stories in the NHL this year. The road to the NHL has been a long one for Brazeau. The former OHL goal scoring leader didn’t even earn an NHL ELC despite being a dominant goal scorer with size because teams were concerned about his skating ability. He’s worked his way up from the ECHL, to the AHL, and now only recently earned an NHL contract from the Bruins. Since then, he’s been pretty hard for Boston to take out of the lineup because of his strong net front play and consistent effort away from the puck. Brazeau is still not the best skater…and he never will be. But there’s still a place in the league for power forwards like Brazeau who can find their way to the net and play a sound two-way game.

8. Riley Duran, C, Providence Bruins (AHL)

Similar to John Farinacci, no one is expecting Riley Duran to become a future 30-goal scorer in the NHL. If he succeeds in making the Bruins roster full time, it will be in a bottom six role. However, his speed, strong work ethic, and physicality in puck pursuit make him an ideal “role player” in today’s NHL. He should be able to develop into a quality penalty killer at the pro level and will provide versatility to his coaches. Duran recently signed out of Providence College and will be turning pro next season. His offensive production as an AHL rookie should provide feedback as to how far away he is from an NHL role. It seems likely that Boston will be patient with Duran to allow him to build up confidence on the puck before pushing him into a depth role at the NHL level.

9. Alec Regula, D, Providence Bruins (AHL)

Rarely do players who have passed through waivers remain ranked inside an NHL team’s top ten prospects, but Regula has had a very strong season in Providence to help keep him in Boston’s plans moving forward. With a few defenders set to become UFA, it is possible that Regula can earn a bottom pairing role with the Bruins next year. It’s also possible that he doesn’t receive a qualifying offer and becomes a free agent. However, given his strong defensive play this year, that seems unlikely. The Taylor Hall/Nick Foligno deal with Chicago still has a chance to bear some fruit for the Bruins. 6’4”, 200+lbs defenders who can provide physicality while being mobile don’t grow on trees and that’s Regula’s MO. If he gets let go by Boston, there's a definite chance that he can catch on with another team as a bottom pairing defender.

10. Michael Dipietro, G, Providence Bruins (AHL)

Speaking of great stories and speaking of players formerly passed through waivers, insert former top goaltending prospect Michael Dipietro. The former OHL goaltender of the year and Memorial Cup champion was cast aside by the Vancouver Canucks after a few frustrating seasons in their system. The fresh start in Boston has revived Dipietro’s upside as an NHL netminder. He’s consistently been one of the best goaltenders in the AHL this year, splitting time with Bussi. Some players, especially goaltenders, just figure it out later in their careers and Dipietro looks like one of those players. A fierce competitor, Dipeitro’s best assets are his quickness in combination with his mental makeup. Will the Bruins be able to sneak Dipietro through waivers again next year after such a strong year?

PROSPECT CRITERIA: Players under 26 years of age as of 9/15/2024 who have appeared in less than 60 games (30 for goalies) and less than 25 in one season (25 for goalies).

2024 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT: TOP 200 NHL PROSPECTS

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 25 May 2024 17:02:31 +0000

At McKeen’s Hockey we do a ranked affiliated prospect list twice a season. Our first is following the end of the regular season for most prospects but does not include the playoffs. It is a ranking of the top 200, plus the top 15 by team, prior to the NHL Draft. Once the NHL Draft is complete, we begin the process of updating the organizational ranking to a top 20, and then rank the top 300. That is completed in August, once the dust has settled on free agency, and any trades that are made in the meantime. We include that ranking in our McKeen’s NHL Yearbook, published in late August, Early September.

Check back in with us in the fall to see how things change following the draft.

Subscribers can link to the listing here

RNK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	GP	G(W)	A(L)	PTS(GAA)	PIM(SPCT)
1	Will Smith	SJ	C	19	6-0/175	Boston College (HE)	41	25	46	71	14
2	Matvei Michkov	Phi	RW	19	5-10/170	SKA St. Petersburg-HK Sochi (KHL)	48	19	22	41	26
3	Brandt Clarke	LA	D	21	6-2/185	Los Angeles (NHL)	16	2	4	6	10
4	Cutter Gauthier	Ana	LW	20	6-2/190	Boston College (HE)	41	38	27	65	18
5	Logan Stankoven	Dal	C	21	5-8/170	Dallas (NHL)	24	6	8	14	4
6	Ryan Leonard	Wsh	RW	19	5-11/190	Boston College (HE)	41	31	29	60	38
7	Alexander Nikishin	Car	D	22	6-3/195	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	67	17	39	56	39
8	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	21	6-3/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	44	30	13	2.39	0.911
9	Jesper Wallstedt	Min	G	21	6-3/215	Iowa (AHL)	45	22	19	2.70	0.910
10	Matthew Savoie	Buf	C	20	5-9/179	Wen-MJ (WHL)	34	30	41	71	10
11	Simon Edvinsson	Det	D	21	6-6/215	Detroit (NHL)	16	1	1	2	4
12	Jonathan Lekkerimaki	Van	RW	19	5-11/170	Orebro (SHL)	46	19	12	31	10
13	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	23	6-0/166	Calgary (AHL)	36	20	12	2.45	0.922
14	Devon Levi	Buf	G	21	6-0/192	Rochester (AHL)	26	16	6	2.42	0.927
15	Olen Zellweger	Ana	D	20	5-9/180	Anaheim (NHL)	26	2	7	9	4
16	Dmitri Simashev	Ari	D	19	6-4/198	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	63	4	6	10	18
17	David Reinbacher	Mtl	D	19	6-2/185	Kloten (Sui-NL)	35	1	10	11	18
18	Conor Geekie	Ari	C	19	6-3/193	Wen-SC (WHL)	55	43	56	99	66
19	Gabe Perreault	NYR	RW	18	5-11/165	Boston College (HE)	36	19	41	60	29
20	Daniil But	Ari	LW	19	6-5/203	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	55	10	11	21	10
21	Shane Wright	Sea	C	20	6-0/200	Coachella Valley (AHL)	59	22	25	47	18
22	Jiri Kulich	Buf	C	20	6-1/186	Rochester (AHL)	57	27	18	45	26
23	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	22	5-10/190	Texas (AHL)	71	26	51	77	32
24	Nate Danielson	Det	C	19	6-2/185	Bdn-Por (WHL)	54	24	43	67	42
25	Danila Yurov	Min	RW	19	6-1/175	Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)	62	21	28	49	35
26	Brennan Othmann	NYR	LW	21	6-0/175	Hartford (AHL)	67	21	28	49	65
27	Lane Hutson	Mtl	D	20	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	38	15	34	49	24
28	Tom Willander	Van	D	19	6-1/180	Boston University (HE)	38	4	21	25	12
29	Marco Kasper	Det	C	20	6-1/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	71	14	21	35	30
30	Dalibor Dvorsky	StL	C	18	6-1/200	Sudbury (OHL)	52	45	43	88	17
31	Brad Lambert	Wpg	C	20	6-0/180	Manitoba (AHL)	64	21	34	55	38
32	Ivan Miroshnichenko	Wsh	LW	20	6-1/185	Washington (NHL)	21	2	4	6	6
33	Axel Sandin Pellikka	Det	D	19	5-11/180	Skelleftea (SHL)	39	10	8	18	17
34	Bradly Nadeau	Car	LW	18	5-10/165	Maine (HE)	37	19	27	46	12
35	Joshua Roy	Mtl	RW	20	6-0/190	Montreal (NHL)	23	4	5	9	0
36	Denton Mateychuk	CBJ	D	19	5-11/190	Moose Jaw (WHL)	52	17	58	75	31
37	Brayden Yager	Pit	C	19	5-11/165	Moose Jaw (WHL)	57	35	60	95	20
38	Calum Ritchie	Col	C	19	6-2/185	Oshawa (OHL)	50	28	52	80	20
39	Joakim Kemell	Nsh	RW	20	5-10/185	Milwaukee (AHL)	67	16	25	41	23
40	Colby Barlow	Wpg	LW	19	6-0/195	Owen Sound (OHL)	50	40	18	58	27
41	Jimmy Snuggerud	StL	RW	19	6-1/185	Minnesota (B1G)	39	21	13	34	42
42	Matthew Coronato	Cgy	RW	21	5-10/183	Calgary (NHL)	34	3	6	9	4
43	Frank Nazar	Chi	C	20	5-10/180	Michigan (B1G)	41	17	24	41	18
44	Riley Heidt	Min	C	19	5-10/180	Prince George (WHL)	66	37	80	117	42
45	Logan Mailloux	Mtl	D	21	6-3/215	Laval (AHL)	72	14	33	47	91
46	Sebastian Cossa	Det	G	21	6-6/229	Grand Rapids (AHL)	40	22	9	2.41	0.913
47	Jagger Firkus	Sea	RW	20	5-10/155	Moose Jaw (WHL)	63	61	65	126	30
48	Mikhail Gulyayev	Col	D	19	5-11/170	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	64	4	8	12	8
49	Scott Morrow	Car	D	21	6-2/195	Massachusetts (HE)	37	6	24	30	25
50	Matthew Wood	Nsh	RW	19	6-3/195	Connecticut (HE)	35	16	12	28	43
51	Quentin Musty	SJ	LW	18	6-2/200	Sudbury (OHL)	53	43	59	102	72
52	Jacob Fowler	Mtl	G	19	6-1/215	Boston College (HE)	39	32	6	2.14	0.926
53	Fabian Lysell	Bos	RW	21	5-11/181	Providence (AHL)	56	15	35	50	37
54	Shakir Mukhamadullin	SJ	D	22	6-3/180	San Jose (AHL)	55	7	27	34	24
55	Josh Doan	Ari	RW	22	6-1/183	Arizona (NHL)	11	5	4	9	0
56	Thomas Bordeleau	SJ	C	22	5-9/180	San Jose (NHL)	27	6	5	11	18
57	Lian Bichsel	Dal	D	19	6-6/233	Rogle (SHL)	29	2	2	4	28
58	Nikolai Kovalenko	Col	RW	24	5-10/180	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	42	11	24	35	30
59	Aatu Raty	Van	C	21	6-2/185	Abbotsford (AHL)	72	18	34	52	18
60	Oliver Moore	Chi	C	19	5-11/185	Minnesota (B1G)	39	9	24	33	8
61	Samuel Honzek	Cgy	LW	19	6-4/186	Vancouver (WHL)	33	10	21	31	18
62	Jakob Pelletier	Cgy	LW	23	5-9/170	Calgary (NHL)	13	1	2	3	2
63	Seamus Casey	NJ	D	20	5-9/165	Michigan (B1G)	40	7	38	45	14
64	Tristan Luneau	Ana	D	20	6-1/195	Anaheim (NHL)	7	1	2	3	4
65	Chaz Lucius	Wpg	C	20	6-1/185	Manitoba (AHL)	17	2	11	13	6
66	Gavin Brindley	CBJ	C	19	5-9/165	Michigan (B1G)	40	25	28	53	28
67	Easton Cowan	Tor	RW	18	5-10/170	London (OHL)	54	34	62	96	64
68	Zachary L'Heureux	Nsh	LW	20	5-11/195	Milwaukee (AHL)	66	19	29	48	197
69	Carson Rehkopf	Sea	LW	19	6-1/195	Kitchener (OHL)	60	52	43	95	45
70	Filip Bystedt	SJ	C	20	6-4/205	Linkopings (SHL)	47	8	9	17	2
71	Ville Koivunen	Pit	LW	20	6-0/175	Karpat (Fin-Liiga)	59	22	34	56	26
72	Noah Ostlund	Buf	C	20	5-11/163	Vaxjo Lakers (SHL)	38	12	11	23	4
73	Ethan Del Mastro	Chi	D	21	6-4/210	Rockford (AHL)	69	7	30	37	54
74	Lukas Cormier	VGK	D	22	5-10/180	Henderson (AHL)	58	4	16	20	33
75	Liam Ohgren	Min	LW	20	6-1/200	Farjestads (SHL)	26	12	7	19	12
76	Marat Khusnutdinov	Min	C	21	5-11/175	Minnesota (NHL)	16	1	3	4	6
77	Mackie Samoskevich	Fla	RW	21	5-11/190	Charlotte (AHL)	62	22	32	54	24
78	Stanislav Svozil	CBJ	D	21	6-1/180	Cleveland (AHL)	57	5	18	23	24
79	Zachary Bolduc	StL	LW	21	6-1/175	St. Louis (NHL)	25	5	4	9	6
80	Rutger McGroarty	Wpg	LW	20	6-1/200	Michigan (B1G)	36	16	36	52	6
81	Jani Nyman	Sea	RW	19	6-3/215	Ilves (Fin-Liiga)	48	26	17	43	2
82	Andrew Cristall	Wsh	LW	19	5-9/165	Kelowna (WHL)	62	40	71	111	46
83	Oliver Bonk	Phi	D	19	6-2/175	London (OHL)	60	24	43	67	32
84	Fraser Minten	Tor	C	19	6-1/185	Kam-Sas (WHL)	43	22	26	48	25
85	Tanner Molendyk	Nsh	D	19	5-11/185	Saskatoon (WHL)	50	10	46	56	18
86	David Goyette	Sea	C	20	5-10/175	Sudbury (OHL)	68	40	77	117	29
87	David Edstrom	SJ	C	19	6-3/185	Frolunda (SHL)	44	7	12	19	8
88	Anton Wahlberg	Buf	C	18	6-3/194	Malmo (SHL)	43	5	5	10	4
89	Emil Andrae	Phi	D	22	5-9/185	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	61	5	27	32	66
90	Trey Augustine	Det	G	19	6-1/185	Michigan State (B1G)	35	23	9	2.96	0.915
91	Theo Lindstein	StL	D	19	6-0/180	Brynas (HockeyAllsvenskan)	49	4	11	15	4
92	Mads Sogaard	Ott	G	23	6-7/195	Belleville (AHL)	32	18	9	2.45	0.916
93	Isak Rosen	Buf	RW	21	6-0/175	Rochester (AHL)	67	20	30	50	12
94	Maveric Lamoureux	Ari	D	20	6-7/214	Drummondville (QMJHL)	39	9	24	33	53
95	Drew Commesso	Chi	G	21	6-2/180	Rockford (AHL)	38	18	16	2.65	0.906
96	Ville Heinola	Wpg	D	23	6-0/180	Manitoba (AHL)	41	10	17	27	24
97	Carter Mazur	Det	LW	22	6-0/170	Grand Rapids (AHL)	60	17	20	37	48
98	Otto Stenberg	StL	C	18	5-11/180	Frolunda (SHL)	31	3	3	6	8
99	Egor Afanasyev	Nsh	LW	23	6-3/205	Milwaukee (AHL)	56	27	27	54	60
100	Nikita Chibrikov	Wpg	RW	21	5-10/170	Manitoba (AHL)	70	17	30	47	53
101	Zach Dean	StL	C	21	6-0/175	Springfield (AHL)	49	9	5	14	24
102	William Dufour	NYI	RW	22	6-2/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	55	15	10	25	35
103	Sam Rinzel	Chi	D	19	6-4/180	Minnesota (B1G)	39	2	26	28	20
104	Joel Blomqvist	Pit	G	22	6-2/185	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	45	25	12	2.16	0.921
105	Arseni Gritsyuk	NJ	RW	23	5-10/170	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	50	19	19	38	8
106	Corson Ceulemans	CBJ	D	20	6-2/200	Cleveland (AHL)	47	3	9	12	12
107	Michael Hrabal	Ari	G	19	6-6/209	Massachusetts (HE)	30	16	12	2.59	0.912
108	Brendan Brisson	VGK	C	22	5-11/180	Vegas (NHL)	15	2	6	8	2
109	Owen Pickering	Pit	D	20	6-4/180	Swift Current (WHL)	59	7	39	46	35
110	Owen Beck	Mtl	C	20	5-11/185	Pbo-Sag (OHL)	57	34	47	81	18
111	William Wallinder	Det	D	21	6-4/190	Grand Rapids (AHL)	65	3	12	15	10
112	Xavier Bourgault	Edm	C	21	6-0/170	Bakersfield (AHL)	55	8	12	20	24
113	Jordan Dumais	CBJ	RW	20	5-8/165	Halifax (QMJHL)	21	16	31	47	6
114	Aleksi Heimosalmi	Car	D	20	5-11/170	Assat (Fin-Liiga)	47	2	14	16	12
115	Brandon Bussi	Bos	G	25	6-4/218	Providence (AHL)	41	23	10	2.67	0.913
116	Jackson Blake	Car	RW	20	5-10/160	North Dakota (NCHC)	40	22	38	60	26
117	Erik Portillo	LA	G	23	6-6/210	Ontario (AHL)	39	24	11	2.50	0.918
118	Sean Farrell	Mtl	C	22	5-8/175	Laval (AHL)	47	9	19	28	10
119	Kasper Halttunen	SJ	RW	18	6-3/205	London (OHL)	57	32	29	61	61
120	Topi Niemela	Tor	D	22	5-11/165	Toronto (AHL)	68	8	31	39	43
121	Ethan Gauthier	TB	RW	19	5-11/175	Drummondville (QMJHL)	64	36	35	71	42
122	Daniil Miromanov	Cgy	D	26	6-4/200	VGK-Cgy (NHL)	24	3	4	7	8
123	Ruslan Iskhakov	NYI	C	23	5-8/155	Bridgeport (AHL)	69	18	32	50	30
124	Shai Buium	Det	D	21	6-3/210	Denver (NCHC)	43	7	29	36	14
125	Jakub Dobes	Mtl	G	22	6-3/200	Laval (AHL)	51	24	18	2.93	0.906
126	Oliver Kapanen	Mtl	C	20	6-0/170	KalPa (Fin-Liiga)	51	14	20	34	32
127	Danny Nelson	NYI	C	18	6-3/200	Notre Dame (B1G)	30	9	14	23	32
128	Lenni Hameenaho	NJ	RW	19	6-0/175	Assat (Fin-Liiga)	46	14	17	31	10
129	Nick Lardis	Chi	LW	18	5-11/165	Brantford (OHL)	37	29	21	50	12
130	Ty Nelson	Sea	D	20	5-10/195	North Bay (OHL)	54	16	36	52	50
131	Isaac Howard	TB	LW	20	5-10/185	Michigan State (B1G)	36	8	28	36	10
132	Fyodor Svechkov	Nsh	C	21	6-0/185	Milwaukee (AHL)	57	16	23	39	18
133	Jeremie Poirier	Cgy	D	21	6-1/196	Calgary (AHL)	23	3	10	13	22
134	Reid Schaefer	Nsh	LW	20	6-3/215	Milwaukee (AHL)	63	7	14	21	39
135	Zack Ostapchuk	Ott	C	20	6-3/205	Belleville (AHL)	69	17	11	28	47
136	Nathan Gaucher	Ana	C	20	6-3/207	San Diego (AHL)	72	10	15	25	68
137	Rodwin Dionicio	Ana	D	20	6-2/207	Wsr-Sag (OHL)	60	25	48	73	108
138	Eduard Sale	Sea	LW	19	6-1/170	Bar-Kit (OHL)	49	15	23	38	8
139	Danil Gushchin	SJ	RW	22	5-8/165	San Jose (AHL)	56	20	34	54	24
140	Sean Behrens	Col	D	21	5-10/175	Denver (NCHC)	44	4	27	31	53
141	Christian Kyrou	Dal	D	20	5-10/170	Texas (AHL)	57	8	15	23	22
142	Niklas Kokko	Sea	G	20	6-3/185	Pelicans (Fin-Liiga)	13	9	0	1.49	0.926
143	Vasily Ponomarev	Pit	C	22	5-10/180	Tuc-Chi-WBS (AHL)	45	9	21	30	16
144	Ryan Winterton	Sea	RW	20	6-2/190	Coachella Valley (AHL)	58	22	13	35	23
145	Dmitri Buchelnikov	Det	LW	20	5-10/165	Admiral Vladivostok (KHL)	55	13	16	29	8
146	Oscar Fisker Molgaard	Sea	C	19	6-0/165	HV 71 (SHL)	50	9	12	21	6
147	Aku Raty	Ari	RW	22	6-1/190	Tucson (AHL)	55	15	29	44	22
148	Matyas Sapovaliv	VGK	C	20	6-3/180	Saginaw (OHL)	54	19	43	62	22
149	Georgii Merkulov	Bos	C	23	5-11/175	Providence (AHL)	67	30	35	65	20
150	Topias Vilen	NJ	D	21	6-1/195	Utica (AHL)	54	2	27	29	16
151	Ryan Chesley	Wsh	D	20	6-0/200	Minnesota (B1G)	39	2	6	8	19
152	Jayden Perron	Car	RW	19	5-9/165	North Dakota (NCHC)	39	11	7	18	8
153	Tristen Robins	SJ	C	22	5-10/175	San Jose (AHL)	42	7	11	18	12
154	Calle Odelius	NYI	D	19	6-0/190	Djurgardens (HockeyAllsvenskan)	10	0	4	4	2
155	Vincent Iorio	Wsh	D	21	6-2/190	Hershey (AHL)	60	4	10	14	30
156	Raphael Lavoie	Edm	RW	23	6-4/215	Bakersfield (AHL)	66	28	22	50	64
157	Ronnie Attard	Phi	D	25	6-3/210	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	48	10	17	27	37
158	Niko Huuhtanen	TB	RW	20	6-2/205	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	52	19	27	46	46
159	Carson Bjarnason	Phi	G	18	6-3/185	Brandon (WHL)	46	24	17	3.01	0.907
160	Lukas Dragicevic	Sea	D	19	6-1/190	Tri-City (WHL)	66	14	36	50	52
161	Leevi Merilainen	Ott	G	21	6-2/160	Belleville (AHL)	24	10	9	2.87	0.906
162	Tyler Kleven	Ott	D	22	6-4/200	Belleville (AHL)	53	5	16	21	51
163	Hunter Brzustewicz	Cgy	D	19	5-11/185	Kitchener (OHL)	67	13	79	92	24
164	Ryan Greene	Chi	C	20	6-1/180	Boston University (HE)	40	12	24	36	6
165	Damian Clara	Ana	G	19	6-6/214	Brynas (HockeyAllsvenskan)	34	25	8	2.23	0.913
166	Carson Lambos	Min	D	21	6-1/200	Iowa (AHL)	69	4	10	14	64
167	Denver Barkey	Phi	C	19	5-8/160	London (OHL)	64	35	67	102	28
168	Gage Goncalves	TB	C	23	6-1/170	Syracuse (AHL)	69	13	45	58	43
169	Arshdeep Bains	Van	LW	23	6-0/185	Abbotsford (AHL)	59	16	39	55	28
170	Bogdan Konyushkov	Mtl	D	21	5-11/175	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)	65	6	22	28	18
171	Alexei Kolosov	Phi	G	22	6-1/185	Dinamo Minsk (KHL)	47	22	21	2.39	0.907
172	Samuel Fagemo	LA	RW	24	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	50	43	19	62	26
173	Filip Mesar	Mtl	C	20	5-9/175	Kitchener (OHL)	45	19	33	52	12
174	Matthew Robertson	NYR	D	23	6-3/200	Hartford (AHL)	68	4	17	21	49
175	Adam Engstrom	Mtl	D	20	6-2/185	Rogle (SHL)	51	4	18	22	4
176	Michael Buchinger	StL	D	20	5-11/185	Guelph (OHL)	52	10	37	47	37
177	Semyon Chistyakov	Nsh	D	22	5-11/180	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	59	4	20	24	16
178	John Farinacci	Bos	C	23	5-11/197	Providence (AHL)	71	12	26	38	16
179	Angus Crookshank	Ott	LW	24	5-10/180	Belleville (AHL)	50	24	22	46	60
180	Yegor Sidorov	Ana	RW	19	6-0/180	Saskatoon (WHL)	66	50	38	88	66
181	Samu Tuomaala	Phi	RW	21	5-10/175	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	69	15	28	43	12
182	Logan Morrison	Sea	C	21	6-0/180	Coachella Valley (AHL)	64	16	25	41	4
183	Jean-Luc Foudy	Col	C	21	5-11/175	Colorado (AHL)	26	4	10	14	18
184	Adam Gajan	Chi	G	19	6-3/167	Green Bay (USHL)	43	23	12	3.35	0.893
185	Nolan Allan	Chi	D	21	6-2/195	Rockford (AHL)	60	5	12	17	47
186	Oskar Olausson	Col	RW	21	6-1/180	Colorado (AHL)	39	11	9	20	24
187	Samuel Poulin	Pit	C	23	6-1/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	41	16	15	31	35
188	Brett Berard	NYR	LW	21	5-9/165	Hartford (AHL)	71	25	23	48	62
189	Colton Dach	Chi	C	21	6-4/205	Rockford (AHL)	48	11	15	26	39
190	Jack Thompson	SJ	D	22	6-0/180	Syr-SJ (AHL)	62	6	35	41	16
191	Riley Kidney	Mtl	C	21	5-11/170	Laval (AHL)	65	7	13	20	41
192	Roby Jarventie	Ott	RW	21	6-3/195	Belleville (AHL)	22	9	11	20	22
193	Carey Terrance	Ana	C	18	6-1/175	Erie (OHL)	56	29	23	52	25
194	Luca Del Bel Belluz	CBJ	C	20	6-1/185	Cleveland (AHL)	58	9	22	31	12
195	Luca Pinelli	CBJ	C	19	5-9/165	Ottawa (OHL)	68	48	34	82	44
196	Francesco Pinelli	LA	C	21	6-1/185	Ontario (AHL)	67	13	7	20	24
197	Elias Salomonsson	Wpg	D	19	6-1/185	Skelleftea (SHL)	31	2	9	11	58
198	Sam Colangelo	Ana	RW	21	6-2/205	Western Michigan (NCHC)	38	24	19	43	23
199	Sasha Pastujov	Ana	RW	20	6-0/185	San Diego (AHL)	46	10	13	23	14
200	Andrew Gibson	Det	D	19	6-3/195	Saul St. Marie (OHL)	68	12	32	44	58

CULLEN: 20 FANTASY POINTS – Joey Daccord stakes his claim to the crease in Seattle, Brock Faber eats minutes in Minnesota, Jack Quinn brings scoring touch to Buffalo, Juraj Slafkovsky is making progress in Montreal, and much, much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 18:39:38 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 30: Juraj Slafkovsky (20) of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the third period of the NHL game between the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens on November 30 2023, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dive into the numbers to help make decisions when it comes time to make fantasy hockey decisions.

This week, Joey Daccord stakes his claim to the crease in Seattle, Brock Faber eats minutes in Minnesota, Jack Quinn brings scoring touch to Buffalo, Juraj Slafkovsky is making progress in Montreal, and much, much more!

#1 One of the stories that has been consistent with the Seattle Kraken in their three seasons of existence is that they have not been able to find an answer in goal. They spent big money to bring in Philipp Grubauer as a free agent and he has not performed nearly as well as he did in previous stops with Colorado and Washington. However, with Grubauer injured, the door has opened for 27-year-old Joey Daccord, who had started 15 NHL games prior to this season. In his past seven starts, Daccord has a 4-1-2 record and a scintillating .944 save percentage. If he keeps playing like this, Daccord will remain Seattle’s starter even if the other goaltenders are healthy. Chris Driedger has been recalled from Coachella Valley in the AHL and he stopped 37 of 38 shots to earn a win in Calgary on Wednesday, and the 29-year-old appears to be healthy and ready for NHL duty after missing all of last season.

#2 Minnesota Wild rookie defenceman Brock Faber stepped up his game in a big way this month, especially when the Wild have been missing veterans Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon due to injury. In a dozen December games, Faber produced eight points (1 G, 7 A) while averaging 27:30 of ice time per game. That average time on ice was the highest in the league for the month of December.

#3 Recovered from a torn Achilles suffered in the offseason, Buffalo Sabres right winger Jack Quinn has buried a pair of goals on 10 shots through his first four games of the season. Quinn is a skilled young forward working on a line with Dylan Cozens and J.J. Peterka, a couple more skilled young forwards. It’s interesting to note that Quinn averaged 13:51 of ice time as a rookie last season and has averaged 16:34 per game in his first four games this season – the Sabres obviously have room for Quinn to play a prominent role.

#4 The first overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky has not been overly impressive early in his career, but it should not be ignored that he is still just 19 years old. In any case, he is starting to show promising signs as he skates on Montreal’s top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. In his past five games, Slafkovsky has produced five points (2 G, 3 A) and he has played more than 20 minutes in three of his past six games. It’s kind of like the Habs are letting him sink or swim with this opportunity and, thus far, Slafkovsky is at least treading water.

#5 Acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason, Arizona Coyotes defenceman Sean Durzi returned just before Christmas from a lower-body injury suffered a few weeks earlier. In his first three games back, Durzi has compiled seven points (1 G, 6 A) with eight shots on goal. He is up to 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 28 games and his 0.71 points per game ranks 21^st among defencemen this season. He has shown the ability to provide offence from the blueline and that is securing his value for fantasy managers.

#6 An early-season injury sidelined Anaheim Ducks defenceman Jamie Drysdale for more than two months, but he has returned and the smooth skating blueliner is worth keeping an eye on. Not only does Drysdale have three points (1 G, 2 A) in five games this season, but he has been inserted as the quarterback on Anaheim’s top power play unit and is averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game. Opportunity alone makes Drysdale worth a potential pick up.

#7 Veteran right winger Blake Wheeler got off to a miserable start with the New York Rangers, going 10 games without a point to start his career on Broadway, but the 36-year-old has adjusted. Despite averaging just 12:30 of ice time per game in his past seven contests, Wheeler has still produced eight points (3 G, 5 A) and has found himself back on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. The best days are behind Wheeler, but his sudden resurgence and playing situation do give him potential value.

#8 It seems like the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup is chock full of players auditioning for bigger roles in the future. One of those players that is making the most of his opportunities is Yegor Chinakhov, the 22-year-old winger, who was something of a surprise first-round pick in 2020. In his past eight games, Chinakhov is averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game and has tallied 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in the process. He is currently part of a Russian trio in Columbus, skating on a line with Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko.

#9 Calgary Flames winger Blake Coleman has a reputation for his high energy and consistent effort, but his reliable production is making an impact this season, too. In his past 10 games, Coleman has put up 11 points (6 G, 5 A) while launching 28 shots on goal. Coleman’s 12 goals on the season puts him in the team lead, one ahead of Yegor Sharangovich. On one hand, it’s great that Coleman is scoring enough to lead the Flames. On the other, it does not speak well of Calgary’s skilled forwards, who are not finding the net as often as Coleman.

#10 There have been several occasions in recent seasons in which it would have been easy to write off veteran winger Marcus Johansson, deciding that he is finished as a productive scoring winger in the NHL. Of course, that would be wrong, because the 33-year-old Minnesota Wild forward has contributed nine points (3 G, 6 A) in his past nine games. With Mats Zuccarello out, Johansson has a spot in Minnesota’s top six as well as on the top power play unit and that makes him appealing, at least in the short term.

#11 It has not been the smoothest transition to Colorado for winger Jonathan Drouin, but the outlook is getting better for the 28-year-old forward who has produced seven points (2 G, 5 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. In his previous 26 games, Drouin had eight points (3 G, 5 A) and 33 shots on goal, so this is the best run of production he has offered since joining the Avalanche in the summer. He is such a pass-first player that it can turn his game one dimensional, but his recent surge does come with more shots and perhaps that makes his production more sustainable.

#12 There has never been any question that Washington Capitals winger Anthony Mantha has the skill to be a productive NHL player. There have been questions about his desire, work ethic, and discipline, and it looked like he was fading out of the Capitals lineup early in the season when he had four points (3 G, 1 A) in his first 14 games. In 14 games since then, however, Mantha has 12 points (8 G, 4 A) with 32 shots on goal, while averaging less than 14 minutes of ice time per game. This version of Mantha is very appealing, both for the Capitals and fantasy managers.

#13 When the Boston Bruins signed centre Morgan Geekie as a free agent in the summer, they could not have realistically expected that the 25-year-old pivot would be skating on their first line before the calendar turned to 2024, but that is indeed the case. In his past eight games, Geekie has produced seven points (4 G, 3 A) and 21 shots on goal. He has Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak on his wings right now, and that’s a good enough situation to consider Geekie for short-term fantasy value at the very least.

#14 In his first four starts since returning from a broken finger, Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom has a .938 save percentage. He had stumbled to a .896 save percentage in his first 16 games of the season, so this recent development could be a potential difference maker for the Flames. At his best, Markstrom can be one of the top goaltenders in the league. Unfortunately, he can also linger in the below average tier as well when things are not going his way.

#15 With Joseph Woll injured and Ilya Samsonov practically unplayable while he searches for his confidence, it looks like Martin Jones has an opportunity to run with the starting goaltender job in Toronto. Jones has a .914 save percentage in seven appearances for the Maple Leafs and while his consistency tends to vary, the likelihood that he could start most of the games until Woll returns does give Jones more value than might have been expected for fantasy managers.

#16 Washington Capitals left winger Max Pacioretty is nearing his return from another torn Achilles, suffered last season after he scored three goals in just five games for the Carolina Hurricanes. Pacioretty is 35 and has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons, but he can put the puck in the net. Since 2019-2020, he has scored 78 goals in 163 games. His 0.48 goals per game ranks 14^th among players that have played at least 50 games in that span. It’s the same rate of goals per game as Nikita Kucherov, Sebastian Aho, and Jake Guentzel, so Pacioretty has been keeping company with some very skilled finishers.

#17 Coming into the season, it looked like there would be a bunch of scoring options on the Arizona blueline, including Sean Durzi. Surprisingly, the third-highest scoring defenceman on the team thus far has been Michael Kesselring, who started the season in the AHL and had one assist in his first five games after being promoted. Since then, Kesselring has eight points (4 G, 4 A) in 13 games, which is better than a 50-point pace over 82 games and he has not recorded any points on the power play. Kesselring will not keep scoring on 19.0% of his shots, but he is pushing for a bigger role on the Arizona blueline. The 6-foot-4 blueliner was acquired in a trade last season for Nick Bjugstad and dynasty owners should have keen interest in how Kesselring develops and if he can continue to be an offensive contributor.

#18 Just when it looked like Kris Letang might be fading into the background in Pittsburgh, lost behind Erik Karlsson on the Penguins’ blueline, Letang has produced nine points (1 G, 8 A) in his past two games. He had 14 points (2 G, 12 A) in 31 games before this eruption. He’s not the only sudden source of offence in Pittsburgh. Marcus Pettersson, whose career high is 25 points in a season, has recorded eight assists in his past four games. Obviously, Letang is the more appealing Penguins defender because of his track record, but Pettersson is the one more widely available, so he does offer some value, especially in leagues that count hits and blocked shots, because those are staples of Pettersson’s game.

#19 The Bruins have called up prospect Georgii Merkulov, a 23-year-old who played one season at Ohio State and had 60 points (25 G, 35 A) in 75 AHL games entering this season. He has been on a tear recently, however, putting up 16 points (9 G, 7 A) in his past nine games with the Providence Bruins, so it’s no surprise that he has been promoted to the big club. He has just been called up, so his role is unknown at this point, but if you’re a fantasy manager looking to take a flier in a deep league, a player who is shredding the AHL is worth your consideration.

#20 With the 2023 calendar year winding down, here is a look at some of the leaders. The league’s leading point producer in 2023 has been Nathan MacKinnon, who has 133 points (53 G, 80 A) in 82 games, ahead of Connor McDavid, who has 126 points (44 G, 82 A) in 74 games. There are six more players that have produced 100 points in 2023: Nikita Kucherov (118), David Pastrnak (108), Leon Draisaitl (107), Mikko Rantanen (104), Elias Pettersson (101), and J.T. Miller (100). With very little time left in the year, there is still a chance for Jack Hughes, who has 98 points (37 G, 61 A) in 70 games and Artemi Panarin, who has 97 points (39 G, 58 A) in 78 games. Brayden Point has 96 points (46 G, 50 A) in 83 games. Among those top scorers in the 2023 calendar year, there are also players who produce at a similar per-game level but have missed time with injuries. The most notable is Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, who has 73 points (16 G, 57 A) in 55 games. His 1.33 points per game ranks seventh, putting him between Pastrnak and Rantanen. Other top per-game point producers that were not included among the 100-point club in 2023: Auston Matthews (1.25), Mitch Marner (1.24), Tim Stutzle (1.21), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1.20).

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – BOSTON BRUINS – Top 20 Prospect Profiles – Organizational Rank #27

Brock Otten, Derek Neumeier, Chapin Landvogt and Josh Bell — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:08:04 +0000

Top 20 Boston Bruin Prospects

BRIGHTON, MA - JULY 06: Boston Bruins forward Fabian Lysell (21) waits for his turn at a drill during Boston Bruins Development Camp on July 6, 2023, at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

1. Fabian Lysell

Lysell wasted no time after the Bruins selected him 21st overall in 2021. After hearing his name called, he decided to come to North America, where he has been extremely impressive so far. He spent his first season in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants, leading the team in points with 62. Last season, he was just as impressive after having move up to the AHL. Lysell’s ability to generate offense has been on full display since coming overseas, highlighted by his ability to stickhandle like the puck is on a string as well as his high-end passing skill. He’s incredibly elusive and creative but needs to pick his opportunities better. There are also some consistency concerns in his game as he seems to lose confidence in himself on occasion. If Lysell can put the pieces together, and he did that very well last year as an AHL rookie, he could very well be a top six playmaker in the near future.

2. Mason Lohrei

After going undrafted in 2019, Lohrei has been making the Bruins look good. They surprisingly called his name 58th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and he has since responded very well, earning USHL Defenseman of the Year honours in 2020-21, leading all defenders in goals (19), assists (40), and points (59). But he wasn’t done there. He joined Ohio State University the following season and was named to the Big Ten All-Rookie Team. Last season, his final one in the NCAA ranks, didn’t have the same lustre around it, but he was playing on a weaker team. Lohrei’s two-way potential is still there. He contributes at both ends, carrying the puck well in transition, showing promising mobility, playing physically, and being trusted to be on the ice in all situations. He’s still a bit of a project and there is a need for some refinement in his game if he’s going to succeed in the NHL, but he could be a reliable bottom-pairing defender.

3. Matthew Poitras

Looking at the type of player that the Bruins value, Poitras is the perfect fit. A coach’s dream, he never takes his foot off the gas, being dependable in all scenarios, and being patient in his play. He’s not a player who is going to be overly dynamic at the next level, but he’s capable of having flashes. A recent draftee, Poitras was selected 54th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft from the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He took a big offensive step forward last season, nearly doubling his offensive output from his rookie season and finishing second in the league in assists. This largely comes from his hardworking style of play, as the puck usually ends up on his stick, which won’t happen as much as he moves up. Tenacious players tend to make it against all odds, so you can bet on Poitras reaching the NHL in due time.

4. Reilly Walsh

After splitting his draft year between the USHL’s Chicago Steel and Prep school Proctor Academy, the Devils bet on Walsh and selected him 81st in the 2017 NHL Draft. He then moved on to the NCAA with Harvard University where he spent three years, playing consistent, productive hockey without shining too brightly. He signed with the Devils and jumped to the AHL in 2020-21 where he continued that trend of consistency. After being on the trade block this season, the Bruins acquired him in the offseason, for Shane Bowers, and are looking for him to take that next step. Walsh is an offensive defender who moves very well with the puck on his stick, isn’t afraid to jump up into the rush, and has a great shot. He has quick edges and a level of deception in his game. The defender likely caps out as a bottom-line defender, but a contributing one who could see time on the power play as well.

5. Brandon Bussi

In terms of trending prospects, it’s nearly impossible to ignore Bussi at this point. An undrafted goaltender, Bussi had been biding his time, waiting for an NHL team to bet on him. After his third NCAA season with Western Michigan University, the Bruins did just that, signing him to a one-year contract as a collegiate free agent. With a .910 save percentage over his NCAA career, expectations weren’t overly high, more in line with a “let’s see” approach. He jumped to the AHL last season and was remarkable in net. He took over the Providence crease as the number-one netminder and ran with it, sitting near the top of the league in all categories. He was even named to the AHL All-Star Classic and AHL All-Rookie Team. It remains to be seen how high Bussi can climb, but he’s still young at 24 and his size, positioning, and mobility all suggest that he’s well on his way to the next level.

6. Alec Regula

Acquired recently in the Taylor Hall/Nick Foligno swap with the Chicago Blackhawks, Regula is a hulking, stay-at-home defender entering his fourth season of professional hockey. The good news for Boston is that he will be eager for a fresh start and an opportunity to establish himself as an NHL regular. The bad news is that he is no longer exempt from waivers and the team already has an extremely deep pro blueline. What ultimately ends up happening with Regula at training camp will be interesting, but there is no question that he could be a steady, third pairing defender immediately. He’s got size. He’s got reach. He’s very mobile for such a large defender. He’s an intense physical competitor. The puck skills are relatively limited. Long gone are the days where he used to play the netfront, bumper position for the London Knights on the powerplay a-la Zdeno Chara (he scored 27 goals for London in 2020). However, he definitely has a projection of an NHL defender who can pair well with a more aggressive offensive type, especially given his right shot. Boston will have to make room for him, trade him again, or risk losing him on waivers to another NHL franchise for free.

7. John Farinacci

The captain of Harvard in the NCAA, Farinacci played out his NCAA eligibility in order to earn free agent status, opting not to sign with the Arizona Coyotes who had originally selected him. Almost immediately upon earning said status, Farinacci signed with Boston, gaining status as a potential roster option for this upcoming season. He plays a polished two-way game and can find success playing a heavy style, making him a suitable bottom six candidate to start with. How much upside does Farinacci have? That remains to be seen. His shot might be his best asset as a pro, although his patience and playmaking ability did improve during his senior year. Even if he tops out as a high end third line option, Farinacci would bring a ton of value to Boston as a free agent signing. He can kill penalties, play a variety of different roles, and should move quickly through the system, helping to fill the gaps left by some of Boston’s high profile exits.

8. Georgii Merkulov

After going undrafted and relatively unnoticed in his first year of draft eligibility back in 2019, playing with the MHL’s Kapitan Stupino, Merkulov made a change. He decided to head overseas, joining the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms where he spent two seasons, going undrafted both times. He next moved on to the NCAA and Ohio State University, where he spent just one year before the Bruins swooped in and signed him as a free agent. That’s been looking like a great move so far, as Merkulov was a top player on the Providence Bruins last season. He has an excellent shot, has a knack for creating separation, and is a strong playmaker as well. He struggles in the face-off dot and his defensive awareness and effort aren’t always there, but he’s well on his way to being a secondary scoring option at the NHL level.

9. John Beecher

When the Bruins drafted Beecher back in 2019, 30th overall, he was coming off a fine season with the USNTDP and heading to the NCAA’s University of Michigan. He spent three seasons with the Wolverines, where it seemed like his development stalled, never really taking the next step in his game. Now in the AHL, he has shown some improvement with his physicality and ability to get off the wall, even chipping in offensively fairly well, but there is still concern with his lack of consistency and failure to take over games or drive a line. He tends to sit back too often, letting the play come to him. Whether or not he makes the NHL as a consistent contributor is a real question, and it’s hard to see his ceiling as more than a bottom six role player, despite his physical gifts.

10. Riley Duran

A lesser known but promising piece of the Bruins’ pool is Duran. Selected in 2020 way down at 182nd overall out of high school, the forward made the shift to the USHL the following season but didn’t take off. In 2021-22, he jumped to the NCAA where he emerged as a real prospect of note with Providence College. So much so that he was named to Team USA at the 2022 World Juniors. He has strong positioning, plays with high energy, and isn’t afraid to jump into puck battles. His skill level isn’t overly exciting - he’s more of a reliable depth player. As the Bruins tend to prefer, Duran has good size at 6-foot-2 and will continue to build strength before he reaches the next level. His ceiling isn’t very high, but he seems like a player who could plug into a third- or fourth-line role while able to play up if needed.

11. Brett Harrison

Drafted 85th overall in 2021, Harrison’s shot is a bright spot, getting a great deal of weight behind a full arsenal of shots. He does well getting to the front of the net as well. His skating stride, shot selection, and overall consistency are red flags in his game though. His development has seemed to stall since being drafted. It's hard to see him as more than a depth piece but he could cut out a bottom six role for himself if everything goes to plan.

12. Dans Locmelis

2022-23 was a coming out party for the talented Latvian center. He was among the best players in the Swedish J20 league and visibly improved his skating to become a more dangerous and consistent offensive player. He will attend UMass this year and should have a good season.

13. Jakub Lauko

Even though the offensive production wasn’t terrific at the AHL level, Lauko filled in admirably with Boston last year to help offset injuries with the big club. This coming season Lauko is no longer exempt from waivers, so it is a big year for the speedy winger.

14. Marc McLaughlin

Don’t expect McLaughlin to ever be a big-time offensive contributor as that’s not his game, but with his work ethic and defensive awareness, he profiles perfectly as a fourth line center and penalty killing anchor.

15. Trevor Kuntar

After three years at Boston College, Kuntar is turning pro this year after signing with Boston. The big, power center is a capable goal scorer but it will be interesting to see how his skating and pace translates to the pro level.

16. Andre Gasseau

A big, two-way center, Gasseau was surprisingly fantastic as a freshman with Boston College last year, flashing more offensive upside than he was perceived to have. It will be interesting to see him grow with the program and continue to develop as an offensive play driver.

17. Frederic Brunet

Even though Brunet finished second in defensive scoring in the QMJHL last year, it looks like the plan might be for him to return as an OA this upcoming season as he is currently without an ELC. Training camp performance may dictate where they start the talented offensive blueliner.

18. Oskar Jellvik

Another player in the Bruins/Boston College pipeline, Jellvik is a skilled playmaking forward who just finished his freshman year after coming over from Sweden. He remains a long term project, but one with terrific offensive upside.

19. Ryan Mast

Even though the offensive production was adequate in the OHL, don’t expect Mast to be a big-time offensive contributor at the pro level. How his defensive game transitions to the pro level this year will dictate whether he can be a long term NHL fixture on the blueline.

20. Beckett Hendrickson

The son of long time NHL forward Darby Hendrickson, Beckett is coming out of the NTDP and will be playing with Sioux Falls in the USHL this year before heading to the University of Minnesota the following year. A lunch pail type, Hendrickson will be looking to prove that he has offensive upside.

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #8 Buffalo Sabres

Josh Bell — Tue, 23 May 2023 21:47:50 +0000

Prospect System Ranking – 8^th (1^st last year)

There is genuine excitement building in Buffalo following a really strong season, with some playoff aspirations for a time. They have arguably the most exciting group of graduates in the NHL in Owen Power, Jack Quinn, J.J. Peterka, Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, and Mattias Samuelsson. Four of them were top 10 picks in their draft year. You can add Peyton Krebs, acquired in the Eichel trade to this group. At the 2022 Draft they had three first round picks in Matthew Savoie (#25^th ranked by McKeens), Noah Ostlund (#63), and Jiri Kulich (#18). The fact that they had so many graduates, and still rank this highly in organizational depth is a testament to their scouts and development team.

GM Kevyn Adams took over in June 2020, right before the draft, and has drawn good reviews as a steady hand. He was proactive in signing his two franchise centerman Tage Thompson (25-years-old) and Dylan Cozens (22) to long term deals at a reasonable AAV of $7.1 million that will benefit them for years. His biggest trade was moving Jack Eichel for a first and a second, hometown hero Alex Tuch, who is thriving, along with the former 17^th overall pick, Peyton Krebs. He has also successfully stepped into an NHL role. Adams brought in a lot of futures and changed the culture seemingly overnight in a high-pressure transaction. Eichel has gone on to thrive in Vegas, but the pieces Adams extracted are already fixtures in the line-up and Ostlund is a promising prospect. The Sabres are going to be competitive as soon as next season, and only get better as this group hits their prime. A reward to Buffalo fans who have been waiting 12 years for a playoff appearance and seen their share of dysfunction.

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 03: Rochester Americans right wing Jiri Kulich (25) on the ice during the first period of the American Hockey League game between the Rochester Americans and Cleveland Monsters on December 3, 2022, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Jiri Kulich

While Matthew Savoie was the Sabres’ top-10 selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, it’s been 28th-overall-pick Jiri Kulich looking more and more like the team’s top prospect. The Czech forward made the jump overseas this season, going straight to the AHL and fitting right in. The transition to the league wasn’t a difficult one for the centreman, having spent the previous season with HC Energie Karlovy Vary in the top men’s league in Czechia. He’s been a regular and a standout player on Team Czechia, most recently helping them to a 2023 World Juniors silver medal. Kulich plays hard, fast, and smart - the perfect trifecta for any NHL player. He’s a player that could be thrown into any role or situation and thrive. At this point, there’s little question of if he’ll make it to the NHL, but rather when.

2. Matthew Savoie

In terms of dynamic prospects, you’d be hard-pressed to find one better than Savoie. The Winnipeg Ice centreman has been tearing up the WHL for the past two seasons, eclipsing 35 goals and 90 points in both campaigns. He led all rookies in points last season and was rewarded by being selected ninth overall by the Sabres. He’s so difficult to defend due to his excellent edgework and impressive hands to match. He might just be one of the best skaters not in the NHL right now. Savoie’s a well-rounded, offensive threat, with a shot that will stand out in the NHL and strong playmaking with a knack for feeding the slot. He plays at a high pace and isn’t afraid to dive into battles, despite his 5-foot-9 frame. He has the talent to be a top-line threat and seems like a safe bet for the top six, at the very least.

3. Devon Levi

What a successful journey it’s been for Devon Levi. Starting with the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians in 2019-20, the goaltender has been MVP of the CCHL and 2019 World Junior A Challenge, Player of the Year in the CJHL and Hockey East, and on top of that, Top Goaltender of the NCAA and 2021 World Juniors. And that’s just the Cole’s note version of his extensive resume to date. While critics will be quick to point out his size, at “just” six feet, he has all of the aspects that should lead him to continued success in his career. He’s so quick and precise in his movement, using strong edges to maintain his positioning. His tracking is among the best of any goaltending prospect and his patience is elite. The wait for Levi to be an NHL regular shouldn’t be long, as the prospect has already signed his entry-level deal and made the jump to the NHL from Northwestern University.

4. Isak Rosen

Like Kulich, Isak Rosen is in his first season in North America and has wasted no time getting accustomed to the game. This should come as no surprise since the Swede spent the two seasons prior playing in the SHL with Leksands IF. The Sabres drafted him in 2021 at 14th overall, spending just one more season in Sweden before heading directly to the AHL. Rosen is such a fun player to watch, stemming from just how light he is on his feet and how quickly he can change directions, making him extremely unpredictable. He’s very patient and his intelligence shows with the puck on his stick, waiting for the opportune moment to make a move and create chances. Consistency and finding ways to break through to the middle of the ice appear to be the biggest hurdles for him right now, but he’s well on his way to being a productive middle-six winger.

5. Noah Ostlund

Sticking with the top Swedes in the prospect pool, Noah Ostlund is the third prospect on this list from the Sabres’ ridiculous first round in the 2022 NHL Draft. Ostlund was the second taken, 16th overall. Ostlund may take some more time than Rosen to make the jump though, playing just 11 SHL games last season, without recording a point. He has been playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan this season with Djurgardens IF, where he’s been getting used to playing against men. The centreman brings a promising two-way presence combined with very agile feet. He can tend to be outmuscled on the puck rather often, so there is some concern about how that will translate coming overseas. This complicates his projection, but he does the talent and work ethic to be a contributing middle-six forward. Another year in Sweden, plus some time in the AHL will be beneficial.

6. Prokhor Poltapov

The Sabres have shown in recent drafts that they’re going to bet on skill and all the rest will fall into place. That seems to be the thought process behind selecting Russian forward Prokhor Poltapov 33rd overall in 2021. The forward also fits a Sabres mould in his energy level, playing like a wind-up car when he’s on the ice. He has the potential to pull off highlight-reel plays but that isn’t always on display. That makes him a player to always keep an eye on though, as you never know when he’s going to go off. After spending the 2021-22 season bouncing between the MHL, VHL, and KHL, he’s carved out a role for himself in the KHL this season, granted in an extremely limited role. His ceiling isn’t overly high, especially due to some inconsistency, but he’s signed in Russia until 2024-25, so he has some time to develop.

7. Ryan Johnson

The first and only defender in the Sabres’ top 10, Ryan Johnson could easily be higher on this - but that’s a testament to the team’s system right now. Drafted 31st overall in 2019, Johnson was coming off a one-and-done USHL season where he was named to the All-Rookie Team. He then jumped to the NCAA’s University of Minnesota where he’s been a huge part of the program. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s still the No. 1 defender on the NCAA’s top team. His reliability, excellent mobility, and his ability to dictate the play all stand out as highly coveted, easily translatable traits. There’s likely not a ton of offensive upside to his game, but there’s also not a lot of downside to his game. He’s in his senior year and doesn’t seem far off from stepping into an NHL role - potentially the top four.

8. Aleksandr Kisakov

While there’s often a waiting period for Russian prospects after they’ve been drafted, Aleksandr Kisakov didn’t take much, spending just one more year in the MHL before signing and coming over to the AHL. In Russia, he showed off his ability to play a quick, high-pace game, noticeably standing out with his speed and offensive talent. He’s extremely creative and unpredictable with the puck on his stick. He’s struggled to find that consistent offensive magic since he joined the Rochester Americans though, adjusting to the improved speed and strength of the AHL. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to get back to that level or if he’ll end up as more of a depth piece in a lineup. There’s a high ceiling and low floor here to keep an eye on but either way, he’s a longer-term project. Expect a few more years in the AHL to get him comfortable.

9. Olivier Nadeau

Selected in the 2021 NHL Draft, 97th overall, Olivier Nadeau provides the Sabres’ farm system with a bigger, strong piece for the future. While the majority of their top prospects are high-skill, high-ceiling pieces, Nadeau is more of a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect. Imagining him as a bottom-six forward seems like just a matter of time and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him crack the top-six. He has a big body that protects the puck so well and navigates to the middle of the ice very well. He does have promising offensive ability too and should be a contributor at every level, at least in a secondary-scoring role. His skating looks to be the biggest hole in his game right now, so much so that he may struggle to adjust to the AHL level. Still, he’s been a top player in the QMJHL that looks ready to take the next step.

10. Lukas Rousek

After being passed over in the NHL Draft twice, the third time was the charm for Lukas Rousek who was selected 160th overall in 2019 by the Sabres. At that time, he was already in his second season in the top men’s league in Czechia. Post-draft, he spent two more seasons with HC Sparta Praha taking noticeable steps forward each season. After an ACL reconstruction surgery to start the 2021-22 season, he played just 19 games that season but came on strong in the playoffs. This season, he’s become a top player for the Amerks, highlighted by his excellent playmaking and work ethic. He’s a strong skater who seems to always know where to be on the ice. Seeing how easily he’s transitioned to the AHL, it looks like Rousek could be a middle-six winger, who looks like a very safe bet to be a regular at this point.

MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – #24 Boston Bruins

Josh Bell — Sat, 13 May 2023 15:19:42 +0000

Prospect System Ranking – 24^th (27^th last year)

A record-breaking season with 135 points and the President’s Trophy, ended in heartbreak with a first round lost to last season’s President’s Trophy winner, the Florida Panthers. With Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci possibly in their final season, the Hollywood script was written. GM Don Sweeney (since 2015) made some widely praised trade deadline deals moving out his 2023 and 2024 first round picks, plus a 2023 third, a 2025 second and fourth for Tyler Bertuzzi (from Detroit) and Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov (from Washington). All players well suited to the style of play in the playoffs and solid fit with the Bruin system and culture. Having acquired Hampus Lindholm in the previous season for three picks (one first, two seconds), plus two prospects, the well is not surprisingly dry for prospects on the cusp. They are one of two teams with no graduated prospects from the last five drafts.

It is a testament to the scouting and development team that they find themselves with four prospects (Lysell #33, Lohrei #93, Poitras #155, Bussi #166 – 10^th among goalies) in the top 200 and the 33^rd ranked Fabian Lysell. After a successful rookie season in the AHL, and as Lysell’s confidence grows, he may find himself in a top six role before too long. The Bruins have only five regular forwards from their line-up that are not UFA’s, so an opportunity awaits. The defense is more set going forward. Despite that they have cap issues. GM Sweeney has many questions to answer with his veterans, and how to approach the coming season. No doubt some of those will be tied to the decisions that Bergeron and Krejci make on retirement. Not much left on the shelf to sell, it will be an interesting offseason.

220814 Landon Slaggert of USA and Fabian Lysell of Sweden during the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship group stage game between USA and Sweden on August 14, 2022 in Edmonton.
Photo: Joel Marklund / BILDBYRÅN / kod JM / JM0358

Fabian Lysell

Fabian Lysell wasted no time after the Bruins selected him 21st overall in 2021. After hearing his name called, he decided to come to North America, where he’s been extremely impressive so far. He spent the first season in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants, leading the team in points (62). This season, he’s been just as impressive in the AHL. Lysell’s ability to generate offense has been on full display since coming overseas, highlighted by his ability to stickhandle like the puck is on a string and his high-end passing skill. He’s so elusive and creative but needs to pick his opportunities better. There are also some consistency concerns in his game as he seems to lose confidence in himself. If Lysell can put the pieces together, and he has been doing that very well so far in AHL rookie season, he could very well be a top-six playmaker in the near future.

2. Mason Lohrei

After going undrafted in 2019, Mason Lohrei has been making the Bruins look good. They surprisingly called his name 58th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, and he responded very well, earning USHL Defenseman of the Year honours in 2020-21, leading all defenders in goals (19), assists (40), and points (59). But he wasn’t done there. He joined Ohio State University the following season and was named to the Big Ten All-Rookie Team. His current season doesn’t have the same lustre around it, but he’s playing on a weaker team. Lohrei’s two-way potential is there. He contributes at both ends, carrying the puck well in transition, showing promising mobility, playing physically, and being on the ice in all situations. He’s still a bit of a project prospect and there’s a need for some refinement in his game if he’s going to succeed in the NHL, but he could be a reliable bottom-pairing defender.

3. Matthew Poitras

Looking at the type of player that the Bruins value, Matthew Poitras is the perfect fit. He’s a coach’s dream, never taking his foot off the gas, being dependable in all scenarios, and being patient in his play. He’s not a player that’s going to be overly dynamic at the next level, but he’s capable of having flashes. He’s a recent draftee, being selected 54th overall in the recent 2022 NHL Draft from the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He has taken a big offensive step forward this season, projected to nearly double his offensive output from his rookie season and is among the league leader in assists. This largely comes from his hardworking style of play, as the puck usually ends up on his stick, which won’t happen as much as he moves up. Tenacious players tend to make it against all odds, so you can bet on Poitras reaching the NHL in due time.

4. Brandon Bussi

In terms of trending prospects, it’s nearly impossible to ignore Brandon Bussi at this point. An undrafted goaltender, Bussi had been biding his time, waiting for an NHL team to bet on him. In his third NCAA season with Western Michigan University, the Bruins did just that, signing him to a one-year contract in college free agency. With a .910 save percentage over his NCAA career, expectations weren’t overly high, taking more of a “let’s see” approach. He jumped to the AHL this season and has been remarkable in net. He took over the crease as the number-one netminder and has run with it, sitting near the top of the league in all categories. He was even named to the AHL All-Star Classic. It remains to be seen how high Bussi can climb, but he’s still young at 24 and his size, positioning, and mobility all look like he’s well on his way to the next level.

5. Georgii Merkulov

After going undrafted and relatively unnoticed in his first year of draft eligibility back in 2019, playing with the MHL’s Kapitan Stupino, Georgii Merulov made a change. He decided to head overseas, joining the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms where he spent two seasons - still going undrafted. He then moved on to the NCAA and Ohio State University, where he spent just one year before the Bruins swooped in and signed him as a free agent. That’s been looking like a great move so far, as Merkulov is a top player on the Providence Bruins this season. He has an excellent shot, has a knack for creating separation, and is a strong playmaker as well. He’s struggled in the face-off dot this season and his defensive awareness and effort aren’t always there, but he’s well on his way to being a secondary scoring option at the NHL level.

6. John Beecher

When the Bruins drafted John Beecher back in 2019, 30th overall, he was coming off a fine season with the USNTDP and heading to the NCAA’s University of Michigan. He spent three seasons with Michigan, where it seemed like his development stalled, never really taking the next step in his game throughout his time there. Now in the AHL, he has shown some improvement with his physicality and ability to get off the wall, even chipping in offensively fairly well, but there is still concern with his lack of consistency and failure to take over games or drive a line. He tends to sit back too often, letting the play come to him. Whether or not he makes the NHL as a consistent contributor is a real question, and it’s hard to see his ceiling as more than a bottom-six role player.

7. Riley Duran

A lesser-known but promising piece of the Bruins’ pool is Riley Duran. Selected in 2020 way down at 182nd overall out of high school, the forward made the shift to the USHL in the following season but didn’t take off. In 2021-22 he jumped to the NCAA where he took off with Providence College. So much so that he was named to Team USA at the 2022 World Juniors. He has strong positioning, plays with high energy, and isn’t afraid to jump into puck battles. His skill level isn’t overly exciting - he’s more of a reliable depth player. As the Bruins like, he has good size at 6-foot-2 and will continue to build strength before he reaches the next level. His ceiling isn’t overly high, but he does seem like a player that would plug into a third- or fourth-line role but be able to play up if needed.

8. Brett Harrison

Drafted 85th overall in 2021, Brett Harrison already had one OHL season under his belt and was expected to take a big step forward in 2020-21. Instead, the OHL season was cancelled and the centreman headed overseas to the U20 SM-sarja for seven games. Combined with an Under-18s gold medal with Team Canada, that was enough for the Bruins to bet on him. He’s been a productive forward in the OHL since then, but his development has noticeably slowed, if not stalled. His shot is a bright spot, getting a great deal of weight behind a full arsenal of shots. He does well getting to the front of the net as well. His skating stride, his shot selection, and overall consistency are red flags in his game though. It’s hard to see him as more than a depth piece but could cut out a bottom-six role for himself if everything goes to plan.

9. Marc McLaughlin

Yet another player in the Bruins’ system that came up through the NCAA, Marc McLaughlin is another prospect that doesn’t garner a ton of attention. But he does seem to be the mould of a Bruins player. He came up through the USHL, serving as the captain in his final year with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Jumping to Boston College, he eventually earned the “C” again and was a point-per-game player in his final two seasons. The Bruins signed him as a free agent, in a big year for him as he also dressed for Team USA at the Olympics. He’s a strong skater, who plays a very intelligent, defensive-leaning game. He’s not going to be the most offensive player, but this season in the AHL has shown that he’ll be a contributor. A bottom-six role, with a role on a first penalty kill unit, seems very realistic and not too far off.

10. Jakub Lauko

Jakub Lauko looks to be graduating from this list soon, after a long path since being drafted 77th overall back in 2018. Drafted out of Czechia, he then joined the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies where he had a strong season, including a QMJHL and CHL Memorial Cup Championship. He then jumped to the AHL, but in the shortened season. In 2020-21, he headed back to Czechia until the AHL season kicked off and he’s been with the P-Bruins since. This season, he’s seen time in the NHL, but if he sticks is a real question. He’s mainly a call-up as needed but has some work to do if he’s going to be a regular. Despite his intelligence and awareness, he tends to be more of a passenger when he’s on the ice. At this point, he’s never going to be an overly offensive threat and he may be close to his ceiling.

AHL: BELL – Merkulov becoming key part of Bruins’ future

Josh Bell — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:48:02 +0000

When the Boston Bruins signed Georgii Merkulov on April 9, 2022, there was a great deal of excitement. The Russian forward was a top free agent from the NCAA and immediately slotted in as a top-five prospect in the Bruins’ system. Since that signing, he’s continued to trend up and is among the best rookies in the AHL this season.

After going undrafted and relatively unnoticed in his first year of draft eligibility back in 2019, playing with the MHL’s Kapitan Stupino, Merulov made a change. He decided to head overseas, joining the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms in 2019-20. After two seasons with the Phantoms - potting 73 points (20 goals, 53 assists) in 74 games - he was still undrafted.

In 2021-22, Merkulov moved to the NCAA to play for Ohio State University and really took the next step forward in his game. He tallied 34 points (20 goals, 14 assists) in 36 games and was named to the First All-Star Team and All-Rookie Team in the Big Ten. He was rewarded for his play by the Bruins who jumped on the chance to add him to their system. He got a taste of the AHL that season, playing in eight games to finish out the year, collecting five points (one goal, four assists) in eight games.

He’s now in the AHL full-time and has continued to see his stock rise. He’s up to 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 44 games this season, leading the P-Bruins. He also sits second in points among all rookies. He just continues to get better as the season rolls on too. In February (so far), he has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in six games, the most of all AHL players this month.

Behind the scoring line, the numbers continue to show a strong season for Merkulov. His 0.86 points per game pace is fourth among rookies. The centreman sits third on the team with a 0.78 game score* per game, which is also fourth among all rookies in the league and sixth among all DY+4 players. He also has an impressive 70.8% goals for percentage, leading all rookies, and his relative goals for percentage, the difference in team goals when the skater is on the ice versus when they’re not, is 22%, seventh among rookies.

Moving away from the numbers, Merkulov continues to impress. At 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds, he is below average in terms of size. Often, this leads to a struggle in getting to the middle of the ice and the high-danger areas. For Merkulov, that doesn’t appear to be an issue.

Merkulov has 121 shot attempts this season, with 80 of those finding the net (66.11%). Of those 80 shots, 39 of them have come from inside the house. You can see there’s also a high concentration of shots that come in close, where the majority of his goals come from. He does have a tendency to shoot from the right side of the ice as well, just outside the house, which is actually where he shoots from on the power play. Here’s the shot map at even strength:

Based on these charts, it’s pretty obvious that Merkulov doesn’t have any problem getting to the middle of the ice. He could stand to tighten up the number of shots he takes from the perimeter, especially since all of his even-strength goals come from in close and has shown improvement in this area throughout the season. So, we know he’s getting to the right places on the ice, but how is he doing it?

Note: Merkulov is number 10 in all video clips

Merkulov Goal 1:

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Merkulov-Goal-1.mp4

This clip is a great representation of how Merkulov is potting his goals. With his defender collecting the pass and space in front of him, the Russian forward curves into the slot, ensuring that there’s a clear path for his teammate to find his stick. He then grabs the puck behind him while slightly stepping into the reception, using his body to create separation from the closest defender and giving him a view of the net. Knowing that he’s surrounded by defenders, he quickly pulls the puck around him for a quick snapshot and a goal.

Merkulov is extremely strong at finding the soft ice around the net. He always seems to be able to slide behind or through defenders like they don’t even notice him. He consistently uses his body to protect the puck and when contested uses his quick hands to move the puck to safety or get a quick shot off. At even strength, this is mainly how he gets his goals, or from rebounds.

Projecting to the next level, his even strength goal total will likely slightly drop due to this though. NHL defenders will be much stronger at limiting the middle of the ice and controlling rebounds. But he will still be able to find some success thanks to his offensive awareness.

Merkulov PP Goal:

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Merkulov-PP-Goal.mp4

On the power play, Merkulov changes it up and follows suit of another Russian, Alex Ovechkin, from his office at the top of the circle. Merkulov has consistently been improving this one-time shot this season and is at a point where he’s extremely dangerous from this spot. He gets so much power behind that release, and it comes off his stick like a cannon that goalies don’t stand a chance against.

Merkulov Playmaking:

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Merkulov-Playmaking.mp4

This clip shows off a few aspects of Merkulov’s game that I’d like to highlight. He utilizes crossovers to change direction numerous times in this drive, cutting in and out and making himself unpredictable. Receiving the pass in the neutral zone (in stride I might add), he cuts to the outside after seeing an extra defender in the middle. Leaning into the defender and holding the puck away, he shows off that great offensive awareness with multiple looks to the middle of the ice. Once he has his lane clear, he makes a great pass across right to his teammate’s stick for a goal.

Merkulov does a great job feeding the slot and the middle of the ice regularly. His vision in the offensive zone is excellent and his puck protection allows him to draw defenders in while he scans the ice. The offensive potential for Merkulov is very promising.

Merkulov FO, DEF, Breakout:

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Merkulov-FO-DEF-Breakout-1.mp4

While there’s a lot to like about Merkulov’s game, there are still improvements to make. First, his faceoff percentage this season is 49% and this is an area he’s been struggling with lately. Especially in the defensive zone, his team needs him to start winning more faceoffs. This may come as he spends more time in the pro leagues, but if he’s going to remain as a centreman, it does need to improve.

Merkulov’s defensive game has taken huge strides this season, but it is still a work in progress. He doesn’t have the same level of awareness in the defensive end that he shows in the O-zone. Merkulov’s issue is that he’s always looking to burn defenses, so he tends to play a little too high at times and is more focused on looking for the lane forward rather than looking for where his opponents are.

He doesn’t shoulder-check or scan the ice often enough in his end. By committing to the defensive side of the puck and implementing this, he could drastically take his game to the next level. That being said, he has taken strides this season. At the 16-second mark, you can see him attack the carrier and get his stick in the lane to prevent the attacker from carrying it in deep. But then, as he crosses the ice, he doesn’t note the attacker behind him that’s wide open in the slot. Luckily for Merkulov, his defender stepped up to take the potential opportunity away.

This also shows how well he reads the breakout though, jumping up as soon as his teammate has the puck, ultimately creating a two-on-one and an excellent scoring chance.

Merkulov Shot Block:

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Merkulov-Shot-Block.mp4

Again, I want to reiterate that Merkulov has taken steps forward in his defensive game. In this clip, when his teammate blows an edge, Merkulov jumps into action and attacks the carrier. I particularly appreciate how he attacks the carrier, leading with his stick toward the puck and turning both feet to block as much space as he can. He blocks the shot here, deflecting it out of danger. Merkulov has been getting into shot lanes more and more this season, so the commitment is there and is improving.

From an undrafted prospect to an NCAA free-agent signing to an AHL star for the P-Bruins, Merkulov has come a long way. He’s easily a top-five prospect for the Bruins and could even be top three or four. In the NHL, he’s likely a bottom-six player but will be able to provide consistent secondary scoring. He has the skill to be on the second power-play unit as well, thanks to that booming one-timer.

In order to get there though, Merkulov will need to continue to improve his faceoff ability and work on his defensive awareness. His defensive game has noticeably improved, but there is still work to be done to be successful at the next level. The Bruins and Bruins’ fans should be very happy with where their prospect is at this point though.

*Game score is a metric that takes into account goals, primary assists, secondary assists, shots, penalties, faceoffs, on-ice goals for, and on-ice goals against.

With data from AHLTracker.com and video from InStat