As it has been noted several times, the Boston Bruins prospect pool is not one of the top ones in the NHL (from ‘Boston Bruins are No. 30 in 2023 NHL prospect pool rankings,’ The Athletic, Jan. 11, 2023). It should not come as a surprise as general manager (GM) Don Sweeney has traded away his first-round picks multiple times to acquire trade deadline needs for a deep playoff run. Trading your first-round pick multiple times over a short time period can result in the situation they are currently in.
The organization is entering a key period with its veteran core retiring. Patrice Bergeron announced on July 25 that he was retiring and it would not be surprising to see long-time teammate David Krejci follow before the 2023-24 season starts. Boston is going to need some of their prospects to step up and make an impact sooner or later. Who that is remains to be seen, but here are the Black and Gold’s top five forward prospects.
5. Brett Harrison
There is real intrigue surrounding Brett Harrison as he enters his first professional season. After an eye-opening season with the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where does the 85th pick in the third round of the 2021 Entry Draft end up in 2023-24? It’s more than likely with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) and taking the next step in his game will be important.
Last season he combined for 34 goals and 35 assists with Oshawa and Windsor and his game took off playing with Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright with the Spitfires. Harrison combines a quick accurate shot and gets to the front of the net where he scores a lot of his goals. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound left-shot’s primary position is at center, but he had 18 goals on the left wing next to Wright.
“Offensively, lots to like . . . His shot is a weapon,” Bruins assistant GM Jamie Langenbrunner said. “He can score from a lot of places.”
He will be one of many young forwards worth keeping an eye on this season and will be an interesting player in training camp.
4. John Beecher
One player who has an opportunity to take advantage of Bergeron’s retirement is John Beecher. No, not as a replacement for the future Hall of Famer, but with everyone currently slotting up one spot of the center depth in Boston and the likelihood of Krejci not returning as well, Beecher has an opportunity to grab the fourth-line center spot in training camp.
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The 30th overall pick of the 2019 Entry Draft, Beecher had nine goals and 14 assists in 61 AHL games last season. Just where he slots in this season remains to be seen, but one more AHL season might be best for him. A big body at 6-foot-3, he is a good penalty killer and good on faceoffs. He is one of the most NHL-ready centers in Providence and he will need to be more consistent on a nightly basis.
3. Matthew Poitras
Sweeney added center depth to the prospect pool at the 2022 Draft in Montreal and the first one he selected was Matthew Poitras, 54th overall and in the second round. A flashy two-way center, he broke out last season with Guelph Storm in the OHL with an eye-popping 79 assists and 16 goals. In 2021-22, he had 21 goals and 29 assists, but there should be no concern about his goal drop-off as his play-making went to another level. He impressed at the Bruins 2023 Developmental Camp in early July.
“Our amateur scouts saw that this is a smart hockey player,” said Langenbrunner. “An elite brain. His skating got knocked going into the draft which pushed him down, but we saw a brain with growth potential, and I think we saw that step last year. His production on a lower team was extremely high end and, I mean, you see it in snippets out here every day.”
He is not eligible for Boston this upcoming season and will return for one more season in the OHL with the Storm and is expected to take the next step in his development. The Bruins hope he will grow physically this season and improve better defensively. There is a lot to like about his game and the future for Poitras.
2. Georgii Merkulov
Taking a chance on undrafted free agents is always a gamble. In March of 2022, Sweeney signed Georgii Merkulov following his freshman season at Ohio State University, and what a standout one season of college it was for the Buckeyes. In 34 games, he had 20 goals and 14 assists before signing with the Black and Gold.
In his first full season in Providence last season, he broke out leading them in scoring with 21 goals and 34 assists, and took a big step in his development. He’s an older prospect at 22 years old and has good hands, sees the ice very well, and has a quick accurate shot. He’s a center, but his spot in the NHL most likely will be on the wing. It would be surprising to see him make the roster out of training camp on the fourth line. Where does he fit in down the line as a top-six, middle-six or bottom-six remains to be seen, but he’s NHL-ready now.
1. Fabian Lysell
The Bruins’ top forward prospect without a doubt is Fabian Lysell. After tearing up the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Vancouver Giants with 22 goals and 40 assists in 53 games in 2021-22, the 21st overall pick of the 2021 Draft took some time adjusting to his first professional season in Providence.
He had 14 goals and 23 assists in 54 AHL games, but he battled multiple injuries during the season, including a concussion at the end of the season that also cost him to miss the ice for the first couple of days of the Bruins Development Camp. When he finally got on the ice, his skill set was on display and you could see the talent that he possesses. Sweeney made multiple trades at the deadline last season, but he was able to keep Lysell out of any deals and instead send away multiple first-round picks. Like Merkulov, he will be someone worth watching in camp to see if makes the roster.
Boston’s prospect pool is top-heavy with forwards and there is a lot to like about them. Sooner or later, their time in the NHL is going to come and for some, it will come as early as 2023-24 with bottom-six roles. Training camp this season is going to be one of the more interesting ones at Warrior Ice Arena in a long time.