It is no secret where the Boston Bruins prospect pool ranks in the NHL. It’s ranked near the bottom by all the experts and it is even a tough outlook with prospects who are 23 years old or younger (from ‘NHL Pipeline Rankings 2023: From the Ducks to the Bruins, the best prospects and under-23 players,’ The Athletic, Aug. 22, 2023). Many factors can contribute to that, including the lack of first-round picks, which general manager (GM) Don Sweeney has traded away multiple times at the trade deadline to acquire pieces to contend for a Stanley Cup.
Related: Boston Bruins: Grading Don Sweeney’s 2023 Offseason
With many of the Black and Gold’s top prospects in training camp, most will likely end up going back to juniors or the American Hockey League (AHL) to the Providence Bruins. Here are the Bruins top 10 prospects heading into the 2023-24 season.
10. Brandon Bussi
This season, the Bruins are set in goal with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, but if something should happen, then Brandon Bussi would get the call from Providence. The former Western Michigan University netminder had a very good first full pro season in the AHL after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
He went 22-5-4 with the P-Bruins with a 2.40 goals against average (GAA) and .924 save percentage (SV%) and he was named one of the Atlantic Division all-stars. Swayman is under contract for one season and Ullmark has two remaining on his current deal with Boston, but Bussi is someone who could find himself as a backup in the NHL sooner rather than later if a goalie is traded at some point. In Sunday night’s 3-0 preseason win over the New York Rangers at the TD Garden, he made 29 saves and looked very solid in recording the shutout.
9. Frederic Brunet
Do you like physical defensemen who are not afraid to stand anyone up at the blue line? Then Frederic Brunet is your player. Last season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Victoriaville Tigers, he had 10 goals and 28 assists, before signing a tryout agreement with Providence and picking up a pair of assists in one game.
Aside from his physical side, he has an offensive game that is beginning to develop into a pro player. He was one of the better puck-moving defensemen in Buffalo at the Prospect Challenge and wherever he ends up this season, improving in the defensive end while continuing to improve his offensive game is a must, and playing in the AHL would help him do that.
8. Dans Locmelis
One prospect who has taken a step in the right direction in his development over the last two seasons is forward Dans Locmelis. He had two strong World Junior Championships in 2022 and 2023 for Latvia. He helped them reach the semifinals last December and scored a goal in a loss to Canada. He finished the tournament with three goals.
He will begin his college career at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is coming off a season where he had 25 goals and 34 assists in 43 games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft, he will see plenty of time at center this season for the Minutemen.
7. Marc McLaughlin
Like fellow prospect Trevor Kuntar, Marc McLaughlin played his college hockey at Boston College, and following his senior season in 2021-22, he signed a free-agent contract with the Bruins and made an immediate impact. He scored his first career goal in his first game against the New Jersey Devils when he scored on a 2-on-1 with Trent Frederic. He had a very good training camp last season with Boston, but still ended up being sent to the AHL.
He had 13 goals and 17 assists last season for the P-Bruins and is a candidate to earn a bottom-six role this season. It may not be out of camp, but it would not be surprising to see him up if injuries occur. At the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, he played well this is going to be a big season for him with the Bruins organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract in July.
6. John Beecher
As mentioned above, the first-round picks for Sweeney and the Bruins have been few and far between the last five drafts, and John Beecher is one of these picks, selected 30th overall in the 2019 Draft. After three seasons at the University of Michigan, he had a good first pro season in the AHL with nine goals and 14 assists. He picked up the Bruins’ second goal against the Rangers in the preseason opener.
Right now he projects as a bottom-six center, but the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder from New York is an effective penalty killer and is good at the faceoff dot. Last season Joona Koppanen got called up multiple times to fill in when injuries occurred in the bottom six, but he left for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the summer and that leaves Beecher near the top of the list if he does begin the season in Providence, and a call up is needed. He is facing a big season in terms of development.
5. Georgii Merkulov
One of the lesser-known prospects in the Bruins pool who is coming on quickly is Georgii Merkulov. After one season at Ohio State University where he had 20 goals and 14 assists in 34 games, he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Last season, he had a strong first pro season in Providence.
He finished second among AHL rookies last season with 55 points and 11 power-play goals, while finishing sixth among AHL rookies in goals with 24 and eighth in assists with 31. He has a quick-shot release and an impressive skill set. Merkulov will be battling for a third or fourth-line role in training camp, but will be up against it with several free-agent veterans brought in over the offseason. One more AHL season may not be the worst thing for him.
4. Brett Harrison
If there is one prospect in the Boston pool that fans should get excited about with his potential future is Brett Harrison. Last season with the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) he combined for 34 goals and 35 assists. After being traded to Windsor, he thrived on the top line with Seattle Kaken prospect Shane Wright.
At the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, the third-round pick in 2021 and 85th overall had a promising showing ahead of training camp. His shot is becoming his strongest skill and is a threat to score from anywhere on the ice. Seeing how his game translates to the AHL this season for the 6-foot-2, 182-pound left shot is worth keeping an eye on.
3. Matthew Poitras
If there was any prospect that raised their value last season, it was center Matthew Poitras. The 54th overall pick of the 2022 Draft in Montreal took a big step in his development with the Guelph Storm in the OHL last season with 16 goals and 79 assists in just 63 games. On the first day of training camp, coach Jim Montgomery put him on a line with David Pastrnak, which had to be a thrill for the 19-year-old. He scored the first Bruins goal Sunday night against the Rangers and played very good two-way game.
Poitras is not eligible for the AHL this season, which means he is most likely headed back to Guelph for the season to continue his play-making development. With the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci over the offseason, developing centers is a must for the Bruins and the quicker Poitras can develop into an NHL player, the better for the Black and Gold. His time is not too far away.
2. Fabian Lysell
Out of all of Boston’s forward prospects, the one right now with the most potential is Fabian Lysell, the only other first-round pick of Sweeney’s in the last five seasons. Selected 21st overall in the 2021 Draft, he had an up-and-down first pro season in Providence, battling injuries, which included a late-season concussion.
He had 14 goals and 23 assists in 54 AHL games last season and out of the forward prospects on this list, he has the best chance to see some NHL time this season. When that happens is the question as multiple free-agent forward signings will make that tough at the beginning of the season. Projected as a top-six wing, expect him to get a good look in Boston at some point this season.
1. Mason Lohrei
Fully healthy after a knee injury cut his 2021-22 season short, this is the first training camp for top prospect Mason Lohrei after a strong sophomore season at Ohio State last season. He had four goals and 28 assists for the Buckeyes, but the 6-foot-3, 190-pound defenseman has a promising future with his skill set.
He is physical, a smooth skater, and a good puck mover while not afraid to join the rush and a full season in the AHL will help him this season. Boston has left-shot blueline depth with Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, and Jakub Zboril, but Grzelcyk and Forbort are both free agents following the season which opens the door for 2024-25 and beyond. He is projected to be a top-four defenseman and can play in all situations.
If the Bruins are going to get anything from their prospects pool, it’s going to have to be sooner rather than later. Despite the pool not having a great ranking, there is still a lot to like about some of them and their futures in the NHL with the Black and Gold.
