If there is one area that the Boston Bruins are set at for the 2023-24 season, it’s on defense. They only lost Connor Clifton in free agency to Atlantic Division rival Buffalo Sabres and trade deadline acquisition Dmitry Orlov to the Carolina Hurricanes. They return their other five main parts, for now, and seem to be set with that group. They added Kevin Shattenkirk in free agency from the Anaheim Ducks.
The good news is that they don’t have to rush any of their prospects to the NHL this season. Jakub Zboril is a seventh defenseman and sooner or later the Bruins either need to give him an opportunity or move him in a trade. It seems that the Black and Gold are going to need to give their prospective blue-liners more time to develop in the American Hockey League (AHL) or with their junior teams. With that said, here are their top five prospects on defense.
5. Jackson Edward
Selected in the seventh round of the 2022 Entry Draft and 200th overall, Jackson Edward has the profile of a prototypical Boston Bruins defenseman. At 6-foot-2, 194 pounds, the 19-year-old from Newmarket, Ontario is a physical blue liner who’s not afraid to stand up an opponent at the blue line, just ask fellow Boston prospect, Matthew Poitras. In early January when Edward’s London Knights played the Guleph Storm, Edward stood up his fellow Bruns prospect at the blue line.
Edward saw a rise in production last season with five goals and 20 assists in 65 regular season games after just six assists in 54 games in 2021-22. He will return to London for this season looking to improve his offensive game along with continuing his physical presence in the defensive zone.
4. Ty Gallagher
Every once in a while there is a prospect that is selected in the later rounds that can surprise. For the Bruins, one of those could very well end up being Ty Gallagher who was selected in the seventh round like Edward, but in the 2021 Draft and 217th overall.
The 20-year-old from Clarkson, Michigan is entering his junior season at Boston University in 2023-24, looking to continue his development that has happened in his first two seasons with the Terriers. As a freshman, he had five goals and 11 assists in 34 games, then in 40 games in 2022-23, he had three goals and 18 assists in helping BU reach the Frozen Four where they lost 6-2 to the University of Minnesota in Tampa Bay.
Gallagher is 6-foot-0 and 183 pounds with a good offensive game. He is strong on defensive zone exits and has a very good vision of the ice. In the offensive zone, he’s able to find his teammates and pick up a lot of his assists with high-IQ passes. He is facing a key season with the Terriers and if his development continues, he could sign his entry-level contract next March or April.
3. Jonathan Myrenberg
Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney ended the long Jack Studnicka saga in Boston last October when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. In return, Sweeney acquired defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg and goaltender Michael DiPietro. Selected in the fifth round in the 2021 Draft and 140th overall by the Canucks, Myrenberg turned some heads with Mora IK in the second-tier Allsvenskan last season.
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In 49 games, he had four goals and eight assists, but it was his overall game that stood out. He is a good strong skater, plays a very simple game, and is not afraid to take the body. At 20 years old, he will play for Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) this season and is someone worth keeping an eye on for down the line.
2. Frederic Brunet
Quietly, Frederic Brunet is a rising prospect and the fifth-round pick in the 2022 Draft in Montreal had a breakout 2022-23 season after being drafted last summer. Last season, he split time with Rimouski Oceanic and Victoriaville Tigers in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and impressed with both teams.
In 36 games, he had six goals and 29 assists with Oceanic, then had 10 goals and 28 assists in 30 games with the Tigers. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound 19-year-old left-shot is a strong skater and like Gallagher, he has good vision on the ice and is physical in the defensive end. Poitras gets all the headlines in the 2022 draft class, but Brunet is quickly becoming a riser for the Black and Gold.
1. Mason Lohrei
This should be no surprise that Mason Lohrei is at the top of this list as the case can be made he’s the Bruins’ top overall prospect. After two strong seasons at Ohio State University, he signed his entry-level contract after his sophomore season ended in the NCAA Tournament last spring and he is more than ready to make the jump to the pros.
In two seasons with the Buckeyes, Lohrei had eight goals and 53 assists playing in all situations while logging over 30 minutes a night a couple of times. After signing, he played in five games for the Providence Bruins with an assist, but the 6-foot-4, 209-pound left-shot has a big NHL body and plays a physical game with an offensive game that has a good upside. He will have to really impress in training camp to make the Boston roster at the beginning of the season, but he’s not too far from being a nightly NHL blueliner.
Overall, the defensive prospect group is the furthest away from an impact in the NHL as it’s a very young group compared to the forwards. Lohrei is head and shoulders above the rest of the group and will make an impact first, but there is a lot of promise for some of the younger players down the line.