One area that the Boston Bruins have no questions facing them entering the 2023-24 season is in the net. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark will return one year after winning the Jennings Trophy to solidify the goaltending.
If something happens to either Swayman or Ullmark, there are options in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins, but their prospect goaltending branches out beyond there. Boston has been stock piling some goaltending depth in the organization in recent drafts, trades, and undrafted free agency. In the final installment of ranking the Bruins’ top five prospects at forward and defense, it’s time to rank their top five goaltending prospects for the future.
5. Reid Dyck
The 2022 Entry Draft in Montreal will be remembered for acquiring Matthew Poitras in the second round, but in the sixth round, 183rd overall, the Bruins selected goaltender Reid Dyck. It was a curious pick by general manager (GM) Don Sweeney and the front office, but there was clearly something there that they liked when they scouted him said Associate Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Nadeau.
“We just think there’s an upside that our goaltending group, [goalie coach] Bob Essensa and [goaltending development coach] Mike Dunham, can really work with and hope to hone and work through.”
Dyck went 15-23-1 for the Swift Current Broncos in 2022-23 in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with a 3.62 goals against average (GAA) and a .887 save percentage (SV%). Those numbers improved from 2021-22 when he had a 4.26 GAA and a .884 SV% in 19 games for Swift Current. He will return for another season with the Broncos in WHL hoping to take the next step in his development.
4. Philip Svedebäck
In the 2021 Draft, Boston selected Philip Svedebäck in the fourth round, 117th overall and he had a strong freshman season for Providence College in Hockey East. It’s rare that a goalie steps in as a freshman to take command of the crease, but Svedebäck put the Friars on his back and led them to the Hockey East semifinals before falling to Boston University in overtime.
Related: Boston Bruins Top 5 Defensive Prospects for 2023-24
He went 14-11-7 with a 2.18 GAA and a .909 SV% for Providence. In 2022-23, he went 15-7-3 for the Dubuque Fighting Saints with a 2.95 GAA and a .910 SV% in the USHL. The 21-year-old from Sweden will return to the Friars for the 2023-24 season, but the Bruins are hoping they found a future goalie in the fourth round as they did with Swayman in the 2017 Draft. He has a long way to go in his development, but there are some promising signs with the 6-foot-3, 191-pounder.
3. Michael DiPietro
After Jack Studnicka was one of the most talked about prospects for the Bruins, Sweeney moved from the second-round pick in the 2017 Draft last October when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg and goalie Michael DiPietro. The Windsor, Canada native was selected in the 2017 Draft like Swayman, but he was taken one round ahead of him, 64th overall in the third round.
DiPietro spent most of the 2022-23 season with the Maine Mariners in the ECHL, going 19-9-0 with a 2.61 GAA and a .918 SV%. He played one game for the P-Bruins and won it. He has two NHL games under his belt, both with Vancouver, and he has a 5.25 GAA and a .771 SV% in a very small sample size. Unless there is a trade in Boston involving either Swayman or Ullmark, he will likely spend the upcoming season with the Mariners.
2. Kyle Keyser
Over the last couple of seasons, Kyle Keyser has been insurance with Providence, which included a stop in Boston in 2021-22 when COVID-19 hit Swayman, although Keyser did not play in the game against the Calgary Flames. After going 11-14-8 with a 2.75 GAA and a .908 SV% in 2021-22 in the AHL, he bounced back last season splitting time with Brandon Bussi.
Keyser was 13-6-2 with a 2.79 GAA and a .900 SV% and he re-signed in July along with Jakub Lauko as a restricted free agent (RFA) on a one-year, two-way contract for $775,000. The 24-year-old was signed by the Bruins as a free agent in October of 2017 and is depth in the minors should an injury occur this season in Boston.
1. Brandon Bussi
Out of all of the goaltending prospects, Bussi appears to have the most upside and it would not be surprising to see him make his NHL debut this season if an injury occurs to the Swayman or Ullmark. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan University in March of 2022, he had a breakout season in Providence in 2022-23.
Bussi had as impressive first full pro season in the AHL that you could have. He went 22-5-4 with a 2.38 GAA and a .925 SV%, which was good enough to finish second in the league. He was named to the AHL All-Rookie team for 2022-23 and participated in the 2023 All-Star Game for the Atlantic Division. He will once again be the main goalie with the P-Bruins, but he will be the first goalie called up to Boston this upcoming season when one is needed.
Boston hopes they don’t have to dig too deep into their goaltending depth, but there are some comfortable options with Bussi, Keyser, and DiPietro if needed. After that, development will be key for Svedeback and Dyck over the next couple of seasons before they sign their entry-level deals. Goaltending is shaping up to be a good group of prospects.