The Boston Bruins’ 2023-24 season now has a week of training camp and two preseason games under its belt. The team won their first preseason game against the New York Rangers 3 – 0. They then lost the following preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres 4 – 1.
Related: 4 Bruins Prospects Who Could Make NHL Debut in 2023-24
It is of course preseason, and the two games featured different rosters, giving a variety of guys a chance to make an impression. It’s still early, and many of the veterans have yet to take the ice in the two preseason games that have taken place. But one thing has been consistent in the two games and training camp so far, the Bruins prospects have come to play.
Notable Bruins’ Prospects To Watch For
Let’s be honest, the Bruins do not have the strongest of prospect pools. Years of poor drafting by general manager Don Sweeney, as well as a lack of first-round selections due to trades, have led to a weak farm system.
But, I do think a number of the Bruins picks in the last two or three drafts are starting to quietly mature and develop quite nicely. In addition, aware of their weaknesses, the front office has made an effort to sign free agents out of the NCAA in recent years. Most notable is Georgii Merkulov, who went undrafted and was then signed after a terrific season at Ohio State University. He played for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season and led the team in points. There’s some excitement to see what he’ll do in preseason and is considered to have a decent shot at making a roster spot. Marc McLaughlin is another one to keep an eye on. He had a great training camp last season and was one of the final cuts made before the roster. He has seen some NHL action as well.
More than in the last few seasons, it feels like there are a number of prospects, who are legitimately contending and pushing for an NHL roster spot. Beside Merkulov, Matthew Poitras, who was a second-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft is coming off a great season of growth and is starting to look like he could be a legitimate top-six center in the NHL sooner than expected. Defenseman Mason Lohrei, forward Johnny Beecher, and goaltender Brandon Bussi also generated a lot of buzz and hype over the offseason and are living up to expectations so far.
The most well-known prospect for the Bruins, and arguably their top one is Fabian Lysell, who has a pretty decent shot of making the roster. He has not appeared yet in a preseason game but has gotten reps in training camp playing on a line with Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle. It would seem then that the coaching staff is interested in seeing how he plays with the team’s top talent.
Preseason Game 1 and Game 2
The Bruins’ first preseason game featured an incredible performance from Bussi in goal, who garnered the shutout and a save that could very well be considered one of the saves of the year. It is just preseason, so he was not facing the toughest of opponents, but still showed his talent in goal. At 25, it would truly be remarkable if, in the next season or two, the team has two talented young goaltenders under the age of 30. The Bruins’ tandem is pretty much set in stone with Swayman and Linus Ullmark, but Bussi will be someone to keep an eye on in the AHL this season.
Another standout prospect from the first preseason game was Poitras. The 19-year-old center had a goal and an assist in the win and was one of the best players on the ice. On top of his excellent performance at the prospects challenge, he is really making an impression. He’s even had a chance to play with David Pastrnak on his line at training camp, demonstrating the coaching staff’s interest in him.
The first preseason game also saw a goal from 2019 first-round selection Johnny Beecher, who hasn’t garnered as much discussion as some of the other prospects but is putting together a pretty solid case to get a roster spot this season.
The second preseason game was not as exciting for the Bruins as it saw a pretty drab performance and a resounding loss to a Buffalo Sabres that might just make a run at the playoffs this season. But one of the positives of the game was Lohrei, who over 22 minutes at even-strength, five minutes higher than the next player. Eight of those minutes also came against some of the Sabre’s top talent, like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. He was easily the best player for the team that night.
In addition, Lohrei had an assist along with Merkulov on the one goal scored by the Bruins by Oskar Steen, who with only 26 NHL games of experience could technically still be considered a prospect as well. Despite the assist, it would have been nice to see a little more out of Merkulov in the game. Still, he is impressing at training camp and may make a push for a bottom-six center spot.
The prospects and young guys certainly have the most to prove in the preseason and training camp, and as a whole, it feels like the Bruins prospects are stepping up more this preseason than they have in recent seasons. A good preseason game doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a hundred percent ready for the NHL, but it is certainly a step in the right direction and positive growth that you want to see out of what is considered to be the last-ranked prospect pool in the NHL.
Chance of Making NHL Roster
The Bruins need to get younger and have expressed an interest in doing so, yet, it will be a challenge for them to crack the roster out of training camp and preseason. The front office made a number of cheap free agent signings over the summer, and presumingly spots that could have gone to some of these prospects will be going to them. Most teams in the NHL have a tendency to give guys the benefit of the doubt based on what they have already done instead of taking a chance on their potential, and the Bruins are no exception.
But many of the young guys are making their cases known and making these decisions tougher. Some of these guys may benefit from a little more time in Providence to get professional experience. Poitras is an interesting case because he is too young to go to the AHL but looks ready for professional hockey and could probably use another year before making the move to the NHL.
Related: Bruins’ Lohrei Impresses in Preseason Debut
Yes, the Bruins do not have the most exciting prospect pool nor do they have many players that are looking like legitimate, future superstars. But the Bruins already have some elite young talent on their roster with Pastrnak (27), Charlie McAvoy (25), Jeremy Swayman (24), and Jake DeBrusk (26). What they need are young guys who can be solid NHL-level talent, and though it’s early, several of the prospects are showing that they can be just that.
So chances are not many of them will make the roster out of training camp. Depending on how he does in the preseason games, Lysell may be the only one who does. But keep an eye out for many of these other prospects to get a call-up at some point in 2023-24.
