The start of the hockey season at all levels means only one thing, the Boston Bruins Prospects Report for The Hockey Writers makes its return. In this edition, we will bounce around to different leagues to check in on some of the Black and Gold’s prospects.
The Providence Bruins began the 2023-24 American Hockey League (AHL) regular season over the weekend and that is where we will begin this edition.
Providence Bruins Drop First Two Games
Providence began the season with a shootout loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Oct. 13, then they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Springfield Thunderbirds. Despite the losses, goaltender Brandon Bussi can’t be blamed as he had two strong performances to open the season.
Against Hartford, he made 40 saves, before making 20 more against Springfield. Offensively, Oskar Steen, Marc McLaughlin, Luke Toporowski, Jayson Megna, and John Farinacci scored the goals in the first two games. Fabian Lysell was quiet through the first two games and that is not a good sign as Boston needs their 2021 first-round draft pick to have a strong start to the season.
Andre Gasseau & Oskar Jellvik lead Boston College to Win
Boston College began its season with a 2-1 overtime win over Quinnipiac University on Oct. 7 on the road with Bruins prospect Andre Gasseau scoring the first goal of the season for the Eagles, shorthanded, in the first period. On Friday night (Oct. 13), the underrated prospect once again found the back of the net in another BC victory.
After spotting visiting Long Island University a 2-0 first period lead, Boston College ranked fifth in the country, got a game-winning goal from Gasseau in the second period to break a 2-2 tie. Just over three minutes later, Oskar Jellvik gave the Eagles some insurance with his first goal of the season. Through two games, Gasseau has two goals and an assist, while Jellvik has four shots on the net.
Last season BC coach Greg Brown played Gasseau and Jellvik on a line with Trevor Kuntar, but he signed his entry-level deal last spring following his junior season and is now a key part of the P-Bruins. Both Gasseau and Jellvik are underrated prospects in the Bruins system.
Riley Duran & Philip Svedbäck Continue Strong Start at Providence
Providence College began their season on Oct. 6 and 7 splitting a two-game series at the University of Michigan with Bruins prospects Riley Duran and Philip Svedbäck playing a big part in both games. On Friday night (Oct. 13), both again played a part in a win in their home opener against Stonehill College, the newest program to Division 1 hockey.
Related: Boston Bruins Top 10 Prospects for 2023-24
The Easton, Mass. school made the 40-minute drive south to Providence, and the Friars had their way with them. Duran picked up a pair of assists in the 7-1 win, while Svedbäck had the easiest night of his collegiate career, making just four saves in 53 minutes of action. Through three games, Duran is tied for second in scoring with two goals and four points, while Svedbäck has a 2.57 goals against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%) and is 2-1-0.
Bruins Prospects Quick Hitters
- Jake Schmaltz had two assists and three shots on the net in North Dakota’s 7-2 season-opening win over Army. A junior, injuries have hampered Schmaltz’s first two seasons with the Fighting Hawks and he’s hoping for a better season in 2023-24.
- Through his first six games with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL, Christopher Pelosi had three goals and six points. The 92nd overall pick in the third round of the 2023 Entry Draft, the 6-foot-1 center does a lot of his work around the net and has an impressive skill set.
- Cole Spicer, selected in the fourth round, 117th overall in the 2022 Draft, is hoping to have a better sophomore season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and is off to a good start with a goal and two assists in his first two games for the Bulldogs. In 32 games last season, he had just three goals and six points.
The good news for the Bruins is that two of their top prospects, Matthew Poitras and John Beecher, have made a big impact through the first two games in the NHL. Now they need some of their other prospects in Providence to continue to develop as some of them are just an injury away from being in Boston.
