I am by no means a scout or an expert but I figured I would give my two cents and projections on the Bruins prospects seen at Development Camp and otherwise in the system. Despite the Bruins having one of the worst pools in the league, there's still plenty to be hopeful about. Potentials are the highest end of what I think they could be, Player Comp is for skillset and playstyle.
Exemptions (Players who have logged time in the NHL and are essentially already fringe NHL players): Jakub Lauko, Oskar Steen, Ian Mitchell
1) Mason Lohrei (LHD)
Age: 22
NHL Arrival: 2023-34
Lohrei has been talked about as a NHL hopeful for a while, and the best D prospect the Bruins have had since McAvoy, his potential future partner. Lohrei is a two way defenseman with all the tools to be a top 4 player. He has ideal size (6'4", 200lbs) and still has another 15 he could put on and still maintain his fluidity and skating ability. His distribution is solid, his shot is snappy, albeit not heavy as other Bruins defensemen are often known to be. A crowded left side has and injuries have kept him from being evaluated as an NHL ready talent, but now he's shown the talent and potential to push all that to the side.
Potential: A poor man's Victor Headman.
Player Comp: Ryan McDonough
2) Georgi Merkulov (LW)
Age: 22
NHL Arrival: 2023-24
Absent from Dev Camp due to his very solid season in Providence, Merkulov should make the roster out of training camp barring any other forward adds. He has offensive drive, carries himself as a larger player, in that he takes his own space and knows how to get a shot off in a tight spot. His passing is second to his shot but he has shown he knows how to balance both and be a playmaker. A teammate of Lohrei's in college, it looks like his conversion to wing after being a center has allowed his offensive acumen to flourish, and it should be welcome in the big club.
Potential: Jamie Benn with a good center.
Player Comp: Joe Pavelski
3) Fabien Lysell (RW)
Age: 20
NHL Arrival: Late 2023-24
A head injury at the hands of a bum NHL reject in Adam Clendening led to Lysell being a limited participant in Dev Camp, but the evidence pool we do have on Lysell marks him as advertised. Originally falling to the Bruins at #21 in 2021, Lysell provided excitement as another David Pastrnak: a steal at winger who could prove all the teams that passed on him to be chumps. Smaller than his fellow RW, Lysell has fluidity on the ice that no one else in the organization has. He has great edges, sets them when he needs to, and rips off shots. Likely to be brought up to trial with the big club later in the season, Lysell has the highest ceiling of any player in the system now.
Potential: Brad Marchand!
Player Comp: Thomas Vanek or that French- Canadian guy from Goon.
4) Matthew Poitras (C)
Age: 19
NHL Arrival: 2025-26
The highlight of the last two drafts, not that there have been a lot of picks to choose from, Poitras had an exemplary camp and was the whole reason I wanted to make this list. His puck movement, ability to find alleys for passing, and smart puck and body movements are a surprise considering his age. He has some weight to gain to play with the big league, but his bread and butter of having a vision for the whole rink has me excited to see what a full year in Providence will do for his game. The best way to describe him is a distributor; he can make plays out of minimal opportunity and has plenty of confidence to shoot the puck if nothing is there. He's the only C prospect I could see having 1C potential.
Potential: Niklas Backstrom
Player Comp: Marc Savard
5) Reilly Walsh (RHD)
Age: 24
NHL Arrival: 2023-24
If this kid turn out to be an everyday NHL-er, people are going to start asking if the Devils are intentionally getting fleeced by the Bruins. After the Zacha-Haula swap, which admittedly worked out for both teams, the Bruins turned a disappointing Shane Bowers into this highly touted offensive defenseman. Coming into a depleted RD corps for the Bruins, Walsh is ready to make the transition to the NHL and provide spark on the back end. Walsh is smooth, moves freely in the defensive end and is eager to jump into the play offensively. With Shattenkirk expected to work as an offensive first 3rd pairing D, Walsh could fill in nicely when the veteran needs rest towards the end of the season.
Potential: Kevin Shattenkirk
Player Comp: Quinn Hughes
6) Brett Harrison (C)
Age: 20
NHL: Arrival: 2025-26
Harrison will being joining the AHL as a winger this year, but I think he has the skillset that will transition him back to C after getting acclimated. I remember how excited this guy seemed when he was drafted and that's the kind of attitude that makes him a great locker room guy. He's physical without overextending and losing position, plays smart in both zones, but thrives as a shoot the puck through to the glass kind of guy. A shot first center has been missing from the Bruins for a few years now, and while Harrison has a lot of development to get there, I could see him in a top 6 roll some day.
Potential: Brock Nelson
Player Comp: Roope Hintz
7) Brandon Bussi (G)
Age: 25
NHL Arrival: 2023-24
In the last few years, the Bruins have had two capable goaltenders rocket through to the NHL in Swayman and Vladar. Bussi represents a veteran of the NCAA and AHL who has followed a traditional goalie path and is ready to make the transition. He stands tall in the net, plays big with a decent glove and a focus on his positioning more than anything else. Whenever I've watched him move, he's almost robotic but in an iRobot way, not a C3PO way. He should get a handful of games in the NHL this year, I could see as many as 15 if the Bruins try to rest Swayman and Ullmark down the stretch, and should be very capable as a backup in 24-25.
Potential: Cam Talbot
Player Comp: Dan Vladar
8) Dans Locmelis (F)
Age: 19
NHL Arrival: 2026-27
The next Latvian sensation to take the NHL by storm? Maybe? A lot of people are very high on this guy, and I can see why, particularly with his shot. He rips lasers, has a quick snapshot that can find net with limited space. He has great north- south speed, and will likely be able to adjust well to the speed of the American game once he logs some time in the NCAA. My biggest concern with him is size. He looked bigger at Dev Camp than when he was drafted, but we'll see if he can put on enough adult size to keep his speed and side to side movement at the next level. An exciting offensive project with solid upside.
Potential: Mats Zuccarello
Player Comp: Cole Caufield
9) Johnny Beecher
Age: 22
NHL Arrival: 2023-24
My pick to be the 4C out of training camp this year. Beecher projects in a grinding, physical role and could be the next guy to benefit from the Bruins PK development (hey, they turned DeBrusk into a very serviceable penalty killer). Beecher has settled well into his roll as a possession guy the P-Bruins and has shown maturity and acceptance in his role, especially when he was projected to have a more significant offensive game. He may find a niche as a netfront presence for the Bs in the near future as well. It may come down to him vs. Marc McLaughlin (who admittedly I think is just as ready), but he should see time in the big club this season.
Potential: Blake Wheeler
Player Comp: Blake Coleman
10) Riley Duran (C)
Age: 21
NHL Arrival: 2024-25
A similar profiled player to Beecher, but with more tenacity and drive. It may be product of his late round draft pick pedigree, but Duran showed bite at the Dev Camp and seems hellbent on making that his calling card in the organization. Boston has been very capable of producing 4th line players over the last 20 years, and Duran seems to fit the mold of the guys who have decent stints on the Bruins. In that sense, I think his potential in the big leagues is more rational than a lot of the other skill guys in the organization, because Boston has not been particularly good at raising up 3rd line guys.
Potential: Gregory Campbell
Player Comp: Nicholas Roy if he never had a chance to win a cup
HONARABLE MENTIONS:
Luke Toporowski, Michael DiPietro, Ty Gallagher, Trevor Kuntar
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