wouldn't suppose me if r/hockeyfeeds has them closer to game time. Might even have them now but no reddit at work so...
Bruins Prospect News and Notes
- Thread starter cshea
- Start date
Over at Kirk Luedeke's blog, he has a review of Boston's pro-level forward prospects, except for Senyshyn, who is written up in a guest post by Dom Tiano.
The encouraging thing for me is that there are a number of guys who have top 6 potential, though DeBrusk (or Vatrano, who isn't mentioned but I see as still being sort of a prospect) is the guy with maybe the best shot to make the jump, it's not like he's the only one - there should be a good competition in camp.
The encouraging thing for me is that there are a number of guys who have top 6 potential, though DeBrusk (or Vatrano, who isn't mentioned but I see as still being sort of a prospect) is the guy with maybe the best shot to make the jump, it's not like he's the only one - there should be a good competition in camp.
Providence lost in OT again last night, 3-2. They are also down in the series 3-2 headed back to Hershey.
After being down 2-0, they scored 4 unanswered goals to win it. Heinen and Czarnik potted a goal a piece.
You blazed through ME:A already and I'm still playing it because I'm not done yet. Who's the nerd now?
(I realize the answer is both of us).
Have you done Liam's loyalty mission yet? There's some quality Star Wars references that someone who makes a "name I haven't heard in a long time" reference would enjoy.
Pruins win 4-2 to move on to the eastern finals. First team to win 4 road elimination games in a playoffs which is petty cool.
Here's the follow-up on the amateur forward prospects:
https://scoutingpost.com/2017/05/16/whats-next-for-the-bruins-pt-9-rounding-out-the-forwards/
On Bjork he says B's offered max ELC, spot on the roster and to burn a year. Seemed it was going to happen....then it just didn't. USA was bounced from the World's yesterday, so I guess we'll get a final decision from Bjork sometime in the coming days or weeks. I would think the Bruins would want a definitive answer before the offseason kicks into high gear in June so they can plan accordingly.
Also, good write up on Frederic and Donato. Two very interesting C prospects. Kirk thinks some of Frederic's offensive upside was masked in his draft year by a hand injury.
ECF Finals start tonight in Providence. Taking on the Tampa Bay affiliate Syracuse Crunch. This has the look of a great series with 2 physical teams. Providence actually finished the regular season with more points than Syracuse despite Syracuse winning their division and Providence finishing 4th in theirs. I'll be at the Dunk for both games this weekend.
Series preview from Mark Divver http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20170518/p-bruins-and-syracuse-go-right-to-work-in-ahl-eastern-conference-finals
Series preview from Mark Divver http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20170518/p-bruins-and-syracuse-go-right-to-work-in-ahl-eastern-conference-finals
P-Bruins down 4-3 in the 3rd. DeBrusk and Heinen have scored goals. 7 min left.
EDIT: 6-3 final
EDIT: 6-3 final
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Providence tied their series with a 2-1 win tonight. Kind of hoping they find a way to move on and play San Jose in the finals so I can go down and catch a game.
B's dropped game 3 5-4. Heinen scored twice, Fitzgerald a goal and an assist.
Nice playoff run for Heinen. 15 games 8-9=17.
Nice playoff run for Heinen. 15 games 8-9=17.
Zboril has 2 assists in three games for the Sea Dogs at the Memorial Cup. The Sea Dogs play Erie tomorrow in the semis, with the winner meeting Windsor in the finals on Sunday.
Erie thrashed the Sea Dogs 12-5 in round robin play.
Erie thrashed the Sea Dogs 12-5 in round robin play.
Nice to see that, as he may be jumping to the head of the winger line there, especially with Bjork unlikely to join the club this summer. It will be interesting to see how that plays out between him, DeBrusk and Senyshyn.
Speaking of Senyshyn, the Herald had a nice write up on him: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/bruins/2017/05/bruins_prospect_zach_senyshyn_taking_his_progress_one_step_at_a_time
I don't think Senyshyn is a realistic fit for the big club this year, as I think he will need at least a year to develop. I think at this point I have Heinen ahead of DeBrusk.
Zbril has 3g, 4a in 16 games in the playoffs. Compare to Lauzon who had 5g 9a in 13 games. I know Zboril is more physical, but Lauzon just racks up points. If he can stay healthy, he seems like the more intriguing LD.
Lauzon is not a daisy, by any stretch though. He plays a physical game as well. Some would even say he's mean. Zboril is predatory mean, so its a different level. Both seemed to have really good years. In my limited viewing I'd say Zboril is the more talented player but is less likely to reach his ceiling than Lauzon.
I've watched him (on TV) this season in a few regular season games, the World Juniors, some Q league playoffs, and in the Memorial Cup, and other than the fact that he's a decent skater, he really doesn't make much of an impression. If I recall, he got hurt for some of the playoffs, but it's Chabot who stands out on that team, and Zboril does not. Unfortunately, I'm hard pressed seeing him as a top-4 defenseman in the NHL.
We'll see how things shake out with the roster over the next 5 weeks, but as it stands now, the Bruins have plenty of F vacancies. The openings at the moment are 1st line RW, 2nd line LW, and an entire 3rd line.
Senyshyn is probably ticketed for a year in Providence. Lucic, Seguin, Carlo and Hamilton are the only players I can think of that have made the junior-NHL leap with the Bruins. Never say never, but he's probably on a slow development plan.
DeBrusk and Heinen are probably at the top of the list to fill the 5 or so open forward spots. It should be a nice camp competition. DeBrusk, Heinen, Czarnik, Cehlarik, maybe Bjork, and a long shot chance of Senyshyn competing for 2-3 spots.
How dare you leave Bergy off this list!
I agree with your general point though. It's a tough leap to make.
Ah yes, Bergy did indeed make the leap. I always forget because he spent his 2nd pro year in Providence during the lockout.
I've caught most of the Providence home playoff games. I'm always skeptical of listed size, but Senshyn is a legit 6'3". He looks like he has the frame to fill out some more and is already willing to go to the front of the net. Speed is as advertised as well. That said, he would need to take a giant leap this summer to be in consideration for Boston. He definitely needs some AHL seasoning to work on all aspects of his game, but might be ready sometime during the middle of the season.
Of the three, Heinen has the best hands. He's much more willing to try to stick handle through some contact and make plays more than he was at the beginning of the year. He's scoring because he is positioning himself better and getting into the dirty areas. With his hands he can get decent opportunities on net from rebounds and loose pucks. I still don't like his defensive game, but they are force feeding him PK minutes so he is improving.
I think Debrusk has the best chance of sticking with Boston in the fall. He's improved more over the course of a rookie AHL season than anyone I've seen in a while. His skating has improved, he's developed a little nasty, and his shot release is fantastic. He was probably too tentative early in the year looking for perfect opportunities. Now his using his quick release to his advantage and getting pucks on net. Break him in on the 3rd line and let his play dictate if he moves up.
Of the three, Heinen has the best hands. He's much more willing to try to stick handle through some contact and make plays more than he was at the beginning of the year. He's scoring because he is positioning himself better and getting into the dirty areas. With his hands he can get decent opportunities on net from rebounds and loose pucks. I still don't like his defensive game, but they are force feeding him PK minutes so he is improving.
I think Debrusk has the best chance of sticking with Boston in the fall. He's improved more over the course of a rookie AHL season than anyone I've seen in a while. His skating has improved, he's developed a little nasty, and his shot release is fantastic. He was probably too tentative early in the year looking for perfect opportunities. Now his using his quick release to his advantage and getting pucks on net. Break him in on the 3rd line and let his play dictate if he moves up.
The Lauzon being physical thing I did not know, so that is something I like to hear. At this point, isn't Lauzon ahead of Zboril on the depth chart? I feel like Zboril will be more of a project, so I think he's a few years away. Hopefully he doesn't become the equivalent of Joe Morrow.
Providence got pasted last night 7-2. Heinen had another goal though. I saw some stat that he has the most points for a Providence rookie in the playoffs beating out Krejci and Marchand's recent marks.
I would say Lauzon is unquestionably ahead of Zboril and more likely to make an impact, but Zboril has all the tools. Lauzon just has a better toolbox.
I don't recall where I got the stat from but I think all three were averaging a little over a point a game, so all three had almost identical playoff PPG averages.
Speaking of, providence was eliminated last night. Nice little run by them, and should give some of the younger players something to build on. It will be very intreresting to see where McIntyre is next season.
Providence opens the season tonight.
Heinen - Swzarz - Fitzgerald
Agostino - JFK - Cehlarik
Blidh - Cave - Gabrielle
Porter - Hennessy - Senyshyn
Lauzon - Cross
Zboril - O’Gara
Breen - Clifton
McIntyre
Vladar
Heinen - Swzarz - Fitzgerald
Agostino - JFK - Cehlarik
Blidh - Cave - Gabrielle
Porter - Hennessy - Senyshyn
Lauzon - Cross
Zboril - O’Gara
Breen - Clifton
McIntyre
Vladar
Deep roster, so you would hope they could do well this year. Interesting if those lines represent standing at all, in terms of specifically Lauzon and Senyshyn. Lauzon on the top pair tells me he's carried his strong play down to providence. Let's hope he can stay healthy. In terms of Senyshyn, I'm not surprised he's on the 4th line given what he showed in camp, but it will Be interesting to see how fast he develops. He feels like a guy who may take a couple years.
My impression on Senyshyn is that he needs to get stronger on the puck and work on his game away from the puck. He’s probably on a slower development pace than some of the other players. He may be like Jake last season where he spends the whole year in the A regardless of performance. Hopefully Senyshyn gets some PP time.
I wouldn’t read too much into the D pairs. Lauzon and Zboril are paired with a vet. They probably don’t want 2 rookies together.
Also- looks like Urho Vaakanainen is healthy. Played his first game this week in the Finnish league.
I wouldn’t read too much into the D pairs. Lauzon and Zboril are paired with a vet. They probably don’t want 2 rookies together.
Also- looks like Urho Vaakanainen is healthy. Played his first game this week in the Finnish league.
Is there like a minor league hockey subscription out there that would allow me to watch these guys play?
I would agree on the D. It is good that Lauzon has the first pair confidence, but I think it has a lot to do with trying to give Zboril a veteran to play with. O'Gara seems both helped and hurt by the fact he can play his offside. He was forced to play his offside much of camp (thus limiting his chance at the roster), and now he has to be on the offside with Zboril. I feel a bit bad for Robbie, because he deserves to be playing in the NHL somewhere
On the other hand I hope Johansson is injured still, because I am going to be very unhappy if Chris Breen is taking PT away from any of the prospects.
In terms of Senyshyn. I agree he needs to get better. He is not going to get much chance to develop the offensive side of his game playing with Porter and Hennessy
I think there is a AHL Live type streaming service, but I don’t know too much about it. I don’t think they do every game.
B’s are up 3-1 in the 2nd. JFK has a goal and an assist. Cehlarik and Fitzgerald are the other goal scorers.
Senyshyn scoring while playing with AHL fodder is a good sign. I'd like to see a first round pick play higher in the lineup but Providence looks loaded on the wings this season. It seems they have organizational depth there.
In terms of the bolded, Senyshyn will need to show that he can be trusted on both ends of the ice and do the little things necessary to be successful. At this stage, the 4th line may be the best place for him to do that, as it does take off a lot of pressure on him to be "the guy" right away. He can work on his fundamentals and adjust to the bigger bodies and faster pace of the AHL game. He'll likely move up to the 1st or 2nd line later this season, especially if JFK gets called up at some point, which seems likely. Assuming, of course, that he's actually any good.
3-2 win for Providence last night. JFK scored. Cehlarik and Agostino each had a goal and 2 assists. Those 3 are off to hot starts- 5 points in 2 games for both Cehlarik and Agostino; JFK 2g 1a in his first 2 AHL games.
Frederic scored for Wisconsin at BC last night.
Frederic scored for Wisconsin at BC last night.