Who's up, who's down, and who's steady: Bruins prospects

The 2023-24 Hockey season is well underway and prospects have been hot, cold, and just fine.

As hockey season has gotten underway, I thought it would be a good time to look at the status of some Bruins prospects. There has been some movement at the start of the season, as the Bruins now have drafted many players in the NCAA compared to some other systems where their prospect pool has most players from the CHL. The Bruins do have some players from the CHL, but not a ton.

Who’s Up will note players who have taken quite a step on their respective teams to start the year.

Who’s Steady will note players who are on no sign of slowing down but aren’t taking any huge steps of stepping up.

Who’s Down will note players who aren’t seeming to find their game as of late.

Let’s get to it.

Who’s Up:

MATT POITRAS

Poitras had an unbelievable camp, beating out an assignment back to Guelph before camp ended and his contract would burn a first year. He has shown he belongs in the NHL and how he can withstand the physicality and confidence with the puck. He doesn’t seem to make as many mistakes as a typical rookie. Yes, he has made some mistakes, but in my opinion, he hasn't made as many as other rookies have in the NHL this season. Poitras backchecks, scans for options, and doesn’t hesitate to pass through traffic here and there. The only concern for him is if he will start to shoot a bit more. He’ll soon realize, “Hey, I need to put up some points,” but he has always been a pass-first type of player, especially last year in Guelph. Lastly, if he starts to produce a bit more soon, I don’t see him going to the World Juniors. I genuinely think he puts the Bruins in a better position to win and succeed.

OSKAR JELLVIK

After a disappointing first season with Boston College, Jellvik has become a top player at BC. One asset of Jellvik I noticed at development camp that I feel he didn’t use much last year was his shot. He is tied for the most even-strength goals on BC, tied with Cutter Gauthier. This might change, but it's a promising start for Jellvik as he is near a point-per-game pace to the start of the 2023-24 season.

JOHN FARINACCI

I would describe Farinacci’s camp as so-so. I barely noticed him. That is no longer the case, as he is almost the most noticeable player for Providence every night. He’s more significant and plays a hard-nosed game around the net. Farinacci also kills penalties, which makes him more valuable. If there are some unfortunate injuries at center for the Bruins this year, I wouldn't be surprised if he got a call-up because he has killed penalties, been used on the power play, and produced points at even strength, all in the pros. Farinacci has quickly changed my opinion of him. The main question is whether he will translate his game smoothly from the AHL to the NHL.

REID DYCK

Dyck has had an excellent start to the season with Swift Current, as he currently rocks a .913 SV% and is 8-4-0. Unfortunately, Dyck is currently sidelined with a lower-body injury and is out for an undetermined amount of time. I would not be surprised if the Bruins sign the player to a contract when the window opens for ELCs to be signed for next season in the spring.

Who’s steady:

MASON LOHREI

After an OK start with the P-Bruins, Mason Lohrei has been in the NHL since he was called up due to an injury to Matt Grzelcyk. Lohrei has just been fine in the NHL. Defensively, he was excellent in his debut, but since then, he has been a little liable defensively. Offensively, there are not many issues. He makes plays well in the offensive zone. He likes to start breakouts and zone entries and has proven he is ready for that test in the bigs. Many would like to see him sent to Providence, but I don’t see him developing much to his defensive game back in the AHL with the current D corps back with the P-Bruins. We’ll see what happens when Grzelcyk returns.

FABIAN LYSELL

Lysell had a poor camp. He only had one positive shift in his preseason stint with the Bruins but was sent to Providence about halfway into training camp, which was not a good sign. However, since returning to the AHL, Lysell has put his poor camp aside and has the highest point-per-game pace for the P-Bruins. He’s also made minor game changes, including pass choices. It has made a significant impact, resulting in fewer turnovers. He has also opted to shoot more, which is a positive sign. Many have thought his shot was an underrated part of his game, including Bruins European scout P.J. Axelsson. If Lysell didn't take a step up in his game recently with Providence, he would likely be in the “Who’s down” category.

JACKSON EDWARD

The 2022 7th Rounder turned his physical presence and solid defensive game into a pro contract. He recently signed an entry-level deal with the Bruins in October. Edward didn’t get any preseason games with the Bruins, but he had a solid camp, in my opinion. He leads the London Knights' defensemen in penalty minutes and has 10 points in 20 games with a rating of +15.

GEORGII MERKULOV

Merkulov is off to a slower start this season, but it seems the reason for that is that he is improving on defense. He has greatly improved his defensive game, as it appeared that was the last part of his all-around game he would need to clean up in the AHL. He is scoring, but not at the rate he produced last season. One part of his ice time I have noticed is he is taking lots more reps at center and not wing. He’s taking many more faceoffs and seems to be winning them. I don’t think a call-up this season is out of the question, but it could be a concern if his scoring takes a significant drop.

Who’s Down:

BRETT HARRISON

The 2021 3rd rounder hasn’t had the best start with Providence thus far. He only has one point in eight games played with the P-Bruins, including a few games scratched. He has the one-timer for the pro game, but his all-around game remains the big question. We’ll see if he starts to pick up the pace as the season goes on with Providence.

MARC McLAUGHLIN

McLaughlin hasn’t had the best start for a 24-year-old in the AHL. He had only registered three points in 17 games with the P-Bruins when he had just under half a point per game last season in the AHL. It wouldn’t be a surprise if McLaughlin starts to heat up later in the season, but he is not off to a great start.