Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson ready for life on the wing, especially if it leads to a top-6 role

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Whether it be in the pro ranks or at BU, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson has almost always found himself lined up at the pivot in his hockey career.

But with a coveted top-six role still up for grabs on the Bruins’ depth chart, Forsbacka Karlsson isn’t going to have many qualms about slotting over to the wing.

Lauded during his years of development within the Bruins’ organization as a two-way, dependable presence at center, Forsbacka Karlsson has only logged one game on the wing in his pro career with the Bruins — earning a spot on Boston’s second line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk midway through the B’s 3-2 comeback win over the Sabres on Saturday night.

His second look — and potential first start off the pivot — could come on Tuesday afternoon, with the 22-year-old set to take to the ice at Notre Dame Stadium for his first taste of a Winter Classic matchup.

While Sunday’s practice featured Ryan Donato in on the vacant spot on Krejci’s line, Monday’s run-through at Compton Family Ice Arena saw “JFK” skating in the same spot he held at the conclusion of Saturday’s OT win.

After sitting out nine games as a healthy scratch, Forsbacka Karlsson was inserted back into Boston’s lineup as more of a necessity against Buffalo — with the B’s shorthanded up front with David Backes suspended and Brad Marchand out with an upper-body injury.

Initially skating in his usual spot as Boston’s third-line center, Forsbacka Karlsson eventually got the bump up to Krejci’s group after a number of different lineup switches. While the trio did not generate a goal during the 7:57 of 5v5 ice time in which both JFK and Krejci were on the ice together, Boston still held the edge in attempts (5-3) and shots for (3-2) during that stretch.

Putting a player noted more for his finesse and 200-foot-game on a line with a playmaker like Krejci and a dogged competitor down low in DeBrusk might seem like an unconventional fit at first, especially with Saturday standing as JFK’s first taste on the wing.

But during that short sample size, what stood out to Bruce Cassidy more than anything else when it came to JFK’s performance was the one facet of his game that Boston’s coaching staff has chided him on — competing for the puck.


“We've tried different people up in the lineup with varying degrees of success, if you want to call it that. .... I thought he did a good job on the walls,” Cassidy said of Forsbacka Karlsson. “For a guy that we've been pushing to compete harder, I thought that was one of his strengths (Saturday) was winning puck battles on the wall. Having the composure to get it off the wall and get it to the net or get it out of the zone.

“Good for him. Maybe we found something, I don't know. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves.”

Placing JFK on that second line not only allows DeBrusk to return to his usual spot at left wing, but also allows both him and Krejci to play up a bit more in the O zone, knowing they have a defensive-minded skater in JFK ready to snuff out any fires off of a opposing counter rush or misplayed puck along the boards. At this point, JFK's defensive efforts might best be served on the wing than at center, especially given his struggles at the faceoff dot this year (39.0 success rate).

It’s a strategy that Cassidy has mentioned in the past when discussing how Patrice Bergeron’s two-way skill frees up Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak a bit more when they get to work in the offensive zone. Now, that’s not to say that Forsbacka Karlsson and that trio is of the same caliber as Boston's top line (at this point, JFK can’t wait for those “Bergeron 2.0” comparisons to subside). But the strategy is there for the youngster to succeed, even while playing away from his usual bread and butter.

“Obviously, JFK has been known as a guy that’s a 200-foot-player,” DeBrusk said. “He’s very aware defensively. That will also help Krech get some speed with breakouts and certain things. We played a little bit together last game, and I liked how we played. Just a matter of me finding my routes while playing on the left side.”

For now, Forsbacka Karlsson’s main focus will be to keep things simple on Tuesday — a tall task given the hoopla that comes with every Winter Classic.

“It’s two points,” Forsbacka Karlsson said. “There’s a lot of stuff going on around the rink, a lot of distractions. So you have to be stay focused. We have some people who have families here, so it’s a unique experience. You want to try to enjoy it as well.”

Despite some of the adjustments that come with an outdoor game, Forsbacka Karlsson is no stranger to a venue like Notre Dame Stadium’s new sheet of ice. While playing with the Terriers, he skated outdoors at Fenway Park for a matchup against UMass-Amherst, scoring a pair of goals in a 5-3 win on Jan. 8, 2017.

In a perfect world, Forsbacka Karlsson will look to replicate that production on Tuesday. Or at the very least, try to stay inside the rink this time around.

“I flew over the boards,” he recalled. “It was one of my first shifts in the game. … It’s on a video. It was really funny, because I went over between the benches and all of the sudden you just see my head pop up. I guess it was a good wake-up call.”