With the Bruins in the middle of their bye week and the trade deadline just a month away, it’s time to take stock of some of the top prospects in Boston’s pipeline — whether it be down with Providence, in juniors or across colleges.
Just as a note - this top 10 list will not include any younger players that have already logged 30 or more games at the NHL level, which eliminates a few shoo-ins such as Ryan Donato and Anders Bjork. Alright, let’s get started.
10. Ryan Fitzgerald
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 172 lbs
Age: 24
Current organization: Providence Bruins (AHL)
2018-19 stats: 36 games, 7 goals, 19 assists with Providence
You’d have to wonder, had Fitzgerald not gone down with an injury in early January, would he have earned a call-up to the NHL over Peter Cehlarik? He was certainly making a good case for himself, with the North Reading native earning a trip to the AHL All-Star Classic after tallying 26 points over 36 games in his second full season with Providence. (He has since been replaced by Jordan Szwarz for the AHL All-Star Classic due to injury).
He may not be flashy — and his stock as an NHL prospect would likely be higher if he was but a bit taller (5-foot-9) — but there’s no doubting that Fitzgerald has been a productive forward wherever his hockey career has taken him — whether it be with Providence or over four years at Boston College (132 points over 152 games). He might be a bit of a tweener such as Austin Czarnik, but in an NHL that continues to emphasize speed and smarts, you’d have to think that Fitzgerald will carve out a spot on a NHL roster at some point.
9. Jakub Zboril
Height:
6-foot-1
Weight:
196 lbs
Age:
21
Current organization:
Providence Bruins (AHL)
2018-19 stats:
27 games, 3 goals, 6 assists with Providence
Jeremy
Lauzon
8.
Zach Senyshyn
Height:
6-foot-1
Weight:
192 lbs
Age:
21
Current organization:
Providence Bruins (AHL)
2018-19 stats:
38 games, 12 goals, 6 assists with Providence
7.
Jeremy Lauzon
Height:
6-foot-1
Weight:
205 lbs
Age:
21
Current organization:
Providence Bruins (AHL)
2018-19 stats:
22 games, one goal, 5 assists with Providence
He may not be flashy, but the Bruins more or less know that they have a dependable blueliner in Lauzon — a luxury given the ebbs and flows that usually come with these younger skaters.
6. Jakub Lauko
Height:
6-foot-1
Weight:
179 lbs
Age:
18
Current organization:
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
2018-19 stats:
37 games, 13 goals, 14 assists with Rouyn-Noranda
"I want to prove I can be the steal of the draft,”
“That’s motivation for me.”
After scoring a pair of goals during preseason play with the Bruins before going down with an injury, Lauko picked up right where he left off in his first season with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, scoring 27 points over 33 games for a wagon of a Huskies team.
5. Peter Cehlarik
Height:
6-foot-2
Weight:
205 lbs
Age:
23
Current organization:
Boston Bruins (NHL)
2018-19 stats:
37 games, 10 goals, 19 assists with Providence / 3 games, 2 goals, 1 assist with Boston
Perhaps his stock has been lifted given his strong play so far on Boston’s second line with
David Krejci
and
Jake DeBrusk
, but it’s clear to see that Cehlarik’s game has matured quite a bit since his last two stints up in the NHL ranks.
After a bit of a slow start, Cehlarik picked up where he left off down in Providence, tallying 29 points over 37 games before earning a promotion up to Boston. The offensive production has been there so far for the winger, but what really stands out is how much stronger he is on the puck,
It remains to be seen if Cehlarik can continue at his current rate (I mean, seems unlikely, considering he currently boasts a 5v5 Corsi For Percentage of 74.07), but so far, the skilled winger has been a major shot in the arm for a Bruins club in desperate need of a reliable, top-six winger.
4.
Trent Frederic
Height:
6-foot-2
Weight:
200 lbs
Age:
20
Current organization:
Providence Bruins (AHL)
2018-19 stats:
35 games, 8 goals, 6 assists with Providence
Jack
Studnicka
Still, even with some up-and-down play in his first full season of pro hockey, you have to like what Frederic provides out on the ice. An homage to power-forward centers like
David Backes
in his prime (someone that the St. Louis native idolized growing up), Frederic may not be a top-line center down the road, but certainly has the tools to be a productive, middle-six contributor if he continues to fill out his frame and hone his craft in the offensive zone.
3.
Jack Studnicka
Height:
6-foot-2
Weight:
179 lbs
Age:
19
Current organization:
Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
2018-19 stats:
36 games, 17 goals, 25 assists with Oshawa/Niagara
Drafted by the Bruins with the 53rd overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft — a c
ompensatory draft pick from the Oilers for signing
Peter Chiarelli
as their new GM/President (yes, seriously) — Studnicka has consistently rewarded Boston with their selection since donning Black & Gold.
One of the final cuts during Bruins training camp this September, Studnicka turned some heads when it came to putting together a legitimate case for the B’s third-line-center competition, even with just five games played down in the AHL.
2. Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson
Height:
6-foot-1
Weight:
184 lbs
Age:
22
Current organization:
Boston Bruins (NHL)
2018-19 stats:
29 games, 3 goals, 6 assists with Boston
Still, JFK has shown flashes of the two-way forward with skill that has always been his projection, even if those “Patrice Bergeron 2.0” comparisons have now largely quieted — likely to Forsbacka Karlsson’s relief. For now, he seems to have found his place centering Boston’s “Kid Line” with
Ryan Donato
and
Danton Heinen
, generating four 5v5 goals for in 119 minutes of ice time together.
1. Urho Vaakanainen
Height:
6-foot-1
Weight:
187 lbs
Age:
20
Current organization:
Providence Bruins (AHL)
2018-19 stats:
12 games, 7 assists with Providence
He may not take over a game — especially in the offensive zone — quite like other blue-chip defensemen prospects such as Charlie McAvoy, but there’s a reason why
Urho Vaakanainen
managed to crack Boston’s roster out of training camp at just 19 years old.
A smooth, intelligent skater that always seems to poised with the puck and relaxed in all three zones, Vaakanainen has only seen his stock continue to rise this season after getting drafted 18th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Despite missing close to two months after suffering a concussion while up with the Bruins on Oct. 23, the blueliner returned just in time to help Finland win the 2019 U-20 World Junior Championships — averaging 23:07 of ice time and leading his team in TOI in five of the tournament’s seven games. Along with anchoring a Finnish defense that only surrendered seven goals all tournament, Vaakanainen added four assists.
Since returning back to the AHL, Vaakanainen has continued to produce, notching five assists over the span of six games. It won’t take very long for Vaakanainen to begin patrolling Boston’s blue line on a regular basis.
Honorable Mention:
Kyle Keyser
Other noteworthy prospects
Jeremy Swayman, Goalie:
Swayman might have taken a bit of a step back (2.99 GAA, .911 save percentage) in his sophomore season with Maine, but the 2017 fourth rounder is also on a rebuilding Black Bears team and has often been on a bit of an island between the pipes. Wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the Alaska native rebounds and earns a top-10 prospect spot in short order. Tons of potential.
Dan Vladar, Goalie:
It’s been a bit of an adjustment period in his first full season in Providence (2.81 GAA, .896 save percentage), but it’s easy to spot Vladar’s potential as Boston’s next option in net. He’s seen his playing time dip quite a bit as of late given a torrid stretch from Providence’s other netminder —
Zane McIntyre
.
Cedric Pare, Center:
A two-way Bruins pivot that bears a shocking resemblance to Patrice Bergeron (seriously, look it up), Pare is in the midst of a strong season with Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL — tallying 35 points over 46 games. Look for him to get a shot at the AHL in the near future.
Axel Andersson, Defenseman:
Boston’s first pick in the 2018 Draft (57th overall), Andersson has often found himself buried a bit on a roster with players much older than him with
Södertälje SK. Still, the 18-year-old has plenty of value as a puck-moving, right-shot defenseman. So far, Andersson has notched four assists over 33 games in Sweden.
Pavel Shen, Forward:
Shen is a bit of an odd case. He’s may not be seasoned enough yet for reps over in North America, but the 2018 seventh-rounder has also struggled to earn playing time over in Russia — failing to tally a point in 16 games in the KHL before getting bumped down to lower-division competition. Still, Shen showed quite a bit of poise in the offensive zone during the 2019 World Juniors — tallying four points during the tournament while also leading Russia in goal scoring during the 2018 Canada-Russia series. B’s might have something brewing here down the road.
