The end of March and the start of April is a fascinating time of the year when it comes to the development of the next wave of NHL talent.
With both collegiate and junior seasons coming to a close, these weeks often stand as the first looks that an organization has of its top prospects up in the pro ranks — with the signing of entry-level deals allowing players to get their feet wet in either the AHL or NHL.
Such was the case in 2017 when Charlie McAvoy closed out his tenure with BU in March and logged four games with the P-Bruins before landing a spot up with Boston for good. Such won’t be the case this season, due to the fact that Boston doesn’t have a college-level prospect quite ready to make such a leap and, well, because quite a few of the Bruins’ blue-chip prospects are still in the middle of their respective junior campaigns.
With the CHL postseason in full swing — along with other respective playoffs in across North America and Europe — let’s check in on a few of Boston’s top prospects.
Jack Studnicka
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 179 lbs
Age: 20
Current organization: Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
2018-19 stats: 60 games, 36 goals, 83 points with Oshawa/Niagara
2019 postseason stats: 5 games, 4 goals, 8 points
Studnicka and the IceDogs made short work of the North Bay Battalion in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playoffs, advancing to the conference semifinals in five games. Studnicka led the way for Niagara with eight points over the five-game series — continuing his impressive run since getting dealt to the IceDogs back in early January. Since the deal, Studnicka has scored 28 goals and tallied 57 points in just 35 games with his new club.
An offensive dynamo who also projects to be a strong, two-way player at the next level once he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame, Studnicka has been one of the top players in his age group this season in the OHL. His overall offensive numbers also project pretty favorably when compared to pros that are excelling in today’s game — with his 0.80 goals per game in his age-19 season holding an edge over similar pivots like Brayden Point (0.73 goals per game with Moose Jaw Warriors in 2015-16).
Now, will Studnicka become the next Point — who has tallied 90 goals and 196 points over his first 226 games with the Lightning? That’s likely an unfair comparison. But one thing is certain, Studnicka has the tools to be a dynamic contributor up in the NHL level — and will likely contend for a role on the Bruins come September.
Jakub Lauko
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 179 lbs
Age: 19
Current organization: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
2018-19 stats: 44 games, 21 goals, 41 points with Rouyn-Noranda
2019 postseason stats: 6 games, 2 goals, 5 points
Lauko only just turned 19 on Saturday, but the dynamic winger has continued to impress in his first season of hockey in North America. While the top-seeded Rouyn-Noranda Huskies needed six games to best the Shawinigan Cataractes in the first round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Playoffs, Lauko has been as advertised with five points over six games while posting a plus-7 rating. A speedy skater with some high-end tools in the offensive zone, Lauko is also not afraid to drop the gloves when necessary, as seen below:
"Lots of speed, lots of energy,”
Bruce Cassidy
said of Lauko back in late December. “Little bit of a rat in him as well. He’ll annoy some people, so that’s something that can be a good quality if you can harness it."
Barring an upset against
Shawinigan
, look for Lauko to continue to pile on the points as he looks to eventually take the next step up to the AHL — perhaps as early as next season.
Oskar Steen
Height:
5-foot-9
Weight:
187 lbs
Age:
21
Current organization:
Farjestad BK (Swedish Hockey League)
2018-19 stats:
46 games, 17 goals, 37 points with Farjestad
2019 postseason stats:
6 games, 1 goal, 4 points
Perhaps no Bruins prospect has seen his stock rise more this season than Steen, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft (165th overall). Now in his fourth season with Farjestad BK, Steen ranked 10th in the league in scoring this year with 37 points over 46 games.
A nice showing from the 5-foot-9 forward — all the more impressive when given the fact that the nine players in front of him in the scoring department boast an average age of 30.4. In fact, the next player closest in age to Steen among the top 10 scorers in the SHL is still five years his senior.
Steen has already elevated his stock during the 2019 World Juniors as a 200-foot forward that can both kill penalties and serve on a power play. Now, he’s providing the heroics for Farjestad in the postseason, with Steen winning a crucial Game 5 over HV71 in what was a third overtime period. At this point, it seems like a given that Steen will be logging games for Providence next season.
Other Bruins prospect notes
Goalie prospect
Kyle Keyser
is set for a matchup against Studnicka in the next round of the OHL Playoffs, as the Oshawa Generals eliminated the Peterborough Petes in five games. Keyser, who ranked second in the OHL this season with a .915 save percentage, has been ridiculous so far this postseason — leading all netminders with a .948 save percentage and ranking third with a 1.81 goals against average. Should make for a great battle over the next week when it comes to Bruins prospects.
Cedric Pare
(No. 173 overall - 6th round of 2017 NHL Draft) and
Rimouski Oceanic have punched their ticket to the next round of the QMJHL playoffs after sweeping the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, 4-0. Pare — who tallied 49 points over 68 games in his third full season in the Q — posted a goal and two assists during the four-game series.
Playoff battle set against Toronto
Regardless of momentum, look for rest days ahead
Even with Boston’s recent skid over the final week of the regular season, Cassidy
and his staff may still begin to carve out a window over the B’s final three regular-season matchups to rest some of the club’s veterans ahead of what should be another grueling gauntlet in the postseason.
After leaving four points on the board this past week against the Panthers and Red Wings, Boston has still yet to shore up second place in the Atlantic Division — and the crucial home-ice advantage that comes with it in a first-round battle against the Maple Leafs.
The magic number of Boston still remains at three — with a win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday and a subsequent loss by Toronto securing Boston’s spot in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
But regardless of wins and losses, Cassidy’s hand might be forced when it comes to prioritizing his veterans’ health and stamina over end-of-the-year bouts with Columbus, Minnesota and Tampa Bay.
While players still looking to shake off the rust from late-season injuries like
David Pastrnak
and
Marcus Johansson
will likely remain in the lineup, key cogs like
Zdeno Chara, David Krejci
and
Patrice Bergeron
will likely earn a reprieve at some point over the next couple of days.
“Marchy and Bergy, they can go on forever. But yes, we've got to be careful with them,” Cassidy said. “Krech, we'll talk to them. Obviously, we want to get to the point where we could have the luxury of resting people. We also said we like to play with what's in front of us, which is second place. We're allowing some of that opportunity to get away.
“Of course, there are other teams behind us that are chasing us, so we're going to have to evaluate what's more important. We've got three more games, but we're not going to rest players for a week. That won't happen, I don't think any team does that. But there could be select games, and I think there should be. I just don't know which games… I was hoping we could cherry pick ‘em this week, but it's not the case right now. We may have to do that anyway."
Clifton making case to stay
With
Kevan Miller
returning to the lineup on Sunday against the Red Wings, the Bruins had the rare luxury of rolling out a D corps with all six of its regular starters in place for the first time since Feb. 23 — and just the 12th time all season.
As such, rookie defenseman
Connor Clifton
was the odd man out of the lineup, with the Quinnipiac product scratched for the first time since getting recalled by Boston back on March 4. With
John Moore
’s status still listed as “week to week” due to an upper-body injury he suffered back on March 25 against the Lightning, Clifton could very well stick around for the postseason, even it’s in a reserve role.
While Boston already has a right-shot depth option in
Steven Kampfer,
Clifton’s play certainly hasn’t warranted a return back to the AHL. Despite his dynamic style of play on the blue line, Clifton has hardly been a liability in Boston’s own zone this season.
Among Bruins skaters that have logged at least 200 minutes of 5v5 TOI this season, Clifton ranks first in terms of fewest shot attempts against per 60 minutes (41.09) and overall shots on goal against per 60 at 22.04 — pretty impressive numbers for a first-year defenseman up in the NHL ranks.
“He's been fine for us. He's played hard,” Cassidy said of Clifton. “Very competitive. I think he's surprised people with his physicality, he moves the puck. The only area of improvement maybe would be consistency with getting his motor going as soon as the puck drops.
“Sometimes he's not using his feet as well as he could to open up ice for him at the breakout or the close. But when he's moving his feet, I think he's a real good player. So it's just reminding him of that and I think we've gone through that with a lot of young guys too."
