Bruins announce roster for 2019 Prospects Challenge

The Bruins’ full training camp doesn’t officially open until next Thursday, September 12.

But before most of the team takes part in a full practice over at Warrior Ice Arena, some of the club’s most promising prospects — both further down the pipeline and potential NHL regulars in 2019-20 — will have already logged three full exhibition games over in upstate New York.

For the fifth straight season, the Bruins are set to take part in the Prospects Challenge at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, which will be held from September 6-9.

The Bruins’ crop of young skaters and netminders will compete against the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils’ rookies in the round-robin challenge featuring prospects from each team. The participating teams will each play three games over the course of the challenge, which is being held entirely at HarborCenter. 

Here is the full roster for Boston: 

Forwards: Samuel Asselin, Anders Bjork, Scott Conway, Trent Frederic, Jacob Gaucher*, Dante Hannoun*, Cameron Hughes, Joona Koppanen, Robert Lantosi, Jakub Lauko, Tom Marchin, Pavel Shen, Oskar Steen, Jack Studnicka, Alex-Olivier Voyer*

 Defensemen: Axel Andersson, Max Martin*, Riley McCourt*, Andrew Perrott*, Jordan Sambrook*, Wiley Sherman, Alexey Solovyev, Urho Vaakanainen, Cooper Zech

 Goaltenders: Taylor Gauthier*, Kyle Keyser, Dan Vladar

 *Player attending on an invite basis

When looking at last year's Prospects Challenge roster

it's rather evident that a large portion of the participants were on the cusp of the NHL when selected for the showcase by Boston's top brass, with eight prospects in total (Connor Clifton, Karson Kuhlman, Urho Vaakanainen, Anders Bjork, Trent Frederic, Jeremy Lauzon, Zach Senyshyn and Jakub Zboril) logging at least one game up with the Bruins last year.

Such should be the case once again this season, headlined by Boston's blue-chip prospects in Studnicka and Vaakanainen. After earning a spot on the NHL roster out of camp last season (albeit due in large part to injuries to the rest of Boston's D corps), Vaakanainen could use this tournament to build up momentum once again towards a push for another roster spot, with a job earned more on his own merit this time, rather than due to injuries elsewhere on the roster.

Now, Vaakanainen might already be penciled in for a spot on the NHL roster given the uncertain health status of both Kevan Miller and John Moore — coupled with the still-unresolved contract situations for Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. But even if McAvoy and Carlo are brought back into the fold ahead of October, a strong showing for Vaakanainen, 20, in Buffalo figures to be the start of a campaign to supplant players like Clifton or Steven Kampfer when it comes to a regular role with the big club.

Studnicka certainly has the tools to really turn heads up in Buffalo, with the 20-year-old pivot looking to make the big leap from the CHL to the NHL over the span of just one offseason. Still, with the likes of Bergeron, Krejci, Coyle and Kuraly currently occupying the pivot position on Boston's depth chart, Studnicka's path to the NHL is a bit more restricted than a winger like Oskar Steen — who figures to be in the mix for one of the many vacancies located at the position. Switching Studnicka to the wing, for the time being, could be a viable solution in order to get him NHL reps, but Don Sweeney has been reluctant so far when it comes to moving Studnicka away from the center position.

Perhaps the most intriguing name on this roster when it comes to potential NHL impact is Anders Bjork, who appears to be in a state of limbo when it comes to his career progression. While the winger has earned spots out of camp with the Bruins over each of the previous two seasons, the Notre Dame product regressed in 2018-19 before seeing his year come to an end early once again due to shoulder surgery. A stint down in Providence to get his name on the scoresheet early and often might be the best course for Bjork, who very well could be a top-six option down the road if he turns in the corner when it comes to his development. One of the elder statesmen of the 2019 Prospects Challenge at 23, look for Bjork to pile on some points up in Buffalo and get back on track after last year's frustrating conclusion.

Here’s the full schedule for the 2019 Prospects Challenge:

Friday, September 6 (HarborCenter, Buffalo, NY)

-Pittsburgh vs. Boston, 3:30 p.m.

-Buffalo vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m. 

Saturday, September 7 (HarborCenter, Buffalo, NY)

-New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m.

-Buffalo vs. Boston, 7 p.m.

Monday, September 9 (HarborCenter, Buffalo, NY)

-Boston vs. New Jersey, 9:30 a.m.

-Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m.