Ranking Bruins' top 25 prospects: (No. 25 - 21): Local products, undrafted talent highlight first grouping

With the 2020-21 NHL season still a ways away, let's spend this week assessing the state of Boston's pool of prospects. The Bruins' pipeline of young talent may not be as extensive (and impactful) as a number of other franchises across the league, but there are still a number of young skaters and netminders in Boston's system poised to make jump up to the NHL ranks in the coming years, or at the very least elevate their stock down in the AHL, collegiate, junior and international ranks. 

Here's our look at the top 25 prospects in the Bruins' system, starting with No. 25-21: 

(Note: We're going to count any prospect with 20+ games of service time up in the NHL ranks as "graduated" from our list, with youngsters like Jeremy Lauzon, Karson Kuhlman and Connor Clifton exempt from these rankings.) 

Honorable Mention:

Pavel Shen, Forward 

Age: 21
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 195 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Providence Bruins/AHL) - 35 Games, 4 Goals, 9 Points
Drafted: Round 7 (No. 212 overall) - 2018

The final stages of the NHL Draft can often be a crapshoot when it comes to identifying premier pro-hockey talent, but Boston might have something here with Shen, who was five spots away from going undrafted back in 2018. After a couple of seasons over in Russia, Shen made the jump over to North America last year and went through some expected growing pains with Providence. He still has a ways to go in terms of his development, especially when it comes to his natural hockey sense / on-ice awareness, but Shen has the wheels and skill to be a productive player in the AHL.

https://twitter.com/BruinsNetwork/status/1269337260291391493

Joona Koppanen, Forward

Age: 22
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 206 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Providence Bruins/AHL) - 43 Games, 9 Goals, 18 Points
Drafted: Round 5 (No. 135 overall) - 2016

Koppanen's second full season of AHL action in 2019-20 didn't exactly go as planned, as a sluggish start and multiple healthy scratches prompted Providence to send the slumping forward down to the ECHL for a stint. The demotion clearly worked, as Koppanen returned to the Baby B's just a few weeks later and managed to carve out a role in Providence's bottom-six corps, using his size to assert himself on the forecheck, win puck battles and grind down the opposition. It remains to be seen what exactly Koppanen's ceiling is going forward, but he has turned a few heads recently thanks to his play overseas.



With the AHL season not expected to get underway until at least February 2021, Koppanen has been back home in Finland playing in the two top-tiered leagues within the country. During his tenure with Koovee (in Finland's second-tiered Mestis league), Koppanen was a force — tallying six goals and 17 total points over 10 games. With the 22-year-old forward clearly out-classing his competition, Koppanen has since moved up to play for Ilves of the Finnish Elite League, where he has zero points in two games. A strong showing overseas might be just what Koppanen needs to build some momentum before (eventually) returning to the U.S. for his third go-around with Providence.

 Matt Filipe, Forward

Age: 22
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 205 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Northeastern University/NCAA) - 30 Games, 9 Goals, 22 Points
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 67 overall) - 2016 (By Carolina)

The Bruins' prospect pipeline is not complete without a couple of local products, and Lynnfield native Filipe is one of the newer additions. Filipe, who was originally drafted by the Hurricanes back in 2016, opted not to sign with the Canes and instead inked an entry-level contract back in August. Filipe's numbers with the Huskies might not jump off the page, but the hard-nosed forward established himself as an effective power forward that often excelled on the forecheck. He might be more of a bottom-six forward at the NHL level, but Filipe's play style should translate well to the pro ranks – starting with a look with Providence in 2020-21.

https://twitter.com/GoNUmhockey/status/1230646978742116354



25. Samuel Asselin, Forward 

Age: 22
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 181 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Atlanta Gladiators/ECHL) - 53 Games, 26 Goals, 52 Points
Drafted: Undrafted - Signed AHL contract with Providence

A Quebec native that loathed the Bruins (especially Brad Marchand) growing up, Asselin is now looking to follow a similar path as Boston's top left winger — rising through the ranks of the B's organization thanks to a blend of scoring punch and pugnacious play.

“That’s exactly what I want,” Asselin said of playing a game similar to Marchand last summer. “That’s what (the Bruins) want me to be and that’s what I want to be. I look up to (Marchand). He’s a great player, he had 100 points. Not sure I’m going to do that, but who knows? I just want to be that pest and now I’m concentrating on the Providence Bruins and I just want to make the team and start from there.”

After scoring 48 goals in his final season of junior hockey, Asselin continued to pile on points in his lone season with Boston's ECHL affiliate in Atlanta, recording 26 goals and 52 points over 53 games. While a shortened AHL season will stunt some of the necessary development Asselin needs if he wants to take the next step in his pro career, there's a lot to like about what the 22-year-old forward has showcased since signing with Boston. He could be a candidate to rise up these rankings in a hurry.

https://twitter.com/atlgladiators/status/1218371861538594816

24. Cameron Hughes, Forward 

Age: 24
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 180 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Providence Bruins/AHL) - 44 Games, 6 Goals, 16 Points
Drafted: Round 6 (No. 165 overall) - 2015

Hughes, 24, has some sneaky skill to his game, but the two-way forward's future in the NHL will likely find him serving as a bottom-six role, with the Edmonton native looking to follow in the footsteps of a player with a similar skillet in Karson Kuhlman. Hughes is cut from the same cloth as Kuhlman — with the University of Wisconsin product likely to earn a few looks up with the NHL club thanks to his versatility, competitiveness and hard-nosed style of play.

"The description I get is he’s got some Danton Heinen in him — in terms of being good with the puck, crafty," Bruce Cassidy said of Hughes during last year's training camp. "Very competitive guy, going to the net for his size. Maybe not as smooth as Danton, but a little bit more of Marchy (Brad Marchand) in him. That’s how he’s generated a lot of offense, second effort, but he’s surprising skill, good defensive player, accountable guy. ... I think he’s a guy that would have been in that mix for a call up because he can play some center and left wing, you can move him around. We like those guys here that are versatile.”

https://twitter.com/BruinsNetwork/status/1186802553478156288

23. Trevor Kuntar, Forward 

Age: 19
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 195 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Youngstown Phantoms/USHL) - 44 Games, 28 Goals, 53 Points
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 89 overall) - 2020

Boston’s third-round selection (No. 89 overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Kuntar has a chance to rise up these rankings quickly if the forward hits the ground (ice) running with Boston College this season. Kuntar, who said back in October that he models his game after power forwards like Jamie Benn, is coming off of a strong season with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms — ranking third in the league with 28 goals and tallying 53 total points in 44 games. 

https://twitter.com/usahockey/status/1206330751895162885

It remains to be seen if Kuntar’s ceiling is that of a legitimate 20+ goal scorer in the NHL, but the hard-nosed winger should at least develop into a bottom-six regular that can bury chances with some regularity. 

22. Roman Bychkov, Defenseman 

Age: 19
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 170 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Loko Yaroslavl/MHL) - 62 Games, 7 Goals, 26 Points
Drafted: Round 5 (No. 154 overall) - 2019

Much like Asselin, Bychkov is another B's prospect that could rise up these rankings quite a bit over the next year. Selected in the fifth round of the 2019 Draft, a prevailing theme in many scouting reports on Bychkov is his poise with the puck, with the smooth-skating defenseman regularly praised for his ability to withstand an aggressive forecheck and carry the puck down the other end of the ice. The playmaking blueliner impressed last season in the MHL (Russia's junior ice hockey league), recording 26 points in 62 games before moving on to the VHL (Russia's second tier of pro hockey, behind the KHL) in 2020-21.

https://twitter.com/TheDraftAnalyst/status/1093197255459434501

Bychkov should still be regarded as more of a long-term project than a player that could realistically crack a roster over in North America in a year or so. The 5-foot-11 defender still needs to fill out his frame in order to hold his own against older and stronger competition, with a full season in the VHL set to present its fair share of growing pains for the Russian skater. We won't have a full grasp on Bychkov's pro potential for some time, but he could develop into a solid puck-moving presence on an NHL D corps.

21. Nick Wolff,  Defenseman

Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 229 pounds
2019-20 Stats (Minnesota Duluth/NCAA) - 33 games, 0 goals, 10 points
Drafted: Undrafted - Signed contract with Boston in March 2020

Wolff's ceiling may not reach beyond that of a third-pairing, bruising defenseman, but the 24-year-old blueliner certainly makes himself noticed whenever he hops over the boards. The physical defenseman, who signed an entry-level deal with Boston back in March, had been on the B's radar over the last couple of seasons, participating in Boston's Development Camps in both 2018 and 2019 as an invitee.

It's tough to miss Wolff when he's out there on the ice, with the Minnesota Duluth product using his imposing frame to negate scoring chances, eat up pucks and leave welts against the opposition. But Wolff is more than just a bruiser, recording 14 goals, 39 assists and 233 penalty minutes in 156 career games with the Bulldogs.

https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/status/1116448485417594891

Much like his former collegiate teammate in Karson Kuhlman, Wolff has also drawn praise for his leadership and poise out on the ice, with the blueliner playing a key role in the Bulldogs' back-to-back NCAA titles in 2018 and 2019. Don't be surprised to see Wolff earn a shot up in the NHL ranks in short order, especially if Boston's blue line ends up losing a couple of skaters to the injury bug.

“He’s an interesting guy. You wanna talk about competitive? He’s as competitive as it gets,” Providence head coach Jay Leach said of Wolff last summer. “He’s out there and he’s trying his hardest — to the point where I think he falls down a few times, but it’s just because he’s out there trying his tail off. What I’ve been impressed with, especially today… I was impressed with his passing ability. I don’t know if he had that the year before as much. He’s growing into his game, I’m sure. I know the physicality will always be there, but the polish with the puck, which does come with time, is certainly something that I’ve seen this year a bit more.”