Which college free agents could Bruins target to bolster pipeline?

The collegiate hockey season might be heading down the final stretch, but plenty of NHL front offices and scouting staff are just getting started when it comes to bracing for the annual feeding frenzy that is held every March.

As each NCAA program’s season comes to a close, so opens the door for NHL clubs to pry undrafted free agents off campus and add them to their respective pipelines, with multiple intriguing prospects often making the jump to the pro ranks during this hectic spring stretch.

For some teams, identifying undrafted talent in the NCAA stands as a best practice when it comes to supplementing the skill already present within their prospect pipeline. 

The Bruins have had plenty of success over the years when it comes to plucking talent out of college without relinquishing draft capital — with Torey Krug standing at the forefront of said class of overlooked players. 

And while there’s no guarantee that another Krug is waiting as the diamond in the rough in this class of undrafted free agents, even college pieces such as Karson Kuhlman and Jack Ahcan have served as useful players for Boston in both the NHL and AHL ranks.

The Bruins have often stood at the front of the line when it comes to investing in NCAA scouting, and with Boston already boasting plenty of ties to a few intriguing college free agents in this class, don’t be surprised if the B’s add a key prospect or two to the system in the next couple of weeks. 

So who could the Bruins be targeting? Let’s look at some of the top college free agents set to hit the market. 

Parker Ford, C, Providence

The Bruins sure do love to snag talent from Nate Leaman’s program — and for good reason. PC has produced plenty of solid NHL personnel over the years, with 2020 sixth-round pick Riley Duran putting together a strong freshman campaign for Providence (17 points in 34 games) and 2021 fourth-round pick Philip Svedebäck joining the Friars’ goalie corps next season.

Add in Boston’s success of adding Noel Acciari as a college free agent back in 2015 — coupled with the team dealing for PC captain Michael Callahan on Tuesday — and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Bruins are heavily linked to Parker Ford, per multiple sources. 

Ford features plenty of parallels with Acciari — both are Rhode Island natives that have already ingratiated themselves to the B’s as development-camp invitees. 

A strong performance during dev camp stands as a great avenue for local products to put themselves on Boston’s radar, as Bruce Cassidy noted last August. 

"A couple other tryout guys that hopefully want to be Boston Bruins down the road, we can find a way to get them into the fold," Cassidy said. "So that's always the exciting part about the development camp — what could be down the road from some of these guys like for example, a Noel Acciari that came on board for us.

“He's an invitee, comes in, he plays well for us, Kevan Miller, there's guys like that out there that you add to the mix, that always make your team better. And we have a few in there this week that hopefully will become Bruins at some point down the road."

Ford may not be a bruiser like Acciari, but the 21-year-old forward is expected to be a coveted target for many NHL teams when PC’s season concludes. The junior has all the makings of a potential bottom-six stalwart — featuring plus speed, good defensive instincts and some bite despite his smaller frame (5-foot-9, 185 pounds). 

The junior’s solid scoring totals in the NCAA ranks (66 points in 90 games) may dry up a bit at the next level, but Ford has endeared himself to coaches at just about every level thanks to his motor and compete. 

Marc McLaughlin, C, Boston College

Much like Ford, McLaughlin checks off plenty of boxes when it comes to the type of college free agent that Boston covets. 

• Hockey East player? Yep.
• Local ties? Yep. (Billerica)
• Good two-way game? Yes. 
• Lauded for his leadership and other intangibles? Yep, the BC captain is certainly as advertised in that regard.

This season has gone south for the Eagles, but McLaughlin's stock continues to soar as a prized NCAA add for plenty of teams. 

McLaughlin, who competed for Team USA at the 2022 Olympics, is another straight-line player that could slot into Boston’s bottom-six corps in short order if the B’s are able to reel him in. 

Considering that Curtis Lazar is likely due for a nice raise this offseason and Boston has usually let its fourth-liners walk to cash in with another club, adding someone like Ford or McLaughlin makes plenty of sense if the Bruins are looking to add another checking-line stalwart to the mix.

Travis Mitchell, D, Cornell

Another 2021 dev-camp invitee the Bruins have scouted heavily, Mitchell is a big-bodied (6-foot-3, 207 pounds), left-shot defenseman that plays a sound, physical game in his own zone. 

Mitchell’s stock is also starting to rise, especially after missing out on the entire 2020-21 season after the Ivy League canned league-wide play due to COVID concerns.

Speaking at development camp, Bruins Director of Player Development Jamie Langenbrunner noted that Mitchell’s physicality and strength stood out among a crowded field of invitees.

“A late-developing kid,” Langenbrunner said of Mitchell. “Wasn’t even able to play hockey last year at Cornell. Put on a lot of strength during that 18 months off and looks good out there right now. You get a wide range of that, and that’s part of the fun sometimes. ... Moves well for a big guy. He’s 6-4 and change, he’s moving well. And his improvement, his growth, his added strength, he seems to be on an upward trend.”

Ben Meyers, F, University of Minnesota

Arguably the crown jewel of this year’s college free-agent class, Meyers was a standout performer at Boston’s dev camp as an invitee last summer. But don’t expect Boston to suddenly have an inside track at signing the Minnesota native, because plenty of teams will be vying for his services in the next few weeks.

Meyers has a bit of a higher ceiling than other free agents this year thanks to his blend of skill and smarts, with the 23-year-old forward projecting as a potential middle-six contributor in the NHL. 

Meyers, who also posted four points in four games for Team USA at the 2022 Olympics, would be a huge get for whatever team eventually gets him to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on a new deal. 

Brandon Scanlin, D, Nebraska (Omaha)

Much like Mitchell, Scanlin was another big-bodied defenseman that stood out during Boston’s dev camp this past summer.

While Mitchell projects as more of a steady, stay-at-home option, Scanlin’s booming shot from the point has allowed the left-shot D to pair his physical tools (6-foot-4, 214 pounds) with a pretty steady offensive stat line over the years — with the junior now up to 29 points in 32 games with the Mavericks this season. 

Bobby Trivigno, F, UMass Amherst

The Bruins have had some luck over the years when it comes to prying unsigned talent from the Minutemen (Frank Vatrano), and Trivigno is looking like another scoring force to come out of Amherst.

Much like Vatrano, Trivigno isn’t the most imposing figure out on the ice (5-foot-8), but he makes up for it with his compete and sneaky wrist shot. Trivigno, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four during UMass’ run to a national championship, has posted 120 points over four seasons with the Minutemen. 

Wouldn’t be surprised if a team like the Rangers or Islanders come knocking when the time comes for Trivigno (who hails from Long Island) to start fielding offers.

Riese Gaber, F, University of North Dakota

Gaber is an undersized (5-foot-8) forward that has put up some impressive offensive totals for a strong program up at Grand Forks. (Starting to notice a trend with some of these college free agents?)

Of course, the top question mark with a prospect like Gaber is whether or not his speed and skill will translate to the NHL ranks, especially when matched up against bigger bodies at the next level. 

Anton Malmstrom, D, Bowling Green

Yet another D-man with heft that stood out during Boston’s development camp, what you see is what you get with a big body like Malmstrom (6-foot-4, just four points in 31 games this season). But the Swede has done a solid job of making the jump over to North America and developing into a dependable contributor on the Falcons’ D corps.

He’s not known as an O-zone contributor, but Malmstrom’s puck play and movement along the offensive blue line regularly stood out during Boston’s camp at Warrior Ice Arena. Perhaps he has more to give in that area. 

Wilmer Skoog, C, Boston University

Skoog has heaps of skill (as evidenced by the pair of lacrosse goals he’s scored at BU), but the 6-foot-2 center’s appeal at the next level lies in his size and prickly demeanor. If he returns to BU next season, he could be setting himself up for a big year after having an offensive breakthrough as a junior (24 points in 30 games). 

Jake Livingstone, D, Minnesota State Mankato

The Mavericks have been a wagon for most of the season, and a big-bodied defenseman with scoring pop like Livingstone has played a major role in Mankato’s success. Expect a bidding war for a poised, versatile defender like Livingstone who logs shutdown minutes for one of the top teams in college hockey.

Matthew Kopperud, F, Arizona State 

Kopperud flew under the radar a bit at Boston’s dev camp, but the Denver native has put together a strong season at Arizona State — leading the Sun Devils with 36 points in 30 games. He’s got a hell of a shot.

 Other names worth watching: Reed Lebster (UMass), Taylor Ward (Nebraska Omaha), Ethan Frank (Western Michigan), Roman Ahcan (Wisconsin), Julian Napravnik (Minnesota State), Carl Berglund (UMass Lowell), Georgi Merkulov (Ohio State), Jaxson Stauber (Providence)