Ranking the Top 20 Bruins prospects (10-6): Plenty of Providence Bruins and undrafted free agent representation

The NHL Draft and Bruins development camp are firmly in the rearview mirror as the offseason trudges on and the league drifts into relative quiet. Still, around Boston, the B's have to take care of contracts for Jeremy Swayman and Trent Frederic in addition to the much-anticipated decisions that loom over Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. 

With that, it's time to get into our Top 20 ranking of the Bruins' prospect pool, continuing with 10-6. I'm also considering Jakub Lauko a "graduate" because of his NHL experience last season as well as the expectation that he carves out a full-time role with the big club next season. 

Although still one of the weaker cupboards across the board, ranked No. 30 by The Athletic and Elite Prospects as well as No. 29 by Dobber Prospects, Boston has been able to find prospects with decent upside and potential in the middle and later rounds of recent drafts. 

The first half of the Top 20 can be found here. Let's continue our rankings as we crack the Top 10:

10. Frédéric Brunet - LD

Age: 19
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds
Drafted: 2022 Round 5 (132nd overall)
2022-23 Stats: QMJHL, 66 games – 16 goals, 57 assists; AHL, 1 game – 2 assists
2023-24 Team: TBD - Providence Bruins (AHL) or Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)

Brunet presents a pretty interesting skillset as a former center, similar to fellow former forward Mason Lohrei. His offensive prowess is evident between his mobility and shooting ability, as well as his hockey sense. Never one to pass up an opportunity to activate in the play, Brunet is effective in creating opportunities from the point through shooting and passing lanes. He looked confident defensively during development camp, using his stick and positioning to his advantage, too. 

Like most offensively-inclined defensemen coming out of junior, where he saw a jump from 46 points in 2021-22 to 73 in 2022-23, Brunet's defensive side needs work, even with a solid showing at camp. It's still undecided where he'll play this season, but the options are with Providence, which both he and the Bruins would prefer, or returning to the Q for his overage year with Victoriaville. He had a terrific one-game audition in Providence at the end of the regular season, but he's currently listed on the Tigres preseason roster.

9. Brandon Bussi - G

Age: 25
Height/Weight: 6-5, 209
Drafted: Undrafted
2022-23 Stats: AHL; 32 games – 22-5-4, .924 save percentage, 2.40 GAA, 1 shutout; ECHL, 4 games – 3-1-0, .922, 2.50
2023-24 Team: Providence Bruins

Bussi saw a meteoric rise through the ranks last season. When Jeremy Swayman went down with injury early in the year and Boston recalled Keith Kinkaid from Providence, Bussi got the call from the ECHL to the AHL, where he never looked back. The undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan excelled as a first-year pro between his strong sample in the ECHL and his All-Star run with the Baby B's, finishing with the second-best save percentage in the AHL and the sixth-best goals-against average.

He was strong in his four playoff appearances before Providence bowed out in the first round, putting up a .926 save percentage and 2.28 GAA. It all came around dealing with the recall yo-yo and serving as the third goalie in Boston. He felt maintaining his consistency was the most important adjustment as a rookie.

"I just think every level you go, from college to the pros, everyone gets a little bigger, faster, stronger and more skilled," Bussi told BSJ in April. "The margin of error is definitely way smaller. So if you're playing in a game and you've got your B-game, it's not going to get the job done. You've got to bring your A-game every day and just try to be consistent. That's the biggest thing I've learned."

Bussi is athletic and moves well with his frame. He's aggressive, which has to have a balancing act. He’s arguably Boston’s best young goaltender behind Swayman. His age makes me wonder how high his ceiling truly is, but he has NHL backup or even 1B potential, at least. With one full season in the pros under his belt – a very strong showing – Bussi is set to take on most of the reps once again with Kyle Keyser and the P-Bruins this year. 

8. Luke Toporowski - LW

Age: 22
Height/Weight: 5-11, 183
Drafted: Undrafted
2022-23 Stats: AHL, 47 games – 15 goals, 14 assists
2023-24 Team: Providence Bruins

There's a good chance if you didn't follow the P-Bruins closely last season, you're probably fairly unfamiliar with Toporowski. The undrafted winger signed an AHL deal with Providence after a productive run in the WHIL, including 35 goals and 63 points in 49 games during 2021-22. It translated to his first season as a pro fairly well, where the Iowan finished fifth on the Baby B's in goals with 13 of his 15 tucks coming at even strength, most impressively. He led Providence in even-strength goals per 60 minutes, according to Robert Chalmers (@IvanIvanIvan on Twitter). It was nice to see Toporowski rewarded for his season with a two-year entry-level contract this summer.

The winger made a strong impression during the 2022 Prospects Challenge because of his shoot-first mentality and willingness to get to the dirty areas of the ice and engage in battles, even with his smaller frame. A strong skater with a s strong shot, both of those traits translated to the AHL for Toporowski last season. Those who are more locked into the happenings in Providence raved about his shooting ability, too. He's headed for another promising year with the P-Bruins after boosting his stock a ton in 2022-23.

7. Marc McLaughlin - C/RW

Age: 23
Height/Weight: 6-0, 203
Drafted: Undrafted
2022-23 Stats: AHL, 66 games – 13 goals, 17 assists; NHL, 2 games
2023-24 Team: TBD - Boston and/or Providence Bruins

After a fairly promising debut in the NHL to close out 2021-22, McLaughlin should have made the varsity club out of training camp in 2022-23, if not for his being waivers exempt, which caused him to be caught up in the business decision of getting sent down. Nevertheless, McLaughlin still had a solid first season as a professional, finishing eighth in goals for Providence, despite mainly playing a bottom-six role at even strength. 

There isn't a ton of flash to McLaughlin's game. The Boston College product and North Billerica, Mass., native has a heavy shot and plays a responsible two-way game, able to be effective in all situations, whether at 5-on-5, power play or penalty kill. His higher ranking lends itself to his decently high floor as a prospect who very much projects to have a long pro career as a steady, trusted bottom-six forward. McLaughlin's heavier frame allows him to battle well along the boards, in the corners and especially around the net. He's on a one-year, two-way deal for 2023-24 and is in a position to compete for a spot in Boston's bottom-six once again. 

6. Brett Harrison - C/LW

Age: 20
Height/Weight: 6-3, 184
Drafted: 2021 Round 3 (85th overall)
2022-23 Stats: OHL, 57 games – 34 goals, 35 assists; AHL, 1 game – 1 assist
2023-24 Team: Providence Bruins

Harrison is one of the better center prospects in a system devoid of immediate help down the middle once Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci officially call it quits. The bigger body has an elite, heavy shot that stands out among his peers, in addition to an ability to score off the rush, standing still, on the power play and from various areas of the offensive zone. He's coming off his most productive season in the OHL, even with a midseason trade, continuing to showcase his ability to score no matter what may have had the chance to disrupt his development, be it a trade or COVID. 

"His shot is a weapon," Jamie Langebrunner said during development camp. "He can score from a lot of places. Similar to Matty [Poitras], he’s got a little knack for finding space. He has the ability to get himself open and has some slipperiness to him. His skating ... and he has a lot of strengths that are going to need to get better to play at the NHL level, but there's a lot of things to like."

Harrison has a knack for getting to the slot and the high-danger areas of the ice. He will start out on the wing in Providence when he makes his debut as a pro this season as the Bruins want to ease his transition up the ranks and hopefully jumpstart his scoring quickly. Harrison's two-way details will need to be a bit sharper, an ask of every center in Boston's system, while his skating and first few strides will need work as he continues to progress, as Langenbrunner noted. Another key area for him will be adding strength and good muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame as he won't be able to rely on his reach alone as a pro. 

"I'm going to be playing with men now, not in junior anymore," Harrison told BSJ at the end of development camp. "So, just need to get definitely stronger, so I can be in those battles and not get pushed around. That's something I'm definitely gonna work on for the rest of the offseason."