NHL Notebook: Ranking the Top 20 Bruins prospects (5-1): Help could soon be on the way with the top of the class

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 continue into our Top 20 ranking of the Bruins' prospect pool, finishing with 5-1. 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, while 10-6 is here. Let's wrap up our rankings as we crack the Top 5:

5. John Beecher - C/LW

Age: 22
Height/Weight: 6-3, 210
Drafted: 2019 Round 1 (30th overall)
2022-23 Stats: AHL, 61 games – 9 goals, 14 assists
2023-24 Team: Boston or Providence Bruins

Beecher worked hard to improve his shot and offensive capabilities in the 2022 offseason, and it paid off. His 23 points were a seven-point improvement from his most productive season in three years at Michigan, a nine-goal, seven-assist freshman campaign. 

The Elmira, N.Y., native can be deployed in all situations, whether 5-on-5, penalty kill or power play (which he barely saw any of at Michigan). His frame combined with his game-changing speed make him an exciting package. Strong and tough to handle in battles along the boards and in front of the net, using his body successfully to shield and win pucks. Trusted defensively and at the face-off dot. 

Like some of his peers later in the rankings, like Marc McLaughlin, Beecher's floor is part of what's most encouraging for his path to the NHL. The offensive ceiling is still likely limited at the next level, but his blazing speed, size, two-way ability and much-improved shot make him very likely to carve out a career as a valuable role player in the NHL. He'll be in the mix to compete for a roster spot in training camp. 

4. Matthew Poitras - C

Age: 19
Height/Weight: 5-11, 175
Drafted: 2022 Round 2 (54th overall)
2022-23 Stats: OHL, 63 games – 16 goals, 79 assists
2023-24 Team: Guelph Storm (OHL)

Poitras has become one of Boston's most exciting prospects to track in an organization desperately in need of long-term help down the middle. He took a huge leap in production from his first OHL season in 2021-22 (50 points in 68 games) to 2022-23 (95 points in 63 games). His goal-scoring dipped from 21 to 16, likely a result of his pass-first mentality. He has a good shot that Boston feels should be utilized more.

The youngster impressed with his hockey sense, vision and playmaking at development camp, both of which translated into the scrimmage and game situations. Of Poitras, Brett Harrison and Georgii Merkulov, I feel Poitras has the best chance at truly making it as an impact center. Top-six potential is there, but there are areas to grow, especially physically. His two options this season are playing in Boston or returning to the OHL if he does not make the team out of camp. He's unafraid to get to the scoring areas, despite his size, but another year of physical development in junior is likely best. 

“The way he sees the ice … He can make plays. I think the next step is continuing to get stronger with the physical development," Jamie Langenbrunner said of Poitras during camp. "He has a willingness to want to take pucks to the dirty areas of the net. Getting stronger will allow him to do those things. I think we’re rounding out his game. On the defensive side, if he’s going to be a centerman, we’re going to need him to be reliable in his own end. ... Not taking away the offensive side, but making sure those things are focused on.

“This is a smart hockey player with an elite brain. His skating got knocked a little bit going into the draft, which pushed him down, but we saw a brain with growth potential. I think we saw that step last year with his production in a lower team, it was extremely high-end. You see it in snippets out here every day, his ability to play in space and create space. His elusiveness, you know, he buys time for himself. He has that knack where he can kind of just look guys off and find lanes. The next step we’re going to try to push on him is, maybe similar to Fabian [Lysell], is shoot the puck a little more. He can shoot the puck, but he is definitely more of a pass-first guy. If we can tilt that just a little bit more the other way, it’ll give him more of a leg up, but we’re very happy with that player.”

Don Sweeney said of Poitras' path forward after development camp, "The pace of play and the strength of play against NHL players is what dictates whether a player can make that jump. It’s a big jump, but we really like his hockey IQ, and he needs to focus on being a little bit more shot-ready, I think he’s a pass-first guy, but he sneaky has a really good shot. So, maybe that just needs to develop a little more and know when to be selfish in certain situations, but he’ll get a chance in camp to hopefully see that translate. … I know [Jim Montgomery] was talking about different players and opportunities, and we’ll see. He’ll make the progression through rookie camp, then get into main camp, and see if they get into exhibition games. There will be several of those guys, and Matthew is one of them.”   

3. Georgii Merkulov - C/LW

Age: 22
Height/Weight: 5-11, 181
Drafted: Undrafted
2022-23 Stats: AHL, 67 games – 24 goals, 31 assists
2023-24 Team: Boston or Providence Bruins

Merkulov was quite the stealth signing on the undrafted free agent market in the 2022 offseason, coming off 20 goals and 34 points in 36 games as a 20-year-old freshman at Ohio State before putting up five points (4a) in his first eight-game sample in the AHL. His season created a lot of buzz with the P-Bruins in 2022-23, and rightfully so, considering his offensive toolkit and production. He shoots the puck at a high level, especially on the power play, where he saw a larger role as the season drew on in the AHL. 

While the one-and-done standout at Ohio State is a dangerous threat on the man advantage, Merkulov is a dynamic scorer at even strength, too. The Russian is easily one of the most talented forward prospects in the system for Boston between his skating, hands and elite shot. He still needs work on his consistency and defensive acumen as a professional, which will come with experience. Nobody expects him to be a Selke Trophy candidate, but his face-off game and two-way details still need to improve, even after making strides this season. 

Merkulov will be part of the group of youngsters aiming to compete for a spot during training camp in September. If he can't fully lock down a spot, another year of getting top reps in Providence will still serve him well. Even if he doesn't take hold of a role out of camp, we could definitely see Merkulov earning an audition as a call-up at some point during the regular season. 

2. Fabian Lysell - RW

Age: 20
Height/Weight: 5-11, 180
Drafted: 2021 Round 1 (21st overall)
2022-23 Stats: AHL, 54 games – 14 goals, 23 assists
2023-24 Team: Boston or Providence Bruins

Chief among the forward talent in the prospect pool is Lysell, Boston's highest draft selection since Urho Vaakanainen went 19th overall in 2017. While Lysell's first season as a pro was a positive showing, overall, there was still a little left to be desired in the second half. The skilled Swede started the year with 19 points in his first 20 games before 18 in his final 34. A blindside hit to the head knocked him out of the Calder Cup Playoffs in Game 3 of the first round with a concussion. 

Seven games without a point for Sweden at the World Juniors certainly didn't help things. Coming out of the midseason tournament, the Bruins felt Lysell's season stalled. The winger felt the biggest adjustment to life as a pro was with his consistency and away from the rink.

"Honestly, I think [the biggest thing] is more off the ice, how you switch off after a game and all that stuff," Lysell said during development camp. "When you come into Game 60, you really need to know how to control your body so you can relax when you have to, and when you have to be on it you can switch it on. So, that's really what I've been focusing on a lot and what I tried to work on last year. Coming into next year, that's something that I'm going to do and have more knowledge. I know more about how to use that on and off button."

Still, Lysell's talent is evident, relative to his peers. An elite playmaker, Boston feels there's another goal-scoring level to be unlocked. He has a willingness to get to Grade-A ice, but likely needs to be smarter with picking his spots in order to remain out of harm's way. Like Merkulov, Lysell's skill is immensely important to the talent pool coming up the ranks. If he doesn't secure a full-time spot in camp, as is his goal, he could still see NHL reps at some point throughout the year. Lysell also needs to continue to add good weight. 

"Well, I think he's continuing to learn the North American game," Langenbrunner said during camp. "I think what we saw in the WHL two years ago would be the growth as the year went on. I think this year, he hit a bit of a wall with World Juniors stuffed in there as well, coming off of that. Still, I think he's learning how to grind through it. I think he's continuing to take the steps forward. Unfortunately for him, he took a cheap shot that slowed him a bit this summer, but it was good on him to be here this week and working hard and it's good to see him on the ice again. ... Continuing to add strength, continuing to be comfortable playing in those areas.

"He plays with a lot of courage. Maybe he has to learn to play a little bit safer to make sure he doesn't put himself into some spots once in a while. He wants to control the puck, and he wants to make plays. I think he's continuing to work on his shot to be that double threat that we want him to be. We put him on the power play a bit last year to kind of, I don't want to say force him to shoot it more, but to get him in that mindset to have that mentality, and he took to it pretty well. We'll continue to push those things and we'll continue to remember that he's a [20]-year-old kid and just kind of just taking those steps forward."

1. Mason Lohrei - LD

Age: 22
Height/Weight: 6-4, 204
Drafted: 2020 Round 2 (58th overall)
2022-23 Stats: NCAA (Big 10), 40 games – 4 goals, 28 assists; AHL, 5 games – 1 assist
2023-24 Team: Boston or Providence Bruins

Lohrei has the best combination of high floor and higher ceiling of any of Boston's prospects. After initially being tabbed as a reach when the Bruins first selected him in 2020, Lohrei's stock has skyrocketed to the point where it's a matter of when, not if, he's a regular in the NHL. 

The rangy blue-liner is a former forward, like Frédéric Brunet, which affords him a unique offensive skillset on the backend. Combined with his strong skating ability, especially when considering his frame, and it's easy to understand the excitement surrounding Lohrei. The 22-year-old led Ohio State to the NCAA tournament this season, capping off a productive two-year run before making the leap to the pros. As a sophomore, shouldered more responsibility with the Buckeyes this season, whether it was having more asked of him on the ice defensively or as a leader off the ice. 

The left-hander has an offensive mentality, something the Bruins would like to see a more balanced approach for. Lohrei has the ability to jump into plays and finish them, thanks to his skating as well as his strong shot. Still, there remains room to grow defensively, as there is with any offensive defenseman. A small sample in the pros to close out 2022-23 offered a valuable learning experience as well.

"It's just a lot heavier. I'd say that was the main difference from college, obviously faster," Lohrei said during camp of his takeaways from getting into eight AHL games. "Just heavier. Still working on you know, getting stronger and improving my speed, first three steps, that sort of thing. And that's going to be beneficial going into next season."

Lohrei can push for a spot during camp come September. However, with how crowded Boston's depth chart is on the left side, as well as his inexperience as a professional, starting the year in the AHL or even spending the whole season with the P-Bruins would be hugely beneficial. He's still learning what it takes at the pro level and in a pro system after practically being given free rein at OSU. Either way, Boston feels he's just scratching the surface.

"You see right away, obviously his size and his mobility at that size. He has offensive instincts," player development coordinator Adam McQuaid said of Lohrei during camp. "I think his defending has come a long way. He's simplifying his game and being really efficient. When he has the opportunity on the offensive side, he can make plays. ... I would be surprised if he doesn't make a real push at training camp. We're hoping for that. Like any young player, he still has things to work on. He's a fast learner. He's going to pick up on things and continue to grow."

––––––––––––––

NHLPA pushing for participation in 2026 Olympics

After missing out on the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, the NHLPA wants back in on the festivities once they roll into Italy in less than three years. 

Aside from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the sport has lacked a best-on-best tournament since the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. New NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh hopes to put NHL participation back on the front burner.

“My focus is to try and make that happen,"  Walsh told ESPN this week. “I’m working with commissioner Gary Bettman, collectively together with the IIHF, and hopefully, we’ll be able to come up with an agreement and move forward. A lot of players from around the globe want to play for their home country. They want that best-on-best tournament. They want to be part of it.”

Even if it's not the Olympics, Walsh says the players want the opportunity for best-on-best tournaments more frequently. The 2016 World Cup was the first since 2004, which was then the first since 1996. 

“We’ve had some conversations with the league about making sure that if we’re going to do a World Cup hockey tournament, it’s best-on-best and we do it for a period of a couple of different tournaments, so that we’re not doing this one-off every 10 years That we have more consistency moving forward," Walsh added. "That still has a ways to go."