Most puck prognosticators have locked onto Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov as the young forwards most likely to get consideration for the top-6 wing roster spot created by Jake DeBrusk’s free-agent departure.
But it would be foolish for anybody to sleep on a potential dark horse candidate in 22-year-old forward prospect Riley Duran, who was prominently mentioned along with Lysell and Merkulov by Bruins general manager Don Sweeney when discussing young forward options at the NHL level for a Bruins team clearly looking to fill one spot vacated by DeBrusk.
“I think this year, [Matt] Poitras and [Johnny] Beecher were good examples of [young players getting an NHL shot]. They played well enough [and] they earned their opportunity, and I would say that [Georgii Merkulov] and [Fabian Lysell] or Riley Duran keep going down the list,” said Sweeney. “Just pin your ears back, train your ass off this summer, and come with the intent that there'll be an opportunity here [in Boston].
“If you're the best player, then we find a way to get you in the lineup. You have to sustain it as you're going along. That was always the question in terms of whether a younger player at 19 [can sustain it all season]. Look around the league. Those guys have a tougher time as the year goes along, and whether or not they’re gonna [be able to] survive. A lot of those guys get injured, Matty [Poitras] got injured. My response to your question is those guys should have clear intentions to come and find an opportunity to beat somebody out [for an NHL roster spot] because it'll be there.”
Duran isn’t a super-fast, flashy highlight reel guy like Lysell and he isn’t as offensively productive as his former Youngstown teammate Merkulov, but he’s steady, reliable, strong and mature in a way that makes him very much valued by his coaches. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder displayed those qualities in abundance during his three seasons at Providence College, and he impressed the P-Bruins coaching staff with his seamless transition to the pro hockey program after spending a few weeks at the AHL level at the end of last year.
"For me to be transparent, I think he was a lot better than what I was expecting," said P-Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel. "And not saying that I had him, you know, at a different standard, but we were really surprised at how well his game had grown and how confident he was in the American League. He was absolutely excellent for us.
"We're excited about his growth, his development, the person, his work ethic, being a great teammate. I think Providence College does an amazing job with that. We've been very lucky to get two players over there in Michael Callahan and Riley Duran. I think the first thing that's evident is how great teammates they are and their work ethic. We're very excited where Riley's development is going."
While Duran isn’t very likely to be a long-term top-6 option after topping out offensively with 10 goals and 20 points as his best single-season marks while with the Friars, he could be a good fit for a bottom-6 role that would push somebody like Trent Frederic or Morgan Geekie into a top-6 right wing fit with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand. It’s one of many combinations that Jim Montgomery will undoubtedly tinker with at Bruins training camp, but it’s one that will absolutely be built on the smart, poised and physical two-way game that Duran consistently brings to the table.
The former sixth-round pick could also simply be one of those players who produces a little bit more at the pro level where his smarts and understanding of the game are enhanced around teammates operating at a similarly high level. Duran simply brings some reliable, team-building skills that might not come as naturally to guys like Lysell and Merkulov even if they have offensive gifts and raw tools that set them apart.
“I say this in a really complimentary way that [Duran] is a simple player. He comes to work, he does the little things really well and I was impressed with his board play, especially at the professional level,” said Boston Bruins Player Development Coordinator Adam McQuaid. “I think he really established himself [in Providence] as a player that the coaches can rely on, which can be hard for a young player.
“I was also impressed with his poise with the puck and his ability to make plays. We saw that at times at PC and we knew it was there, but you don’t know how it’s going to translate especially right off the hop at the pro level. He jumped right in and immediately looked comfortable. Some of that may him being a local kid, but we’re excited to see what he can do.”
That skill McQuaid is alluding to with the Woburn native is 100 percent apparent when watching Duran in settings like NHL development camp where he’s routinely as good, or better perhaps, than advertised.
Pretty slick backhand move from @Riley_Duran9 during a shootout drill at Bruins Development camp this morning. Duran was one of just a handful of B’s prospects that scored in the one-and-done shootout attempts 🚨 pic.twitter.com/IRiaQ3WOE7
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) July 3, 2024
One key detail for Duran was that cup of coffee with the P-Bruins late last season where he posted two goals and four points in 11 games, and then suited up for four AHL playoff games with Providence as well. He got a front-row seat on how to be a pro hockey player on a long with veteran Patrick Brown and utilized that time to help him assimilate to pro hockey after a strong Hockey East career.
“I’m pumped and really excited to get going,” said Duran of this fall’s training camp where undoubtedly he’ll be in the mix for a possible NHL spot. “[Playing in Providence] was awesome. My first day I got in there for a road trip to Hershey and it was a week-long road trip.
“The players were a lot more mature and slower in a way because everybody is more mature. But it was awesome getting to play with Patrick Brown. He’s a great player and he wins a lot of draws, so that was able to help me out big time. There’s always a lot of things to work on, but just getting bigger and stronger is always the main thing.”
So keep an eye out for Duran, Bruins fans, because there are young players getting hyped a lot more than him because of the flashiness to their game, but the 22-year-old continues to do the right things and impress coaches in the categories that oft-times matter most when it comes to winning NHL jobs.
