Bruins Prospect News and Notes

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
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Senyshyn has sure had a big leap in general regard. I know Kirk has been pimping him all season, but the kid is looking like he may have been a sneaky good pick at 15.
 

cshea

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Baby B's lighting it up here tonight. 6-1 in the 2nd. Vatrano has 2 goals and 2 assists. Griffith a goal and 3 assists. Pastrnak a goal and an assist.

Believe that is 8 points in 3+ games for Frank since his demotion.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Bruins recall Subban on an emergency basis with Gustavsson placed on IR. Pastrnak also back up as expected.

 

MiracleOfO2704

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So I'd imagine they're not so sure about Gus's heart health yet. If that's the case, I have no problem putting him on the shelf until they're sure he's okay to play.

As far as calling up Subban, I'm conflicted on this. If he's going to get a couple of games, I think this is a great opportunity for him. His numbers seem to be improving in Providence, and this could be a chance to see how he's progressed against NHL competition. If this is just a cup of coffee, though, and they're just going to ride Tuukka into the ground until Gus comes back, just call up some kid in the ECHL so Subban can keep getting crease time.
 

cshea

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Gus skated today and they can activate him whenever. Sweeney mentioned they're just awaiting final tests on Gus before activating him. Seems like they think he'll likely be ready in short order. Providence doesn't play until Friday so no harm in having Subban sit on the bench tomorrow and get in a few practices with the big club.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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If that's the case, nor do I. I was worried more about a more long-term absence for Gus and Subban simply getting a real good seat for NHL games rather than actually playing.
 

cshea

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If anyone is sitting at home watching the Beanpot tonight, no shortage of Bruins prospects in action. Bruins are represented by each team.

BC- Ryan Fitzgerald
BU- Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Matt Grzelcyk
Harvard- Ryan Donato, Wiley Sherman
Northeastern- Matt Benning

BC leads Harvard 3-2 after 2 in the first game. Donato has one of the Harvard goals, and Fitzgerald has an assist for BC.
 

TheRealness

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Kirk has started a podcast. I listened to it on my commute this morning and highly recommend it. Kirk is the best in the prospect business. The first episode is him giving a rundown of his top 10 list from the NEHJ.

http://scoutingpost.com/2016/02/02/scouting-post-podcast-new-england-hockey-journal-top-10-boston-bruins-prospects/
Excellent. I am going to add this to my subscriptions. He was good on that other podcast posted above, but there was just too many other people and they didn't know what they were doing and got in their own way.
 

TheRealness

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Very good podcast. He loves McIntyre a lot more than others. Also, Senyshyn is now the #1 prospect in the system not in the AHL, and he believes this is the best prospect group the Bruins have ever had and it's not close. Also of note, Lauzon appears well ahead of Zboril, and his man crush for JFK and Heinen continues.
 

cshea

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Very good podcast. He loves McIntyre a lot more than others. Also, Senyshyn is now the #1 prospect in the system not in the AHL, and he believes this is the best prospect group the Bruins have ever had and it's not close. Also of note, Lauzon appears well ahead of Zboril, and his man crush for JFK and Heinen continues.
I'd be curious to know where he'd slot Vatrano in. Above Koko? Between the 2 goalies? He's like Ovechkin in the A, wonder what sort of ceiling he has.

I've also become a big Gabrielle fan. He had a Gordie Howe 2 nights ago and ha 32-26= 68 totals in 53 games with 82 PIMs. Seems like a bigger Marchand based on what Kirk was saying about him.
 

timlinin8th

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Gus skated today and they can activate him whenever. Sweeney mentioned they're just awaiting final tests on Gus before activating him. Seems like they think he'll likely be ready in short order. Providence doesn't play until Friday so no harm in having Subban sit on the bench tomorrow and get in a few practices with the big club.
This was exactly correct - Subban is headed back to Provy in time for their game tomorrow, Gus is reactivated.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Didn't see this posted anywhere else...Malcolm Subban spent the night in the hospital after taking a puck to the throat during warm ups last night. Supposedly just precautionary. Scary stuff.
 

TheRealness

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Great hockey boner inducing article on Senyshyn by Kirk. Some gems:

He currently leads the time (by a wide margin) with 33 goals in 50 contests, on pace to exceed the 40-goal plateau if he can keep finding the back of the net.
“He is easily one of the fastest players in the CHL,” said one league insider with close ties to the OHL. “He’s super athletic, which helps with his explosiveness. Zach’s dad, Paul, was a quarterback at Queen’s (University) in the late 80’s and I’ve heard (Zach) equated to a wide receiver in football- you get him the puck in the right spot so to speak- and he’s gone.”
http://scoutingpost.com/2016/02/12/senyshyn-continues-to-march-ahead/

Also, Vatrano has 20 goals in 17 games in the AHL, and 29 points overall.
 

kenneycb

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Does Kirk have a history of prospect f-ing? Because this sure seems like a case of it. Not saying he won't turn out to be a useful player but that article is very, very pro Senyshyn.

That said, the roof on that Vine from the article is...wow. In tight and picking an, albeit pretty open, corner. Much, much more impressive than the earlier 1 on 1 schooling video of the D and goalie.
 

Dummy Hoy

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I find Kirk to be very even handed w/r/t prospects and especially when relating it to the Bs- He'll call out a shitty pick or farm system.

He has loved Senyshyn from the start though...right before the draft he was talking him up and when people got on the Bs, he jumped right in to let people know the kid was on a bunch of other team's radars as well. He may be hyping the kid a bit to say FU to the doubters, but I think he's just really impressed by Senyshyn's output, and who wouldn't be?
 

burstnbloom

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All you need to do is listen to what Kirk has to say about Koko to know he isn't prone to over-inflating them. He just loves Senyshyn. There isn't much to love these days.

What do we have in Vatrano? He certainly showed a good shot and a proclivity to use it when he was with the big club but I never thought he would be a G/G guy in the AHL based on what we saw. I'm very curious to see what he turns into.
 

Dummy Hoy

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All you need to do is listen to what Kirk has to say about Koko to know he isn't prone to over-inflating them. He just loves Senyshyn. There isn't much to love these days.

What do we have in Vatrano? He certainly showed a good shot and a proclivity to use it when he was with the big club but I never thought he would be a G/G guy in the AHL based on what we saw. I'm very curious to see what he turns into.
Is this true? I feel like the Bruins have drafted some real talent the last few seasons. No one is coming to save the team this year or next, but I feel like the system is doing pretty well.
 

PedroSpecialK

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This is one of the strongest B's prospect pools arguably ever. They're strong in net, down the middle (Khokhlachev, Czarnik, JFK, Heinen, Fitzgerald), high-upside wingers (Senyshyn, Gabrielle, DeBrusk, Vatrano) and have depth on the blue line. Brandon Carlo for instance would be a top 5 guy in most systems, he's around the #7-10 in Boston's system.

The only true weakness is high-end defensemen. Out of Lauzon, Grzelcyk, O'Gara, Trotman, Carlo, Morrow, Sherman, etc there should be 2-3 mid-bottom pairing guys at very least (Morrow and Trotman are already there). Maybe one of those guys steps up to the top-3 level - my guess would be Lauzon out of them. Zboril and C Miller look to be high end-ish, but in the #2-3 mold.

If there is to be an heir apparent for Chara, they'll have to trade for him. That may mean bundling their '16 1st with San Jose's and some collection of Khokhlachev/Morrow/etc to get someone like Chychrun.
 
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TheRealness

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Kirk's podcast isn't up on iTunes yet (he's working on it), but it is still very good. You can access it on his website. He's got a good mailbag one that he posted in the last day or two. One of the questions was who are the Bruin's most untouchable assets at each position. He answered McIntyre for goalie, Lauzon and I think Carlo for Def (not sure on Carlo), then Gabrielle at LW (who he makes sound like a much bigger Marchand), JFK at center, and to no ones surprise Senyshyn at RW who he still man crushes on.
 

FL4WL3SS

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This is one of the strongest B's prospect pools arguably ever. They're strong in net, down the middle (Khokhlachev, Czarnik, JFK, Heinen, Fitzgerald), high-upside wingers (Senyshyn, Gabrielle, DeBrusk, Vatrano) and have depth on the blue line. Brandon Carlo for instance would be a top 5 guy in most systems, he's around the #7-10 in Boston's system.

The only true weakness is high-end defensemen. Out of Lauzon, Grzelcyk, O'Gara, Trotman, Carlo, Morrow, Sherman, etc there should be 2-3 mid-bottom pairing guys at very least (Morrow and Trotman are already there). Maybe one of those guys steps up to the top-3 level - my guess would be Lauzon out of them. Zboril and C Miller look to be high end-ish, but in the #2-3 mold.

If there is to be an heir apparent for Chara, they'll have to trade for him. That may mean bundling their '16 1st with San Jose's and some collection of Khokhlachev/Morrow/etc to get someone like Chychrun.
I'm not convinced that we need another Chara. I think the team could get away with having more quality depth and splitting the minutes than a guy like Chara who played 59 minutes a night.

Also, I think we might look back favorably at that Dougie trade. If everything lines up, that trade could set the franchise up for a long string of success. Of course, there's a lot of time to screw it all up, but so far so good.
 

burstnbloom

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Ha exactly. In response to your post, I 100% agree that the system looks as good now as it has in a long time. I don't know how much top line/top 2 talent they have but it seems like there are likely a lot of NHL players coming in the next few years.
 

veritas

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I stumbled upon this today, speaking of Kirk and the strength of the Bruins system: http://bruins2011draftwatch.blogspot.com/2011/08/final-bruins-prospect-ranking.html

Random thoughts:
-Their system is so much better now than it was 4-5 years ago
-Kirk is really great at this stuff IMO. There are a handful of misses on that list (Jared Knight) but only 3 of those players have even turned into NHL regulars. Kirk had them rated 1, 3, and 9 (Hamilton, Spooner, Bartkowski). That's the nature of prospects though, unless you're a blue-chip talent, there's always a decent chance you'll never progress enough to be an NHLer.
-What the hell happened to the aforementioned Jared Knight?
 

Salem's Lot

Andy Moog! Andy God Damn Moog!
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I stumbled upon this today, speaking of Kirk and the strength of the Bruins system: http://bruins2011draftwatch.blogspot.com/2011/08/final-bruins-prospect-ranking.html

Random thoughts:
-Their system is so much better now than it was 4-5 years ago
-Kirk is really great at this stuff IMO. There are a handful of misses on that list (Jared Knight) but only 3 of those players have even turned into NHL regulars. Kirk had them rated 1, 3, and 9 (Hamilton, Spooner, Bartkowski). That's the nature of prospects though, unless you're a blue-chip talent, there's always a decent chance you'll never progress enough to be an NHLer.
-What the hell happened to the aforementioned Jared Knight?
Short answer, instead of training like a hockey player trying to advance to the NHL, he started lifting like a football player and boxing 2-3 times a week. He proceeded to get hurt and never really develop skill wise. It's a shame because he was a great kid. His dad used to come down to Ristuccia during training camp and talk to a bunch of fans, mostly HF people, and guys like Kirk. He'd have Jared come up and talk to us after he was done skating. Really awesome people, I was really rooting for the kid but it just never happened.
 

cshea

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They traded Knight to the Wild for Zack Phillips at last years deadline. Looks like he's been bad for the Wild too and has an ECHL stint this year. Phillips was a 2011 first rounder that busted for Minny and hasn't done much in Providence.
 

j44thor

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Good read, have to like his determination to make the NHL next season. Certainly the B's have ample openings at wing, even more so if they don't resign Loui.
 

cshea

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Providence won 6-1 tonight. Khokhlachev had 5 assists, Colin Miller 2 goals and an assist and Frank keeps his hot streak going with 2 more goals. 25 goals in 23 AHL games for Frank. He is 1 behind the league leader in goals with about 20 less games played.
 

cshea

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Update!

Junior and NCAA seasons are about to end, so here's where some of the B's players are...

CHL

Senyshyn- 58 games 36g 18a 54 points
DeBrusk- 53 games 18g 37a 55 points
Gabrielle- 64 games 39g 33a 72 points
Lauzon- 39 games 6g 34a 40 points (hurt?)
Zboril- 41 games 6g 13a 19 points
Carlo- 43 games 2g 21a 23 points

NCAA

Heinen- 32 games 15g 20a 35 points
Fitzgerald- 33 games 20g 20a 40 points
Grzelcyk- 22 games 9g 10a 19 points
JFK- 34 games 7g 19a 26 points
Bjork- 32 games 11g 21a 42 points
O'Gara- 27 games 3g 8a 11 points
Kuraly- 32 games 6g 16a 22 points

The kids in Providence are still lighting it up.

Some notes. First the college players. Grzelcyk, O'Gara and Kuraly are all seniors. They could sign later this month once their seasons end. Bruins have 2 contract spots open for now, so there is room for 2 of them to join and play a few games in Providence. They have to be signed by mid-August or we lose their rights and the players become UFA's.

In the CHL, Gabrielle has clearly taken the biggest leap forward. 44 points in 66 games last year to 72 in 64 this season. Lots to be excited about with him. Senyshyn has also improved on last years production. Zboril and DeBrusk have gone down, which I guess is cause for some concern, but it's hard to really know simply by looking at box scores and not watching them play. DeBrusk was traded and Zborik missed some time with injury so perhaps some outside factors have contributed to a relative lack of production.
 

TheRealness

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Nice to see Heinen has really stepped up his game over the last few months. He's been great lately.

As for DeBrusk, Kirk was talking about how he is in more of a playmaking role with his new team and less being required to score. Still, the numbers are down, but Kirk did not seem worried. Kirk has not been a fan of Zboril all year, but had thought he recently got his head out of his ass. Still, the biggest question marks are now DeBrusk and Zboril, and not Senyshyn, so Don's got that going for him, which is nice.

As for the NCAA guys, I expect them to sign O'Gara and Grzelyck after the season. I am not convinced they push hard after Kuraly, given they are at their contract limit.
 

cshea

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5 goals, 1 assist for Senyshyn in 3 games this weekend. Up to 41 goals. Gabrielle also hit the 40 goal mark this weekend.
 

cshea

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Vatrano hat trick today. All the goals unassisted, 11 SOG in the game.

For those keeping track, 29 goals in 28 AHL games. Leads the league in goals. Mike Sislo is in 2nd and has played 24 more games than Frank. Unbelievable.
 

Jake Peavy's Demons

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Kirk Luedeke with an article devoted solely to Jake DeBrusk; it is a nice read and makes one think of the full context of scouting.

http://scoutingpost.com/2016/03/06/clearing-the-air-on-jake-debrusk/

I, like others, were left scratching their head when I heard his name called as the sandwich pick with the trio of 1st round picks this last draft.

But I gotta say, between Senyshyn (which was also a surprise), Gabrielle, JFK, Carlo, Zbořil, Vatrano, McIntyre, & others, not to mention Pastrňák, and C. Miller, I'm actually looking forward to the youth movement, with a nice mix/blend of the right veterans.

I'm pretty positive if you would've asked me that in late June, I would've said no.

Who knows, maybe in the start of 5 years or so, we'll be in perennial discussions as ECF favourites again. One can dream, right?
 

kenneycb

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Meh, I don't think it makes me feel any better than the pick, even more so in light of the passing on Connor and Barzal, which is a wholly valid point to bring up both then and now. The bulk of the argument seems to boil down to "we don't know the full process and the B's probably saw something in the interview process". The drop off in his stats is discouraging even in light of his improved overall game, which is expected to increase regardless for any talented teen drafted in the first round. The Skinner/Seguin comparison at the end is awful since Skinner was actually touted going into the draft (solid work PSK) as is the talk about Sutter pulling a rope-a-dope with him, which would just be stupid for a coach to do.
 

veritas

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Potential 2019 Veritas avatar Cameron Hughes has been playing really well for Wisconsin of late after a poor first half of the season. 4g, 10a, 14p in his last 11 games. 5g, 19a, 24p in 29 games on the season.
 

cshea

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Some updated curtosy of Kirk's Blog...

http://scoutingpost.com

His most recent post was about the college players who could be signing soon. The biggest news is that he's heard Danton Heinen is leaving Denver after their season ends. Denver is still in the playoffs and should make the tournament, so his arrival isn't imminent. The B's have 3 contract spots open so there's some timing issues they have to work around. 3 contracts, 4 players to sign. Kuraly, Grzelcyk, O'Gara are seniors that need to be signed by 8/1 or the B's lose their rights. Kuraly's season is already over, Grzelyck and O'Gara should be playing in the NCAA'a in 2 weeks. Heinen is a sophomore, so if his season stretches into April they could probably wait on him. Some juggling to do if they want to fit them all in.

Also- Kirk's been doing a "Deeper Dive" series on his blog. He's done 7 of them so far, and each entry takes an in depth look at 4 or 5 Bruins prospects. It is very good, I highly recommend it.
 

TheRealness

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Some updated curtosy of Kirk's Blog...

http://scoutingpost.com

His most recent post was about the college players who could be signing soon. The biggest news is that he's heard Danton Heinen is leaving Denver after their season ends. Denver is still in the playoffs and should make the tournament, so his arrival isn't imminent. The B's have 3 contract spots open so there's some timing issues they have to work around. 3 contracts, 4 players to sign. Kuraly, Grzelcyk, O'Gara are seniors that need to be signed by 8/1 or the B's lose their rights. Kuraly's season is already over, Grzelyck and O'Gara should be playing in the NCAA'a in 2 weeks. Heinen is a sophomore, so if his season stretches into April they could probably wait on him. Some juggling to do if they want to fit them all in.

Also- Kirk's been doing a "Deeper Dive" series on his blog. He's done 7 of them so far, and each entry takes an in depth look at 4 or 5 Bruins prospects. It is very good, I highly recommend it.
Kirk's website is bookmark material. Really enjoy everything he is doing, and love his podcasts. He just needs to do more of them, and get himself on i-Tunes. The Deep Dives are must reads for Bruins fans.

As for the NCAA players, that is interesting on Heinen. Denver does not have an ideal outlook moving forward, so I wonder how that influences it. I would still assume O'Gara and Grzelcyk are must signs, as is Heinen if he leaves. I do not know what they will do with Kuraly.
 

cshea

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I think they'll sign Kuraly. The decision now is just a matter of the team prioritizing who they want to sign and get in the system before the end of the season. They have 12 UFA's and 13 RFA's on expiring contracts, so the contract limit won't be much of a problem after 7/1.
 

The B’s Knees

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Senyshyn still plugging away, now with 43 goals in the OHL, tied for 5th.
All the other players tied or ahead of him were born either in '95 or '96 except the diminutive Alex DeBrincat (listed at 5'-7", so likely shorter).