Bruins Prospect News and Notes

burstnbloom

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Don't look now but Beecher has 3 G and 5 points in 7 games for Providence. First hand reports sound really good. He ended at Michigan with 6 goals and 15 points in 34 games. I'm heading down there Saturday with the kids. I'm hoping they don't sit everyone with the playoffs looming and I can get a first hand look.
 

cshea

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Georgii added an assist too. He had missed the last game with an illness.

Encouraging start for Beecher. It'll be interesting to see if the production keeps up. Some of the low production at Michigan was a result of circumstance and usage.
 

Salem's Lot

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Is there any chance that we could see Beecher & Merkulov in Toronto on Friday Night? Didn’t they call a bunch of guys up last year to play that last game of the regular season in Washington on a back to back?
 

cshea

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Is there any chance that we could see Beecher & Merkulov in Toronto on Friday Night? Didn’t they call a bunch of guys up last year to play that last game of the regular season in Washington on a back to back?
They can't call up Merkulov. He has signed his ELC but doesn't start until next year so there's no way to get him on the Boston roster. Beecher is on an AHL ATO, and has not signed his NHL ELC. It's possible he could sign but very unlikely. If he does sign it, he becomes ineligible to play for Providence the rest of this season and playoff run. I think they are leaving the door open in case there's a catastrophic run of injuries. It's the same thing they did with McAvoy and the injuries hit so McAvoy became a necessity and they signed him. These rules are also why McLaughlin has been with Boston since he signed out of Boston College. He can't play for Providence this season.

I think they will do what they can tomorrow, to rest guys but the rules make it difficult. Post deadline, you are only alowed 4 regular callups from your AHL affiliate until the AHL affiliates season ends. I would think they call up a few guys that'll be taxi squad bound (Studnicka, Steen, Fogarty, Ahcan?) but they can't do the wholesale callup like they did last year.
 

cshea

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Sorry if this has been covered, but is Lysell NHL ready? Could we possibly see him in round 1 ala Tyler Seguin?
Highly unlikely. Sweeney has said he's probably NHL ready but I don't really see much of a path. First of all, they can't bring him here until his WHL season ends. Vancouver is down 2-1 and has to play at least 2 more games (they are the 8 seed playing the 1 so dropping both is within reason, but they already stole 1 game). The earliest his season could end is Saturday night. The NHL playoffs begin next Monday/Tuesday, they aren't going to fly him across the country and plop him in without any practice or prep for an NHL playoff game.

My guess is they'll bring him over once he's done but it would take a pretty long run for him to be in real consideration to play.
 

cshea

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I would assume so but I don't know if he is eligible.

You need a legal degree to understand the convoluted AHL eligibility rules. My undertanding is a player needs to be on the AHL roster prior to the NHL trade deadline in order to be eligible for the AHL post season. They can get around it, like with Beecher, by forgoing the NHL ELC and having a player sign an ATO. Lysell has already signed his NHL ELC so I'm not sure if that precludes him from being able to sign a Providence ATO.

We'd need to look at how they handled DeBrusk, Zboril and Senyshyn when they came over after their CHL seasons and how that worked.
 

Lupe Whalewatch

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I think they will do what they can tomorrow, to rest guys but the rules make it difficult. Post deadline, you are only alowed 4 regular callups from your AHL affiliate until the AHL affiliates season ends. I would think they call up a few guys that'll be taxi squad bound (Studnicka, Steen, Fogarty, Ahcan?) but they can't do the wholesale callup like they did last year.
Old friend Chris Wagner will be playing tomorrow night.
 

cshea

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Lysell and the Giants won two straight so they have a 3-2 series lead over top seed Everett with game 6 tonight. Lysell has 4-7=11 in the 5 games thusfar.

Providence begins their playoff run tonight against Bridgeport.
 

jk333

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Don't look now but Beecher has 3 G and 5 points in 7 games for Providence. First hand reports sound really good. He ended at Michigan with 6 goals and 15 points in 34 games. I'm heading down there Saturday with the kids. I'm hoping they don't sit everyone with the playoffs looming and I can get a first hand look.
I would love to be wrong about Beecher. Even as a 40+ point 2C he would fill such a major need.
 

burstnbloom

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I would love to be wrong about Beecher. Even as a 40+ point 2C he would fill such a major need.
I was down there this weekend and saw him. He's INSANELY fast for his stride. He's one of those guys who doensn't seem that fast until you watch how sudden he is compared to the people trying to defend him. It was a weird weekend for Providence. Lots of callups and even more injuries and sickness. They had absolutely nothing to play for so tough to know how much to take from it. He's their best player though. He generated quite a bit of offense but its kind of how we expected. Off the rush, driving the net etc. I don't remember one time where I was like 'wow what a pass?" I think 40 points and 2C are going to be a 99th percentile outcome for Beecher. I see maybe 15 goals, 12 A at his best as a 50th percentile outcome.
 

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I was down there this weekend and saw him. He's INSANELY fast for his stride. He's one of those guys who doensn't seem that fast until you watch how sudden he is compared to the people trying to defend him. It was a weird weekend for Providence. Lots of callups and even more injuries and sickness. They had absolutely nothing to play for so tough to know how much to take from it. He's their best player though. He generated quite a bit of offense but its kind of how we expected. Off the rush, driving the net etc. I don't remember one time where I was like 'wow what a pass?" I think 40 points and 2C are going to be a 99th percentile outcome for Beecher. I see maybe 15 goals, 12 A at his best as a 50th percentile outcome.
Just from watching him, any guess on when his ETA might be in the NHL? ‘23-‘24 or later?
 

burstnbloom

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Just from watching him, any guess on when his ETA might be in the NHL? ‘23-‘24 or later?
I've seen him play 10ish times this year on TV and now 1 in person. To my untrained eye, I would say he could play 4th line C/LW in the NHL next season and probably win 48ish% of his draws and play the PK. I'd expect Lazar-ish results in 2022-23. He's a human zone entry and he's not at all afraid of doing that old Bertuzzi lean into his opponent as he drives to the net on them. He had one play where he got the puck from the D about 15 feet from the defensive side of the blue line on the left wall and there were 3 Utica players between him and the goal and before you even knew it he was leaning against the last of the three driving to the net. Three strides and he was just gone. He looked like Alex Tuch. But then he just kinda bounced a weak push shot against the goalies pads. He had a guy on him but I think right now that's just who he is. He just doesn't appear to have more than average finishing skills or hands. It really depends on what the bruins think of his development. If they think he can be a 15-20 goal, two way player, I don't think we see him until the beginning of 2023 at the earliest. He appears to have a lot to learn about utilizing his teammates in the ozone and I didn't see a ton of great passes in college and only 1 of the plays he made this weekend that involved utilizing his teammates in the ozone had me thinking "thats dangerous." If they think that is in him, it could take a while to develop. You can dream on the rest though. The size and speed combo is rare.
 

veritas

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Interestingly, he's playing wing tonight for Providence. I wonder if this suggests they see him as a potential emergency winger for the big club this season.
 

burstnbloom

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Interestingly, he's playing wing tonight for Providence. I wonder if this suggests they see him as a potential emergency winger for the big club this season.
I doubt it. He still hasn't signed his ELC and the Bruins have Wagner and Blidh up as extra forwards. I think they'd need to be really hurt for them to burn a year of his ELC with other options available.
 

catomatic

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I've seen him play 10ish times this year on TV and now 1 in person. To my untrained eye, I would say he could play 4th line C/LW in the NHL next season and probably win 48ish% of his draws and play the PK. I'd expect Lazar-ish results in 2022-23. He's a human zone entry and he's not at all afraid of doing that old Bertuzzi lean into his opponent as he drives to the net on them. He had one play where he got the puck from the D about 15 feet from the defensive side of the blue line on the left wall and there were 3 Utica players between him and the goal and before you even knew it he was leaning against the last of the three driving to the net. Three strides and he was just gone. He looked like Alex Tuch. But then he just kinda bounced a weak push shot against the goalies pads. He had a guy on him but I think right now that's just who he is. He just doesn't appear to have more than average finishing skills or hands. It really depends on what the bruins think of his development. If they think he can be a 15-20 goal, two way player, I don't think we see him until the beginning of 2023 at the earliest. He appears to have a lot to learn about utilizing his teammates in the ozone and I didn't see a ton of great passes in college and only 1 of the plays he made this weekend that involved utilizing his teammates in the ozone had me thinking "thats dangerous." If they think that is in him, it could take a while to develop. You can dream on the rest though. The size and speed combo is rare.
Without having seen him play, this description evokes early Blake Wheeler for me. Speed, promising hands and instincts but poor finishing skills.
 

burstnbloom

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Without having seen him play, this description evokes early Blake Wheeler for me. Speed, promising hands and instincts but poor finishing skills.
I guess I could see that from what I said, but I don't think his hands are anywhere close to Wheeler's and may never be. Wheeler could deke a dude out of his skates 1 on 1. If Beecher did that it would shock me. He's just big, strong and really fast and its difficult for defenders to handle. He's got a lot of Zach Senyshyn in him, honestly. The difference being that Beecher appears to be kinda mean and has a sense of himself defensively that Zach never had. A poor man's Jordan Staal maybe? I suck at comparisons. He's a big fast, kinda mean dude that can carry the puck but isn't a good passer and is a pretty strong defender.
 

cshea

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Kuraly is the name that comes to mind for me with Beecher.

Lysell led Vancouver to the first ever 8 over 1 upset in WHL history. Vancouver knocked out Everett in 6 games. Lysell had a MONSTER series, 4g 11a, 15 points in 6 games.
 

catomatic

thinks gen turgidson is super mean!!!
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I guess I could see that from what I said, but I don't think his hands are anywhere close to Wheeler's and may never be. Wheeler could deke a dude out of his skates 1 on 1. If Beecher did that it would shock me. He's just big, strong and really fast and its difficult for defenders to handle. He's got a lot of Zach Senyshyn in him, honestly. The difference being that Beecher appears to be kinda mean and has a sense of himself defensively that Zach never had. A poor man's Jordan Staal maybe? I suck at comparisons. He's a big fast, kinda mean dude that can carry the puck but isn't a good passer and is a pretty strong defender.
Informative, thanks. “Kinda mean” strikes a perversely encouraging note. I play with a former IHL/AHLer who describes the key “virtue” common to successful NHLers as “cruelty.”
 

burstnbloom

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Informative, thanks. “Kinda mean” strikes a perversely encouraging note. I play with a former IHL/AHLer who describes the key “virtue” common to successful NHLers as “cruelty.”
Ya, it was meant as a compliment. Physicality matters. He's not overly physical or dirty, from what I've seen, but he will go through a guy. It reminds me of angry Coyle. We see it so rarely.
 

catomatic

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Kuraly is the name that comes to mind for me with Beecher.

Lysell led Vancouver to the first ever 8 over 1 upset in WHL history. Vancouver knocked out Everett in 6 games. Lysell had a MONSTER series, 4g 11a, 15 points in 6 games.
4 goals and 11 assists? In 6 games?
Is there a highlight reel for him? (Dafoomie?)
 

catomatic

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Ya, it was meant as a compliment. Physicality matters. He's not overly physical or dirty, from what I've seen, but he will go through a guy. It reminds me of angry Coyle. We see it so rarely.
Amen. Would like to see more angry Coyle between whistles rather than after. And Pasta better be hurt or his buttersoft play so far takes on a pretty damning aspect.
 

burstnbloom

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Lysell is dangerous in a way that very few players in the bruins org are dangerous. He's exciting.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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I just checked the Panthers article (32-25 come out today, 24-17 tomorrow, yada yada yada). He listed a lot more prospects in their system, and a similar number of maybes. Like I said in the other thread, he and Scott Wheeler, the two prospects writers at The Athletic, have never liked the Bruins system, so it’s not shocking to see this.

EDIT: if you need any more color to Pronman’s view of prospects, he also did a best-of/worst-of for the summer tournaments (both IIHF U23 and Hlinka/Gretzky). The Bruins focus was a thumbs up for Latvia generally, with a shoutout to Locmelis individually, and a thumbs down to Sweden’s forwards, though he mitigated it for Lysell a touch (best of the bunch, but still held to the perimeter pretty easily).
 
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cshea

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New season...let's see where the kids are.

CHL

Brett Harrison (C, Oshawa) 4 games 2-0=2
Matthew Poitras (C, Guelph) 7 games 2-6=8
Frederic Brunet (D, Rimouski) 10 games 1-8=9
Ryan Mast (D, Sarnia) 10 games 0-7=7
Jackson Edward (D, London) 8 games 0-2=2
Reid Dyck (G, Swift Current) .875

NCAA

Mason Lohrei (D, Ohio State) 8 games 0-5=5
Riley Duran (C, Providence) 5 games 4-3=7
Trevor Kuntar (F, Boston College) 4 games 2-1=3
Oskar Jellvik (F, Boston College) 3 games 0-3=3
Andre Gasseau (F, Boston College) 4 games 0-2=2
Ty Gallagher (D, Boston University) 5 games 0-1=1
Quinn Olson (F, Minnesota-Duluth) 6 games 0-2=2
Cole Spicer (F, Minnesota-Duluth) 6 games 0-1=1
Jake Schmaltz (F, North Dakota) 6 games 2-2=4
Mason Langenbrunner (D, Harvard) Season hasn't started
Dustyn McFaul (D, Clarkson) hasn't played yet
Philip Svedeback (G, Providence) 5 games .913

Europe

Dans Locmelis (F, Swedish Jr) 13 games 7-9=16
Roman Bychkov (D, KHL) 5 games 0-1=1

I think that is everyone. There's a separate Providence Bruins thread to track the prospects playing in the AHL.

A lot going on in the local college scene. Apparently the BC trio are all playing on a line together. Svedeback is playing well as a freshman G, wonder if we plucked another Swayman.