This thread can be used to post anything and everything about Boston Bruins prospects. Updates, questions on certain guys, etc. etc.

I'm not that much of a Bruins fan, but i have a question. I know a lot about the NHLers but i don't know much about the prospects. How good of a prospect is Jake Debrusk? I thought he was pretty good, and someone on this site recently told me that he isn't the best prospect. So ... let's just say, if you re-drafted the 2015 draft, where do you think Jake Debrusk would go (you don't need to give an exact number, i'm just looking for around where you'd draft him)?

Debrusk is a good prospect. He definitely isn't the best Bruins prospect...Not by a long shot. Forward wise, he's probably #2-3. Senyshyn would be my #1 forward prospect. That's all opinion though.

A bit more on Debrusk, he was good in juniors (WHL). He had a 42 goal season his 2nd year in juniors. He was over a PPG in his last two seasons there as well. I believe he was actually eligible for one more year but the Bruins elected to send him to Providence. He struggled to score early on, but it wasn't from a lack of effort or skill or not being ready. He was shooting the puck A LOT but getting no real puck luck. It took him a bit to adjust, but he's been one of Providence's better players once he found his AHL game. 72 games played, he has 18G-29A-47 points (0.65 PPG) and has 2 more games left. He plays a good two-way game and isn't afraid to go in the dirty areas (front of the net, corners). I wouldn't say he's really a big hitter. He's very intelligent and has good playmaking ability. He can score multiple ways as well...Good shot, and good in front of the net. He's not a speedster, but skating isn't an issue. I'm glad they gave him the whole season in the AHL. I think it will benefit from him. Bruins could have called him up when he was hot, but continued to let him develop.

Personally, I can't really get into where he'd go re-drafted. I like to wait a few years before looking at stuff like that. Wild guess just to answer your question; probably late 1st round....25-30? But that could change in a heartbeat.

Ok, Thanks!

What about Tommy Cross? Is he done after this year? And why don't the Bruins bring him up, because they have so many defensman injuries.
Thanks

Got any guesses as to who the Bruins might draft in the 1st round this year?

My personal opinion on Tommy Cross is he would be better off leaving in the off-season to find a better situation where he may get more of a look at the NHL level. I'm not quite sure how he feels and if he would want to leave so I can't really comment on that. If I had to guess, I'm sure Boston would want him back as he's a great veteran to put young players with; see Charlie McAvoy (though it was brief). You could potentially see him recalled if any more defenseman go down. I would assume he's next up, but it may not get to that point for him.

Eh, I have zero clue on this one. For one, it's hard to take a swing when you don't know where they'll be picking. Hell, they may even use this years first in a trade before the draft....You never know. Once the off-season starts for the Bruins, I'll throw up a thread for it, as well as a Draft discussion thread. That's when I personally start to take a hard look at what's available, and it will be easier to figure out where they'll be picking.

We traded our 1st this year in the GM game. Wouldn't be surprised if we did it in real life too. If I was Sweeny I'd be like, "Hey Florida, how about we give you our first 2017 for the 3rd you own from Arizona and your 2018 first" Because 2018 could be better than 2017 in terms of stars at the top and Florida may miss the playoffs again next season. We'd add a marginal prospect in the 3rd round pick, while differing our profit to the following year. Based on the amount of prospects we've brought in the last 2 or 3 years, I'd actually prefer if we pulled a move like this so we don't get overloaded and end up losing guys. I don't know what happened to Matthew Benning, but I'm assuming we had so many guys that we didn't sign him.

Stop referencing the GM Game....No one cares about that, outside of the people that are involved. No one cares what you would do if you were Sweeney. I doubt they trade their 1st round pick in a package for anything other than an actual NHL player. How many teams do you see make trades like that in the NHL?

It could easily happen, and we have enough prospects for now, stop being upset lol.

Lmfao. It's not going to happen. Those trades rarely happen in hockey. Hell, when was the last trade like that that was made? A 1st for an extra pick and a first the next year?

Talking prospects : I've been checking out this years prospects whether its been in CHL playoffs or in the U-18's and there's a few guys I think the Bruins should take a look at most likely picking at #19.
The Bruins will probably be looking at drafting a Center. It's the (one position other than goalie) the Bruins don't have any exceptional talent coming through other than JFK, Donato, and Frederic, which as I say it, it sounds pretty good. This is where the Bruins can take a chance on a center that isn't as safe a bet to be a 2/3 C like Frederic or JFK, and pick a guy who has natural offensive ability.
So pretty much from what I've seen there's 2 guys in which I think would be solid picks and that's :
Elias Pettersson (6'2 - 161 lbs, #2 in European CS ) and Lias Andersson (5'11 - 198 lbs, #3 Euro CS).

Both these players are ranked pretty highly on the Central Scouting list but seem to be listed to go anywhere from 10-20 on many other lists. Pettersson is a pretty slick player from what I've seen. He has the long reach with pretty amazing hands if you watch some of the highlights. He's also putting up pretty good numbers in the Swedish second league much like Pastrnak did. Andersson on the other hand is smaller and reminds me a lot of Henrik Zetterberg in the way he shoots and carries around the zone. Pretty much I hope at least one of these players is still on the board.

Other guys they may look at is the Czech Center Martin Necas who according to Craig Button plays similar to Claude Giroux. There might also be Nick Suzuki who plays for Owen Sound in the OHL. Again these guys are in that 10-20 range. There are a few player that I'm really sold on and others I'm not. There's a Finnish winger by the name of Kristian Vesalainen who has just been lighting up the U-18 Worlds. He's slotted in at #7 by CS for Euro players mainly due to his inconsistency playing in the SHL and SM-Liiga this season but based on his international play, he's dominant in every way at (6'3 - 206 lbs). A guy I would pass on is Center Ryan Poehling from St. Cloud State and though my sample size of him isn't that large, I see him being comparable to JFK and a bit of Frederic in the sense his play away from the puck is one of his biggest strengths. Also not a huge fan of Josh Norris from the USNDTP, I kind of see him being a similar player

If the Bruins go off the board for some reason and pick a defenseman, there's really only 1 guy I could see them picking and that is Nick Hague (6'5 - 205lbs) of the Missasauga Steelheads who is a left hand puck moving D-man. That would basically be if they see him as being a guarantee to be Chara's replacement but I still doubt they go D in the 1st rd.

Hey, I never really see any buzz about Zachary Senyshyn. I watched a lot of video on him. He seems extremely fast and he's big and strong too. Maybe its just the CHL competition he faces but in the words of Unger from the Longest Yard, he's so fast he makes fast people look not fast! Does anyone think he can be a potential top 6 forward in the NHL, maybe top 3?

I think he has 1st line upside. He needs to work on his defensive game and play away from the puck a bit more, but he's 6'2''-6'3'' 200+ lbs. with amazing speed, hands, and a beautiful hard shot. He can score a number of different ways. He easily could be either of those top 6/3 winger.

Yeah I'm definitely in love with him. Any thoughts on Vladar and Zoboril. I definitely can see Zoboril in the NHL next year. He's a very solid and poised defensemen.

Vladar is a decent goalie but relies alot on his size. He's definitely a "project goalie" in terms of he'll take a few years in the minors before we're even close to seeing him and even then I see him being a solid back up but not a starter. I'd like to see the Bruins either pick Jake Oettinger or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the 2nd rd if they're still available.

Zboril would have to really perform well in training camp to get a spot much like Carlo did and I don't see that happening but you never know. My prediction is he starts the year with Providence and maybe earns a call up with some injuries and that's where he'll get his chance. Coming out of the QMJHL is always tougher because the competition isn't quite as strong as the OHL or WHL so I think a bit of time to adjust to the Pro game might be best for him. I'm more intrigued about Lauzon who seems to have flown under the radar a bit even though he continues to perform well at every level. I see him more so coming into camp , looking to for something to prove but again the best thing for him will be some time in the AHL.

Yeah that's what I meant for Zoboril. I know he wont make it out of camp unless someone goes down early or we trade/lose someone. He's a left shot too and we need more left shots behind Krug and Chara. Lauzon is intriguing, I like him. I do see him as a possible package to get a top 6 forward (wing) or a Left shot defenseman that can play NHL minutes right now.

The package for the #1 LHD is ultimately what the Bruins should be aiming for and you're right one of those two guys will most likely be involved. It's tough to tell which player will make a greater impact in the NHL but Zboril is still given the pedigree of being a first rd pick so if that adds more value in a trade, I see him being the one to go.

Any thought on Danton Heinen?

Heinen to me is one of those guys with a great skill set but not enough passion for the game. His style reminds me a lot of Khokhlachev in that his skills are good enough to perform in the AHL but not good enough for the NHL, at least not yet. I think when we saw him at the beginning of the year he seemed intimidated on the big stage and maybe that will change with maturity so I'd like to see him again next year in training camp and see if he's a guy who wants to make a difference or just hide behind the scenes. If a team is valuing him highly and that helps to land that #1 LHD, I'm all for trading him. He's pretty expendable in my mind.

He's a "quiet" player. Not flashy or anything, but he has a lot of intelligence on the ice. He definitely thinks the game at a high level. He isn't a burner, but can skate. Good skill overall. He had a good rookie season in the AHL, but at times was very inconsistent. That is to be expected. He's a guy that was really intriguing when he blossomed in He could very well be a top 6-9 forward done the road.

Jordan Szwarz? He is Providence's leading scorer,why don't we give him a chance?He isn't even under prospects on the armchair GM.

Well, he's only on an AHL deal...He's not Boston Bruins property.

Yes he is starting to show his capabilities now. I would draft him right where we got him, middle of Round 1. Learning from his NHL Dad Louie has helped him understand what to expect at each level so he is prepared. Skills are there too, plus a dirty nose, I love dirty noses (Note; Not dirty players, just the guys that go to the hard areas - front of net, corners etc etc