After a rough month of December, the Boston Bruins have been rolling since the calendar officially flipped to 2026. They’re 7 – 1 so far in January, and are currently on a six-game win streak. Things are clicking for the team up and down the line up. In goal, Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo had back-to-back shutouts, while defensively the team hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a game throughout this win streak, and who can forget both Pavel Zacha and Marat Khusnutdinov getting hat tricks against the New York Rangers.
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The Bruins have managed to climb back up the standings in the Atlantic Division, finding themselves currently in fourth place after being in seventh when the new year began. There have been a number of guys that have been impressive during this stretch, including 21-year-old Fraser Minten, who has been putting together a really solid first full NHL season.
Minten’s Rise in 2025-26
The Bruins’ youngest player was acquired at last season’s trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with their 2026 first-round draft pick and their 2025 fourth-round draft pick, which was used to draft defenseman Vashek Richards. He was a 2022 second-round draft pick who made his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season, appearing in four games. In 2024-25, he appeared in 15 games before being traded to Boston where he added in six more, for a total of 21 NHL appearances.
After primarily playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, the goal for Minten this season was obviously to try and make the roster out of training camp and be a fulltime NHL player in 2025-26. After an impressive preseason and training camp, he did just that and from the get go, Minten was impactful. He centered a third line with Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont that was generating offense and finally giving the team some consistent depth on offense. Minten benefitted from playing on the third line with two physical players, giving him an opportunity to play some solid minutes without too much pressure.
Minten has been a consistent presence, primarily centering the third line throughout the season so far while playing with different combinations of players on his wing. He’s played a lot with Jeannot and Khusnutdinov, but has been playing more with Alex Steeves and Morgan Geekie during this recent stretch of success in January.
Minten had a solid start to the 2025-26 season. While he wasn’t amassing huge numbers on the scoresheet, he was making each one count, like when he scored the overtime winning goal in their second game of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks. He was doing a lot of the little things right, developing a strong defensive game, and getting more comfortable on NHL ice. In the last few weeks, all of this has started to come together as he’s taken solid leaps forward in his game, and started to rack up more points.
In 49 games, Minten has 11 goals and 22 points, including two game winning goals, and has been establishing himself as a solid, two-way NHL player. Nearly half of his goals, five, have come in the last eight games and he has seven total points in that timespan. Defensively, he has 17 takeaways, tied for second most on the team, and has also proven to bring a physicality to the ice with 94 hits and 33 blocked shots.
Minten is proving to be a playmaker, with nine of his 11 assists so far being the primary assist, putting in the work to help set up the goals. There’s obviously still room for improvement, as there is with most players, but the front office and coaching staff surely has to be ecstatic with the growth he’s shown over the course of the season so far.
What Does This Mean for the Bruins Going Forward?
While the goals have been more noticeable in the last few weeks, it shouldn’t come as a surprise after seeing the way he’s been playing all season. Playing him primarily on the third line has been a smart decision by head coach Marco Sturm as it’s sheltered him a bit and given him room to grow.
It isn’t necessarily a surprise that Minten is playing so well in his first full season in the NHL. There was a lot of excitement surrounding his arrival in Boston, and so far, he’s living up to expectations. He’s putting the pieces together, and getting chances to grow.
Between him, Elias Lindholm, and Pavel Zacha, the Bruins are deeper at center than they’ve been in several seasons. At 21-years-old, it’s hard to completely determine what Minten’s ceiling can or will be, and for now, keeping him on the third line and letting him do his thing will be in the team’s best interest. With Geekie currently on his line, it will be interesting to see what they are able to do together over the course of the next few games and if they’ll be able to generate some chemistry on the ice.
All three centers are signed through next season, so while it would be great for this team to get into the playoffs this season, there should be real excitement building for what this team could do in 2026-27. The Bruins have some really exciting prospects in James Hagens and Will Zeller. If GM Don Sweeney could bring in a bonafide goal-scorer at wing, and a defenseman during free agency, next season could be a very interesting Bruins’ roster to watch.
2025-26 Bright Spot
Through the ups and downs of this season so far, Minten has been a highlight. It’s always fun to watch a young player come into their own in the NHL, and even more exciting when it’s for the team you support. There were flashes of excellence in his smattering of NHL games the last two seasons, but in 2025-26, Minten has proven to be the real deal.
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Minten has been excellent the entire month of January so far, but there are some challenging games ahead as the Bruins face the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, and Montreal Canadiens. All three will be great tests for the young center as he continues to refine in his game.
