Georgii Merkulov has been named the AHL Player of the Month for December. The 23-year-old forward played in 12 games for the Providence Bruins in December, scoring 10 goals and 18 points. This excellent month earned him a call-up to the NHL to play with the Boston Bruins, a stint that has yielded two NHL games thus far for Merkulov.
Merkulov’s best performance of the month would come on Dec. 9 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound forward would factor in on all five of the Bruins goals, including two goals and three assists. In his award-winning month, Merkulov would record an impressive five multi-point games. He currently leads Providence with 14 goals and 30 points in 31 games and is second on the team in assists (16) as well.
Related: Bruins Rookie Spotlight: Georgii Merkulov
Though the Russian forward has yet to record an NHL point through two games, his impact has still been felt. In his debut, he would block two shots and log 15:08 of ice time. He was held out of action for much of the third period as the Bruins were protecting a two-goal lead – something head coach Jim Montgomery has done with Matt Poitras this season as well, but the feedback from Montgomery after was positive.
“Good. Did a lot of good things,” Montgomery commented about Merkulov’s debut. “I didn’t play him down the stretch, just because you’re home, you want to close out the game. As soon as we closed it out, put him back out there. Played a good game.”
In the subsequent game against the Detroit Red Wings, Merkulov saw a significant reduction in ice time, logging just 8:33 of ice time in a 5-3 victory. Despite the limited playing time, Merkulov seized the opportunity, creating a prime scoring chance for teammate Oskar Steen as a result of strong forechecking, as well as nearly scoring his own first NHL goal. Merkulov is expected to start Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets centering Steen and Jakub Lauko; this indicates that he’s in line for similar minutes to his second game, rather than the 15-plus he received his debut. Still, lines can and often do change as games progress.
As Merkulov continues to earn NHL minutes, the Bruins face the challenge of determining their future lineup, especially with the imminent return of Matt Poitras following Canada’s early exit from the 2023 World Junior Championship. Any potential demotion to the AHL for Merkulov should be seen as a temporary move. The talented forward remains a prime candidate for a call-up should the team require additional assistance or a spark down the stretch.
