In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, the Bruins have officially named Brad Marchand the 27th captain in team history. In other news, training camp officially begins for the Bruins today, and several important events are coming up because of it. Lastly, Bruins prospect Brett Harrison is a player who fans should keep a close eye on during training camp and the preseason. Let’s go over all of this in today’s Bruins News & Rumors column.
Marchand Officially Named Bruins Captain
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed last week that the Bruins would have a new captain for the 2023-24 season. Now, that has officially come to fruition, as Marchand will be sporting the ‘C.’
Marchy is the man. ©️
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 20, 2023
The Boston Bruins are proud to announce Brad Marchand as the club's next captain.
📰: https://t.co/MZ9AnJJrhm pic.twitter.com/5hGPcsbH9O
Seeing Marchand be named captain is not surprising in the slightest. The 35-year-old winger has spent the entirety of his 14-year and 947-game NHL career as a Bruin. With that, he has emerged as one of the club’s biggest leaders and is one of the last members left of the 2011 Stanley Cup team.
It is also nice to see Marchand take over the captaincy from Patrice Bergeron. The two will forever be linked because of their success together as linemates, and Bergeron played such a big role in Marchand’s path to becoming a star. Let’s see how Marchand performs as the club’s captain from here, and congrats to him for earning the ‘C.’
Bruins Training Camp Officially Here
The Bruins officially begin training camp today (Sep. 20). This is great to see, as it is another indicator that the regular season is right around the corner. Although there is no on-ice practice today, they officially begin skating tomorrow.
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The Bruins have a few days of practice before the preseason games officially start. The Bruins kick off their preseason against the New York Rangers on Sunday (Sep. 24) at 5:00 p.m. ET. From there, they will face off against the Buffalo Sabres (Sep. 26), Philadelphia Flyers twice in a row (Sep. 29 & Oct. 2), Washington Capitals (Oct. 3), and Rangers again (Oct. 5) to conclude their preseason.
Danton Heinen and Alex Chiasson are two veterans to watch closely, as they each are fighting for contracts. With that, training camp will also give us a chance to see prospects like Fabian Lysell, Mason Lohrei, and Matthew Poitras in action. With that, we also will get our first looks at free-agent additions James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, Morgan Geekie, Patrick Brown, and Jesper Boqvist.
Bruins’ Harrison Ready for Big Season
One prospect whom Bruins fans should pay close attention to this season is Harrison. The young forward is gearing up for his professional season and is expected to be a key part of the Providence Bruins’ roster. It is understandable, as he is coming off an excellent season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In 57 games split between the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires, he had 34 goals and 69 points. That kind of production is quite promising to see.
Harrison, 20, was selected by the Bruins with the 85th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. For a third-round pick, he has improved rather noticeably, and many believe that he has the potential to be at least a top-nine forward at the NHL level in the future. When noting that he can play center, this is excellent to hear, as he could be an answer for their weak center depth later down the road.
Harrison will now be looking to have a strong 2023-24 campaign. The potential for him to make a big impact at the AHL level immediately is there, and it will be intriguing to see if he does just that. Although he may not generate the same buzz as a Lohrei or Lysell, fans should not overlook him.
