A new week means it’s time for another Boston Bruins Prospects Report for The Hockey Writers. in this edition, three Bruins prospects are playing well together in college, a recent draftee is impressing in his first 10 games and another one recorded a milestone with his team.
Kuntar, Jellvik & Gasseau Starting Strong at Boston College
Longtime Boston College coach Jerry York announced after last season that he was retiring and his assistant, Greg Brown was elevated to head coach. In his first season in charge of the Eagles, Brown has put together a third line that is made up of Bruins prospects.
Related: Boston Bruins Top 15 Prospects Heading Into 2022-23
Junior Trevor Kuntar is beginning his third season for BC centering a pair of freshman and 2021 Bruins’ draft picks, Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau. In a 5-0 win over the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 23, the trio combined for one goal and three assists. Jellvik set up the first Eagles goal in the second period and Kuntar scored later in the period when he scored off a Gasseau rebound for a 3-0 lead. Gasseau set up the final goal late in the third period to help improve Boston College to 2-1-1.
Kuntar, who was selected 89th overall in the third round of the 2020 Entry Draft, has two goals early in the season, while Jellvik, a fifth-round selection at No. 149, has three assists in as many games. Gasseau, picked in the seventh round, collected his first two points against UNH and he is getting accustomed to the college game after recording 22 goals and 18 assists in 60 games for the Fargo Force in the USHL. They have also combined for 29 shots on the net in five games for Brown. It remains to be seen how long they stay together, but so far the returns have been good for BC.
Brunet Showing Offensive Skill Early in 2022-23
When the Bruins selected defenseman Frédéric Brunet in the fifth round in July’s Draft in Montreal, they were impressed with the 6-foot-2, 185-pounders offensive game. Ten games into the 2022-23 season for Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he is picking up where he left off in 2021-22.
Brunet finished last season with 12 goals and 34 assists in 46 games and so far this season, the offensive blueliner has a goal and nine assists. Last season, he caught the eye of Bruins scouts and Ryan Nadeau, Bruins Associate Director of Amateur Scouting.
“Frederic is a player that we had been tracking for a little bit, he had a big jump production-wise year over year,” said Nadeau. “We really liked what he was doing this year and his game progressed throughout the season. We think he added some additional defensive layers to his game, as well as really smooth puck-moving kid with a good frame.”
Mason Lohrei, the Bruins’ top defensive prospect playing at Ohio State University, has a very good offensive game and Brunet appears to fit that category early on. A left-shot, Brunet has good speed, is a smart offensive player, and plays strong in all three zones. He is someone worth keeping an eye on this season and the Bruins are hoping his development can come along like Lohrei’s.
Harrison Records Milestone Point
One of the Bruins’ more interesting center prospects playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is Brett Harrison. After a strong 2021-22 season, the 85th overall pick in 2021 in the third round recorded his 100th career OHL point in the Oshawa Generals’ 4-3 win over the Guelph Storm.
With just 1.6 seconds remaining in the second period, Harrison broke a 2-2 tie on the power play when he finished off a pass at the side of the net wide-open. Harrison missed the beginning of the season with an injury, but he is quickly making up for lost time with two goals in three games.
Boston’s front office and scouts don’t have to go too far to get a look at their Boston College trio, along with Ty Gallagher at Boston University, but Harrison continues to be an offensive machine at center, which is a good thing considering the Black and Gold’s lack of prospect depth there. The Bruins’ prospect pool is not as deep as they would like, but they have some players who offer some promise down the line.
