Over the last month, some prospects in the Boston Bruins system have been called up to the NHL and filled in for injured teammates or Matthew Poitras, who played in Sweden in the 2024 World Junior Championship. In the absence of Poitras, Georgii Merkulov made his NHL debut when he was called up from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) where he led them in scoring.
Now that Poitras is back after Canada was upset in the quarterfinals by Czechia, Merkulov was returned to Providence on Jan. 6. Things have been very well of late down in Providence and that is where we’ll begin this edition of the Bruins Prospects Report.
Fabian Lysell
It was a slow first couple of months for Fabian Lysell, but recently, the 21st overall pick in the 2021 Entry Draft has been playing well and his best hockey of the season so far. In the last five games, the speedy forward has three goals and five assists, including a goal in a 4-3 shootout win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Jan. 6.
In 31 AHL games, Lysell has 10 goals and 16 assists and has been looking better and better over the last couple of weeks. He continues to be one of the top prospects in the system and he continues to improve his 200-foot game.
Brandon Bussi & Michael DiPietro
Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro have played most of the games this season in Providence between the pipes, with Bussi seeing more of the action, playing in 18 games compared to 13 for DiPietro. Bussi was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in March of 2022, while DiPietro was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in a trade that sent Jack Studnicka back and he has since been traded to the San Jose Sharks (from ‘Bruins trade Jack Studnicka to Canucks for Michael DiPietro, Jonathan Myrenberg, The Athletic, Oct. 27, 2022).
Related: Bruins’ David Pastrnak Named 2024 NHL All-Star
Bussi is 10-6-3 this season with a 2.94 goals against average (GAA) and a .901 save percentage (SV%) and he made 30 saves against the Thunderbirds on Jan. 6. DiPietro is 9-5-0 with a 2.63 GAA and a .912 SV% after he made 26 saves in a 6-3 win over Springfield on Jan. 7. Bussi was called up to Boston this season when Jeremy Swayman dealt with an injury, but he did play well in the preseason games he played in and will leave a good impression if he’s forced to play in Boston this season.
Poitras & Locmelis Return From the 2024 WJC
The Bruins had two prospects play in the recent 2024 World Junior Championship in Sweden, Poitras for Canada and Dans Locmelis for Latvia. Both players made it to the quarterfinal round before being eliminated a couple of rounds short of their goal.
Poitras had two goals and an assist for Canada, which was beaten by Czechia on a goal with 11 seconds remaining in the game. Overall it was a less-than-stellar tournament from the Burins’ second-round pick, 54th overall, in the 2022 Entry Draft in Montreal. Not a lot should be read into it as he comes back to Boston, but he recently spoke about playing for his country.
“It was lots of fun. I mean, it was a dream come true to wear the Canadian jersey and meet all those guys and I had a great time over there. I’m happy to be back here, though.”
Matthew Poitras (from ‘Matt Poitras happy to be back with Bruins, even as he savors snakebit experience with Canada at world juniors,’ Boston Globe, Jan. 6, 2024)
After missing the Bruins’ 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 4, Jim Montgomery put him back in the lineup against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Boston’s 7-3 victory and Poitras finished with two assists on goals by Trent Frederic and Charlie McAvoy.
Locmelis, selected 119th overall in the 2022 Draft in the fourth round, had two goals and three assists in five games for Latvia, which the United States eliminated, 7-2, in the quarterfinals. It was another good showing for Locmelis after the two previous trips in 2022 and 2023. A freshman at UMass-Amherst, he returns to the Minutemen where he had four goals and five points in 12 games.
Now that the calendar has turned to 2024, the college hockey season will kick into high gear with conference play for some of the Bruins prospects, while the ones in the AHL with Providence will continue their schedule. Poitras and Locmelis each had a chance to represent their country in the 2024 World Junior Championships and now are back with their teams ready to resume their 2023-24 seasons.
