There is plenty going on with the Boston Bruins as they continue their West Coast trip with the trade deadline approaching in less than three weeks. While things are getting interesting in Boston, some of the Black and Gold’s prospects are having good seasons with their respective teams.
With the trade deadline approaching and the Bruins always needing some depth at different positions, some of the prospects could be used to add help, it’s time for another Bruins prospect Report for The Hockey Writers. In this edition, we will look at how some of the top prospects are faring, as well as how things are going for a pair of goaltenders who are an injury or illness away from being called put to the NHL.
Lysell Leading Giants in Scoring
Since the Bruins drafted Fabian Lysell 21st overall in the 2021 Entry Draft, the returns have been impressive and he has quickly worked his way up the list of untouchable prospects. He has had such a good season with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League (WHL), that there are rumors that the Vancouver Canucks have scouted him and would press Bruins general manager Don Sweeney if a trade between the clubs is talked about. After watching Lysell score his 18th goal of the season Friday night, you can see why teams think highly of the 19-year-old.
Watching Lysell make his moves around the Victoria Royals players, then unleashing an impressive shot under the crossbar, you can see the skill the youngster has. He leads the Giants with 18 goals and 23 assists in 35 games, with four goals and six assists coming on the power play. Lysell had an impressive showing at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo last September, then in training camp with Boston, before going to the Giants and he has improved in all facets of his game this season in Vancouver.
Grosenick & Keyser Sharing Goaltending Duties in Providence
When Tuukka Rask signed as a free agent in Boston in January, Jeremy Swayman was sent down to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) to get some work and be ready should he be needed back in Boston. Swayman’s stay with the P-Bruins lasted just a few weeks after Rask ended his comeback and retired on Feb. 9.
With Swayman back in Boston full-time, that opens the door between the pipes in Providence for Troy Grosenick and Kyle Keyser to share the duties and be ready should either be needed in Boston. Grosenick has had a solid season, going 13-3-1 with a 2.16 goals-against average (GAA) and a .924 save percentage (SV%). He has two shutouts and is a perfect 7-for-7 in shootout attempts.
(Scott Dinn/San Jose Barracuda)
Grosenick, who signed a free-agent contract in July of 2021, has four NHL games under his belt, going 2-2 in two starts each with the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, sporting a 2.27 GAA and a .933 SV%. He made 25 saves Friday night in a win over Charlotte Checkers, but exited late in the game with an injury. He returned Sunday and made 25 more saves in a 6-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Related: Bruins Should Play Swayman As Starting Goalie
Keyser has already been a backup earlier this season in Boston against the New York Islanders in a 3-1 loss when Swayman went into COVID-19 protocols, but he did not see any action. With Providence, Keyser is 5-8-5 with a 2.85 GAA and a .904 SV%. Both goalies should stay sharp as either one of them is just an injury away with Swayman or Linus Ullmark from being called up to Boston.
Lauko Returns From Injury
Jakub Lauko returned to the Providence lineup Saturday after missing two months with a knee injury. With the trade deadline three weeks away, Lauko is one of the Bruins’ prospects that could draw interest from other teams in terms of getting a trade done.
Lauko is in his third season with the P-Bruins and he has gotten better each season. After five goals and nine points in 22 games in 2019-20, he had five goals and 14 assists in the 23-game shortened 2020-21 AHL season. Before his injury, Lauko, selected 77th overall in 2018, had three goals and 10 assists in 28 games, but the left wing has seen his game grow to a point where he’s just about ready to be a full-time NHL player.
Prospect Quick Hitters
- Cameron Hughes is quietly having a good year with the P-Bruins. He scored his team-leading fourth shorthanded goal of the season in a win over the Checkers Friday night. Hughes leads Providence with 10 goals and 25 assists and has a four-game-point streak with two goals and seven assists.
- Jack Studnicka had a goal and two assists in Sunday’s win over Hartford. In 30 AHL games this season, he has seven goals and 16 assists, including points in five of his last six games.
- Chris Wagner has nine goals and six assists in 37 games this season for Providence, playing in all situations.
- Like Jake DeBrusk, Zach Senyshyn, picked one selection after DeBrusk in 2015 at No. 15, has also requested a trade from the Bruins organization. In 41 games for Providence this season, he has 14 goals and 10 assists. It has just never worked out for Senyshyn with Boston.
- Prior to being called up to Boston for their current six-game road trip, Jesper Froden had 12 goals and 15 assists in the AHL in 37 games. He is second on the team with 93 shots, 16 behind Senyshyn for the team lead.
- Oskar Steen scored his 11th goal of the season for the P-Bruins in their win over Charlotte. He has 10 assists in just 23 games this season.
- In a minor trade on Feb. 22, the Bruins acquired the rights of Providence College defensemen Michael Callahan in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Callahan is a senior for the Friars and was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft by Arizona.
