The 2023-24 season has been a breakthrough year for the Boston Bruins’ prospect pipeline as several young prospects have seen significant time in the NHL, and two made the roster out of training camp. The success of the organization’s young players has been a big storyline this season, and the headliner of the group has been 19-year-old Matthew Poitras.
While the 2022-23 season made it clear that Poitras was the top center prospect in the Bruins’ pipeline, he still wasn’t expected to make the NHL this season. But after a great training camp and a good start to the 2023-24 season, he earned a permanent spot on the roster and has proven that he belongs in the NHL.
Road to the NHL Draft
Poitras was born on March 10, 2004 (after Patrice Bergeron made his NHL debut for a bit of context) in Ajax, Ontario. As one would expect when he started to show some real hockey potential, he was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the three major junior hockey leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). He was drafted 12th overall in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection to the Guelph Storm, but the following season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Poitras finally suited up for the Storm in his draft year, the 2021-22 season. He appeared in 68 games, registering 21 goals and 50 points. He cemented himself as a solid player, but didn’t necessarily have the wow factor yet.
Leading up to the draft, he was noted for his work ethic and strong, developing two-way play. But he wasn’t considered a very “explosive player” and had a pass-first mentality that made it hard to truly evaluate his scoring potential. He was ranked 45th amongst North American Skaters and most draft rankings placed him somewhere in the 40-60 range.
Poitras was selected where expected in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Bruins were up in the second round with pick number 54. He was their first selection of the draft and it didn’t come as a surprise that general manager Don Sweeney targeted a center, given the weakness at the position amongst the team’s prospects. Out of the six selections they had in 2022, three of them were centers. The other two were Cole Spicer and Dans Locmelis.
Breakout Season in Guelph
After being drafted, Poitras returned to play with the Storm in the OHL, but it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t the same player in the 2022-23 season that he had been before…he was better. He began to rapidly rack up the assists, registering 79 in 63 games. In addition, he had 16 goals, increasing his points total for the season to 95. He had 45 more points than he did the season before while playing in five fewer games. He garnered a reputation as one of the top playmakers in the OHL.
While the team didn’t necessarily live up to expectations last season after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Poitras established himself as a top prospect and was drawing attention from around the league and turning heads in the Bruins front office. The team was hoping that his offensive game would develop further in juniors, but I don’t think anyone expected it to come as quickly as it did.
As a result, the Bruins signed Poitras to his three-year, entry-level contract last May, shortly after the team’s own first round exit from the playoffs. Still, most people assumed that he’d be back playing in the OHL for the 2023-24 season, not as a consistent member of the NHL lineup.
What Poitras Brings to the Bruins
The Bruins’ depth at the center position was looking quite thin coming into the 2023-24 season. There were questions about whether or not Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle were ready to step up to be the top two centers. In addition, the third and fourth-line center positions were completely wide open, with a number of players thought to be competing for the spots.
To the surprise of many, Poitras rose to the top of the center depth chart, and earned himself a roster spot. He’s spent the season centering both the second and third lines, and has shown the playmaking abilities that caught everyone’s attention last season. While he is not registering points at the same rate as he did in juniors (which is completely expected), he has had a solid start to his NHL career. So far, he has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 33 games.
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This season has been all about growth and development for Poitras. He has already shown improvement in aspects of his game from the start of the 2023-24 season to the last few games he’s played. January was not the best month for him as he dealt with injuries and coming back from the World Juniors, but he’ll be someone to watch in the next few months leading up to the playoffs once he’s healthy.
Poitras has great hockey sense, and continues to get faster at making decisions. He’s demonstrated resilience, being able to bounce back from disappointing performances from game to game, and even shift to shift. There have been several games where he has looked like one of the best players on the team, and has proven this season that he should be part of the future plans of this organization. There is room for him to grow. He has not seen much time on special teams and the coaching staff has limited his minutes in the third period on multiple occasions as he continues to earn their trust. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him one day be at the top of the team’s depth chart at the center position.
