Who doesn’t love an underdog story? Of course, players like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman are always going to be fan favorites for their top-end skill and superstar talent, but the underdog bottom-six players who make an impact on a team often earn the admiration of fans. In a winning sense, having depth players who positively affect the game are crucial to winning Stanley Cups – players like Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille – beloved Bruins who helped Boston win the Cup back in 2011.
It may only be three games into the 2024-25 season, but Cole Koepke can be the next installment of fourth-line Bruins forwards that earn their spot in the lineup and make a legitimate contribution to winning hockey games.
Sixth-Round Draft Pick Turned NHL Player
Cole Koepke’s path to the NHL has not been a straightforward one. After a solid high school career that earned him a commitment to the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD), he played two seasons with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he dawned the “A” as an alternate captain in 2017-18. In the summer of 2018, he was drafted in the sixth round (183 overall) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. As a late-round draftee, he did not get a chance to join the Lightning off the bat, so he joined UMD.
In three seasons from 2018-19 to 2020-21, Koepke played in 104 NCAA games, scoring 38 goals and 37 assists for 75 points. He was a part of the UMD Bulldogs’ 2019 Division 1 NCAA Championship team and played in back-to-back NCAA Frozen Fours in 2019 and 2021. He was a member of the First All-Star Team in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in 2019-20 when he scored 33 points in 34 games played – his best season of his collegiate career. On April 13, 2021, the Lightning signed him to a two-year entry-level contract – kickstarting his NHL career and ending his college one.
From here, the Hermantown, Minnesota native largely spent time in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Syracuse Crunch – Tampa Bay’s affiliate. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound forward did get 17 NHL games in 2022-23, scoring only one goal and then another nine games in 2023-24, putting up only two assists. In the AHL, though, he buried 49 goals and tallied 51 assists for 100 points in 183 games played with an additional ten points in 18 playoff games for the Crunch. Last season was his last on the two-year deal, making him a free agent. During the opening day of free agency, the Bruins signed him to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000.
Hustle & Determination Driving Bruins Fourth Line
During the preseason, the Bruins tend to give newer signees a chance, especially after an offseason where they lost a few depth offensive pieces. Koepke, 26, took that opportunity and got playing time as a result – scoring a goal and an assist in four preseason games – both of which were at 5v5, placing him tied for the most 5v5 points of any Bruin in the preseason (tied with Patrick Brown, Justin Brazeau, and Georgii Merkulov). Additionally, he had the second-most shots on goal and the most recorded hits with 12, tied with Mark Kastelic. His performance in the four games was enough to sit high on management’s options to play in the bottom-six, earning his spot.
Matthew Poitras missed the first two games against the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens due to an undisclosed injury, meaning there was a spot on the roster for the depth players to fight for. In the season-opener, Koepke played well considering the 6-4 loss Boston suffered. When his line was on the ice, they pressed the Florida defenders, giving Boston some offensive zone time that came quite sparsely. Koepke was on the ice for Charlie McAvoy’s goal, giving him a plus-1 rating and recorded a single hit. More impressively, when on the ice at 5v5, Koepke out-shot the Panthers 6-0 – the only Bruin to have a 100% shots-for percentage.
Related: Bruins Need to Figure Out How to Win Against Panthers
It was in the second game against the Canadiens where Bruins fans saw the promise of having Koepke play night in and night out. Boston’s fourth line of Koepke, John Beecher and Mark Kastelic out-scored Montreal 3-0 at 5v5, out-shot them 6-3, and generated the most offense of any other forward line for the B’s with 0.69 expected goals for (xGF). Montreal struggled to deal with the pressure of the trio and the forecheck did a great job switching momentum when the Canadiens had some offensive chances of their own.
Among all Bruins forwards, no one had a higher xGF than Koepke who had 1.14 expected goals for. Boston outshot Montreal 8-3 when he was on the ice and most importantly – he finished the night with three points (one goal, two assists), in only seven minutes and 20 seconds of ice time. His number 45 was noticeable every time he stepped foot on the ice and it felt like he had played upwards of 15 minutes with the impact he had on the game.
Against the LA Kings on Oct. 12, Boston had a few instances where they were stuck in their own zone or had trouble generating pressure in the offensive zone, something that the fourth line remedied by being aggressive on the dump-and-chases, hitting everyone in sight and Koepke was at the forefront of that. His feet are always moving, making every shift feel important and changing the pace of play for Boston to allow the top-heavy lines to have a stronger scoring chance when they come out.
There is no question his play in only a short amount of time has made it near-impossible for head coach Jim Montgomery to take him out of the lineup. Play alongside of Beecher and Kastelic has not only created one of the best lines on the Bruins, but one of the best ones in the entire league. Here are some league ranks for the Koepke-Kastelic-Beecher line for forward lines that have played for a minimum of 20 minutes 5v5 together.
- Four Goals Scored (T-2nd)
- Zero Goals Against (T-1st)
- 80% Expected Goals For Percentage (1st)
- 2.00 Expected Goals For (4th)
- 0.50 Expected Goals Against (5th)
- 17 Shot Attempts Against (4th)
Koepke’s Success Will Be an Asset For Boston
As mentioned at the beginning, having a fourth line that can put up points, make an impact and take any weight off the top-six will benefit the team tremendously. They won’t be the guys near the top of the scoreboard with goals and points, but will be in hits and blocks. The depth they bring makes it harder on opposing teams as they constantly have bodies in their faces, draining their gas tanks. It is important to any team with Stanley Cup aspirations and three games in – Koepke is proving that he can be one of those players that makes a difference.
