A Bruins Pipeline Worth Watching: Why the Future Feels Different This Time | Ep. 126

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome in, everyone to another episode of Bruin's Tape to Tape. We are recording a special updates segment on our Bruins prospects, and I am joined today by friend of the podcast, Mary Beth, who has been right on top of the Bruins prospects and the Providence Bruins. And I don't know how you're paying attention to all of this, my friend, with all of the hockey and all of the other activities and your job at the same time, but we thank you for joining us, and we thank you for all of the insight and information I know that we're going to get in this segment, so welcome in and happy New Year to you, Thanks.

0:47 Speaker 2: So much, very happy new year. As you know, I'm always happy to come in and talk about the prospects, our developing players, our Pipeline's really fun right now. These kids are doing some fun things. It makes it easy to follow them. They just they bring me such joy right now, and we are also being enjoyed. As many of you may may soon figure out as this recording progresses. My partner in crime is not able to be with me in full for this episode, as she is one busy hockey mom these days. But she is popping in to give us her insight as she was able to recently attend a Providence Bruins game.

1:34 Speaker 2: And so we're going to welcome in Caroline with a k Hello my friend.

1:41 Speaker 3: Hey, hey Maria, how are you.

1:45 Speaker 2: Have you recovered from the weekend yet?

1:48 Speaker 4: No?

1:48 Speaker 3: I feel like death. Oh my god.

1:54 Speaker 5: There was uh four hockey games, uh an Ahl hockey game, knee hockey until the cows came home.

2:03 Speaker 3: There was so much hockey hockey coming out of my ears.

2:08 Speaker 2: That's watch the hockey game.

2:10 Speaker 5: I watched the Bruins play because I was in New England, so I got to watch it kind of in the future on cable instead of on my phone.

2:20 Speaker 1: So we'll be curious to get your thoughts and have have our our ruins prospect expert here way in on. You know, what things that you picked up on or players that you noticed that resonated with you either you know, good, bad, or or indifferent at this point in time. So tell us about your experience at the Providence Ruins game.

2:45 Speaker 5: Yeah, first of all, it's a super cute arena. I mean it's really lovely. It was it looked great. I mean I was expecting something maybe a little bit more run down, because I used to go to Syracuse Crunch games. You to go to Portland Pirates games, and those facilities weren't always.

3:05 Speaker 3: Very lovely, wonderful place.

3:07 Speaker 5: Highly recommend going out and seeing the Pee Bruins play. I felt like I was going in a little blind, even though we have Mary Beth as our expert sharing information constantly in the discord.

3:18 Speaker 2: But I know she's constantly keeping us updated. Yeah, which is awesome.

3:22 Speaker 5: You know, I kind of, in my mind a little bit free up some of that space in my memory and allow her to post things and put things there. And then I go and I just look up. But I don't keep everything in mind, and so I don't know if it was a good or bad thing that I just kind of showed up and I was.

3:38 Speaker 3: Like, well, I remember the names of these guys. Let's see who shows me what they've got.

3:45 Speaker 5: So maybe that was a good thing, because not going in and knowing what to expect necessarily from these guys, I will say that the most noticeable players, some of them surprising, some not surprising. I will say for me, this was second night, by the way of their matchup against the Cleveland Monsters. Number one player for me, Luke Cavlan, the goaltender. I was just blown away. He was absolutely fantastic. He made some really critical saves. There was tons of traffic, a lot of mess right in front of him, and he just had that puck the whole time.

4:20 Speaker 5: The final score was six to two, but it doesn't that doesn't really explain just.

4:25 Speaker 3: How hard he worked. I mean, he was just fantastic.

4:28 Speaker 5: The other players, players that we have talked about before, Frederick Brune he actually got the number one star last night. He opened up the scoring. He was everywhere. I really enjoyed watching him play. You know, he was just everywhere he needed to be. It was exactly what you want to see in a player like that. You know, he's just working his butt off presumably every night. What I saw was what he usually does. But Faranacci I noticed all the time. He was one that I picked up a lot. And then, funny enough, as I was messaging with Mary Beth during the game, like who do you have questions about?

5:06 Speaker 5: Is there someone you want me to kind of get closer eyes on, And one of the names, of course was Loschmellis.

5:13 Speaker 3: You're a big fan of his, Mary Veth I remember, and I'm thinking.

5:17 Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, he's there, He's there, And then all of a sudden, the Peeper Ruins were on a couple of penalty kills and he was just all over in that kill, really really making a big impact because it was getting to the point where Cleveland kind of thought maybe they had a shot at coming back into the game, even though it was probably was never going to be a thing. And he was on a couple of those big penalty kills. So those were guys that I was definitely looking for, hoping to see. Bluemel ended up having a did end up having a goal in the second game, because the first game of the weekend he had that was his game.

5:54 Speaker 5: He was like all over the first game of the weekend. So I was like, well, I'm probably not going to see much of him because he did everything. But nope, he came in with the dagger right at the end there when again when Cleveland.

6:05 Speaker 3: Thought that they were gonna come back, he said, nope, you're done, and so he cooked him there.

6:10 Speaker 5: Ones that maybe should have been a little bit more noticeable that weren't Merkulev Okay, he was you know, I think the ship on that has sailed.

6:20 Speaker 3: I did look out for Matt Potra.

6:22 Speaker 5: He's noticeable in the sense that he's still an incredible talent, Like just because he hasn't made it in Boston is not reflective of his skills and ability.

6:32 Speaker 3: He was all over the place. He had some penalty minutes.

6:36 Speaker 5: There were so many roughing miners and a couple of five for fightings. Like something clearly happened in that game the night before. I don't know what happened. If our Boston Bruins had as many penalties as were issued in that game in Providence, we would see them losing ten to nothing. But they turned around had a win, which was great. And then the other one that people were saying like, hey, make sure you look for this guy. Oh, I didn't need to even look for him, babe. In myself, I don't understand you, kid, I do not understand you.

7:10 Speaker 3: He was instantly noticeable.

7:13 Speaker 5: His speed, his footwork, his stickhandling is stick handling unreal. He undressed multiple opponents out there. But he is he another one of those Patrick Brown's that he's just it just doesn't translate.

7:30 Speaker 2: I mean, sadly, are there players.

7:34 Speaker 3: I don't know.

7:35 Speaker 1: There are players where they're suited for that level of play in the AHL, but they just can't seem to make the transition to the NHL caliber of play, where the speed, the physicality, the decision making needs to be at a higher level. And I'm just beginning to wonder if you know, he is one of those players that they I mean, and there are players like that.

8:09 Speaker 2: Not everybody can make the NHL.

8:12 Speaker 5: He was clearly better skill wise than the opponents, and even I would say, if you were just talking about the quick feat and the fancy stick work, he was better than even his teammates. So why it doesn't translate?

8:33 Speaker 3: Who knows?

8:34 Speaker 2: So I actually might know?

8:36 Speaker 3: You know, Okay, oh, you.

8:39 Speaker 2: Know, okay, birthday today. He's twenty three today. He is an RFA at the end of this season, so he's in a contract adjacent year. You know, he does need to get something signed, but obviously anybody, he somebody, we can match anything that anybody were to offer, So he's still going to be ours, but it is kind of a contract year. The thing is with him though, second in points on the team right now, behind Patrick Brown, who is an aheller, fifth and goals second in assists. For the last few years, he has been pretty stagnant.

9:19 Speaker 2: He's been there, he's been doing all right. They've been very consistent, but we haven't seen any growth till this year. This year he found his game. So if we look at what he did this season. Last season, he played fifty two games, eleven goals, twenty five points. This season he's only at thirty one games. He's already at twelve goals and thirty four points. There's a big difference. Now it's a better team. Is a better team because he's better in part. But this year, all of a sudden, especially over the last month, he's just found his groove.

9:54 Speaker 2: Now is that going to translate? Maybe because he's been so consistent in the AHL until this year when he bumped it up a notch. So that's why I'm wondering if he's starting to make this transition, that he can give the NHL another another go.

10:11 Speaker 1: So maybe a late bloomer to so to speak. I mean, I hate using that kind of cheesy terminology, but well.

10:19 Speaker 3: I mean he's just twenty three, so it could be.

10:22 Speaker 5: I mean, I was actually shocked because I was going in, Look, I'm not gonna lie kind of expecting a dud. Right. We've talked about it on the pod where it's like, okay, if you've been selected by the Boston Bruins to be kind of a you know, presumed future phenom, right they do that, they have them. Yep, that's happened many a time, and I kind of always thought that it was it was him, but we saw what happened when it just didn't pan out with Jack Stadnika.

10:52 Speaker 3: He was one of them before too.

10:54 Speaker 2: You just got put on labors again today? Oh no kidding.

10:59 Speaker 3: No, that's too bad.

11:01 Speaker 5: Like and I think you know, part of his issue is also just his development getting interrupted with COVID and blah blah blah. But then again, Dpa trow was too, and look at him, he's probably going to be second string goalie for the Blastom Bruins next season. So I was I was going in fully expecting to be about as disappointed in Lacel as I have been every time that he has been called up. Granted it's only been like what two or three times. He made me pause and go wow, who is that? And then I saw the number and I was.

11:30 Speaker 2: Like, no way, not even just the call ups.

11:34 Speaker 1: You know, he was given opportunities in pre season where you know, the coaching staff, he and along with others saying there there are spots, there are spots available on this team for you all to fight for, and it just didn't seem to translate into taking advantage of the opportunity that was being provided to you. Now again, it could be a ma churity level. Who knows, it could be the system that was totally again, totally different system. Now we know how you know, complicated and hard it is to play the structure that they're trying to implement here for the new and improved Boston Bruins.

12:19 Speaker 5: But yes, maybe for him, it's all just about timing and it's just been bad timing up until this point.

12:26 Speaker 2: And he may not and he may not be ready, and he may not have been ready earlier in this season. Right, as I said, over the last month or so, it's especially yeah, the whole season, I think he's been pretty good. Bet over the last month there's been a decided uptick. Yeah, yeah, so maybe you know, maybe this is time. If anybody has not seen him play recently, there was he had a beautiful goal on Saturday, and there's a highlight reel online you can find a really beauty wraparound goal. Yeah. So yeah, and that really shows off his stick handling like it was good.

12:58 Speaker 5: I was just taken very much so by surprise on that front. But tons of fun to watch these guys. I mean again, if if you're someone who's newer to hockey, going to see them right now, it's just a lot of fun. It's a heck of a lot less stressful and a lot easier on the wallet than going yes, god, yeah, I think we paid twenty four dollars a ticket.

13:25 Speaker 2: There's not a bad seat in that house.

13:27 Speaker 3: No, no, there's not. So the future looks bright.

13:30 Speaker 5: I don't know when we're going to see these guys because there's a lot of competition on the other side of the pipeline, which I know, Beareth you're going to talk.

13:37 Speaker 3: About as soon as I bounce out of here.

13:39 Speaker 5: But there's gonna be a ton of competition because if you got all these kids in the NCAA and you got them in juniors, like I think the Bruins are actually in a good place for once outside of goaltending, in the future of the organization.

13:55 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's important to note, like the what people I don't think always remember. The AH help is a development league. It's not the be all end all. Calder Cups are not what we work for. However, right now, the Providence Bruins are tied for second in the AHL. They are, and actually they're tied for second with Luxbar Scranton. He's got a game on hand with them. So they're tied for first in the division with Rookbar Scranton, their third in power play, they're fourth in the PK and this is in the league.

14:27 Speaker 2: So it's not to be all end all. But what it tells me is that something's working in our development pipeline down there, right.

14:34 Speaker 5: Yes, yeah, yeah, but hopefully we don't have to see them. But if we have to see them, I think we'll be okay.

14:44 Speaker 1: Well, at some point we you know, again, we need to see some of these guys, yes, at the Big Boy Club, just to see, you know, where we're going with the future. If you're retooling, rebuilding, right, I would imagine, and that needs to include some of these players that we're going to discuss here tonight and the impact that they can potentially have for the future of the Boston Bruins.

15:14 Speaker 2: Absolutely absolutely.

15:16 Speaker 3: I'm going to leave you ladies to it. Have fun.

15:19 Speaker 2: Thank you for the insight, for the intel. Nice to see. I'm glad you had so much fun.

15:24 Speaker 3: It was a good time.

15:25 Speaker 2: We'll get some rest.

15:27 Speaker 6: Hey, Bruins fans love the pod, Well, here's an opportunity to join the team. Become a Friend of the Pod on Patreon and unlock more Bruins content, merch, perks, and the community we've built with diehard fans like you for just three dollars a month, Join Gallery of the Gods, get ad free episodes, sticker swag, and a discount in the merch shop. Or go full legend with the Black and Gold tier, bonus content, virtual watch parties, more swag, and full access.

15:59 Speaker 2: To our stack.

16:01 Speaker 6: No matter the tear, you're in the room with us. Tap the link in the show notes and take your spot on the bench.

16:11 Speaker 2: Okay, Mary Beth.

16:12 Speaker 1: So, now we're going to get down to the nitty gritty of taking a deep dive into what is going on with our Bruins prospects. Will start at the HL level. That was a good segue in with Caroline's thoughts on the games that she saw.

16:34 Speaker 2: So in terms of.

16:38 Speaker 1: Your vantage point, on what's happening with the Providence Bruins and the growth and development of prospects. Name you know, names that people names that people have on the tips of their tongues, and maybe names of some players who, Hm, I didn't hear.

17:00 Speaker 2: That name before, tell me about him. So the big one for me right now, my favorite player on the Pee Bruins Frederick Brenet. But he has been you guys have heard me talk about him before. Yes, I've loved him for the last couple of years. I think it's his time. I've actually been kind of surprised when we had to bring up a couple of defense players that it hasn't been him, But I think there's some strategy to that. He just got named to the AHL All Stars, as did Patrick Brown, who's our captain. And Patrick's actually going to be captain of the AHL All Stars.

17:38 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, which is really cool. And I'll tell you Patrick Brown, we've talked about him before. I think he's AHL career player, but my gosh, is he amazing. He's number one on the team down there. It doesn't for him, it hasn't translated up here, but geez, when you see him down there, he's a rock star. Love him anyway. So Frederick Brene though me, he is somebody who's going to come up. My thoughts are part of his. The strategy is they're going to bring him up when he's going to stay. Okay, I don't think he is somebody that's coming up and going back and coming back.

18:15 Speaker 2: I'd love to see him get his chance, but I just keep getting this sense that when we see him in Boston, he's here in Boston.

18:23 Speaker 4: Now.

18:23 Speaker 2: I do think we just brought up another defense, but we'll get into that. But I think that's part of the reason Brenading come up is the All Stars. So again, it's not the be all end all, but that experience of playing on a winning team, of getting those minutes, and of doing the All Star thing with the AHL, that's invaluable experience for a guy who's going to come up in the big leagues.

18:47 Speaker 4: What else?

18:49 Speaker 2: How old is he married? U? So he is. I think he's twenty two to twenty three now, somewhere around there. I actually don't have his age down here A couple of them. I do. He Well, this would have been his first year. He wasn't at development camp over the last couple of years, so he was at rookie camp, but not at development camp, so he's kind of aged out of that system for the first time. This season. So far, he's got thirty five games, six goals, eleven assists and seventeen points, not bad for a defense guy alone.

19:16 Speaker 1: He's got a pretty good plus minus too, which I still that still means something to.

19:21 Speaker 2: Me, right, Yep, he's got a fifteen plus minus and he also has twenty nine probably on the team though, and again this is significant because he's a he's a defense player. Seventh in points, sixth thing goals, and sixth then assists, so you know you're not expecting the same points from defense that you are from those forwards. But he's doing great. He is a really hard worker. He is in the right place at the right time. He's physical by the pims, creates opportunity, and he's a two way player, so he's not going to be one of those stay at home defense players.

19:56 Speaker 2: He is a two way player. And the Bruins have had their issue this year with absolutely the defense has been good. The problem is, yeah, you know, their their point contribution hasn't been what we've needed it to be. And maybe what's been expected. Yeah, so I love to see this about him. He's by far the best, the best demon in in Providence right now. Cool. So he for me is my kind of star of the of the game, as it were. So I'm loving him, loving Dan's Lushmellis loved him. I loved him during the camps, loving him now.

20:31 Speaker 2: He is an Olympian. Oh, that's right, he is. He was named to Team Latvia. Yeah, named a team Latvia. But what's amazing is for the HL he's a rookie. Oh, this is his first year in the AHL, right. I know it surprised me because I feel like we've been talking about him for a while, but we really have it. Well.

20:48 Speaker 1: I liked what I saw from him, yeah in pre season, and I was kind of rooting for him to get to get a legit, you know, opportunity to be up with the big boys.

21:01 Speaker 2: But yeah, I like his game and I agree with you. He stood out to me.

21:07 Speaker 1: To me, people that stand out are the guys that I see like working hard every shift, every shift.

21:14 Speaker 2: Yeah now, and that's who he is. And so last year he did come up at the end of his UMass season, so he played six games and did the Calder Cup, so he does have a little bit of that experience. He played, he's played, so he's got a different kind of experience because he played that professional juniors in Latvia. He actually played for the Swedish Hockey League though, so he grew up in Latvia, but he played with the Swedish Hockey League professionally. He competed at the Worlds, not the World Juniors, twenty three, twenty four and twenty five turns twenty two this week, Wow, he's ahead of Patro for points.

21:51 Speaker 2: We're going to talk about Patra. He's got a really smart game. He creates some chances and he's part of the PK team, and obviously we've got a really strong PK team, so he's in there. I think his experience on the world stage is part of what's making him successful right now as an AHL player, and I do think that that gives him the opportunity to move up to Boston sooner rather than later, because he's got this experience. He's not going to come in he's already been playing with men, and that's something I think we have to keep in mind as kids are developing, they're coming up from juniors, they're playing with young men.

22:28 Speaker 2: They're playing with boys. They come up to the AHL. There's a wide variety of ages in there, so they're playing with some older players like Patrick Brown or some really young guys in their NCAA mostly college kids, but a lot of them trend a little bit older because they might have been working on their development in the development teams or whatever before they came to college. So it is he's got that experience. So I think we may see him sooner rather than later.

22:57 Speaker 4: I'm just thinking to myself too, if he has an opportunity to really shine in the Olympics at some point, You do think that there's any potential of seeing him during this current season, Well.

23:13 Speaker 2: I think there's always a potential. Again, if we don't, it's not a reflection on him, right, It's more age and the fact that this is really his first year with us. But yeah, it wouldn't surprise me. He's in a position to do it. What I don't know about him is how if he is able to transition him from center to wing. He is a center. He's a natural center, and there are players who really comfortably can transfer between wing and center, and there's some whodout and that I don't know about him, and yeah, and again you know this is just a pet peeve.

23:46 Speaker 2: And I know we've had conversations about this before where the Bruins try to get players to play an alternative position than what they're normally accustomed to, and we see the struggles of that, which you say, why are you doing this? Why are you trying to put this person at a wing when they're a natural center, because you have an over abundance of centers or a right wing or a left wing or whatever or whatever it is. Yeah, so I think that, so I do that. So that's the one thing I don't know about him.

24:22 Speaker 2: So so we'll sort of see what happens with that. Now, speaking of wings, we've got Maychex Blamel, and I know I'm butchering his first name, but I've got his last name down. Who is right wing. He is on a one year contract that expires this year, So we got to figure out what happens with him. So for him, he played a couple of games NHL. I don't know if you know Blamel's story and how he came to us. No, so he was a free agent. Pasta gave him a call he's from. He's a check player. Oh just said, we'd love to have you.

24:56 Speaker 2: He was looking between US and the Penguins and and Pasta's like they're both good organizations, but come on over here, come here, over here, you know. So I do think that check connection is incre Perhaps he's an emotional support check for Pasta. So I do think that that we have pastaact to thank you for that. So he was he was at Dallas, was not re signed. We've got him on a one year contract. He was out, if you remember, he came up, played a couple of games with US up in Boston, and then he was injured.

25:30 Speaker 2: So he's just back recently, back playing with Providence. Now. He's got twenty one games with Providence, four games with US this season and Providence he's got six goals, thirteen assists, nineteen points and is a plus five right now. But he's twenty five. So his game is a little bit more developed and a little bit more more mature than some of the people we've been talking about. All the everything I've heard about him, Dallas fans thought he was ready. They thought he was in NHL ready, And from what I've seen from his play since he's been back from injury.

26:03 Speaker 2: I think he's n H already interesting. So he's one that we want to keep an eye on, coming up again, covering for injuries, maybe plugging in somewhere maybe, But he's one that I think we're going to see soon, sooner rather than later as well. I think he's you know, right up there. Now, let's talk about Mattie Patras, shall we. Yeah, Maddie, I know I feel that that's that's my face to Maria. I just don't even have the words, you know.

26:31 Speaker 4: I had been saying for quite some time that he needed.

26:36 Speaker 1: To develop some maturity to his game. He definitely needed to develop more strength to his game because in seeing him with the Bruins, and it wasn't a small sample size, very easily knocked off the puck, and a definite propensity for skating with his head down, which nothing good is going to come of that. I think most of the injuries that he's sustained were a result of going in offensively with his head down.

27:15 Speaker 2: Yeah, I have to agree with you. Now, he is a two A center. He's not looking as good this season as he did last season. He's off his base from last year. Last year he only played forty games because he had an injury, and he's at thirty five games already this year. Last year he was at seventeen goals. This year he's at six twenty four says last year, fifteen this year again, but it's only five games. That's a pretty big drop off to me. He's still fun to watch. He's really fast, he is, Yes, he's really fast, really good, and he's got a great hockey sense.

27:49 Speaker 2: He moves great in the crowd, like if you watch him, he's just weaving in and out of there. But there's a ton of competition where he is, and I'm not sure we have room for him. Just on the Providence Bruins roster, he's competing against lash Mellis and he's.

28:05 Speaker 1: Behind him on the depth I mean scoring and the depth chart, so to speak. Do you do you think it was a mistake? And you know, again we can Monday morning quarterback in hindsight's twenty twenty when they first brought him in from juniors and all that conversation about you know, how many games he could or couldn't play before they could send him, And I just wonder now if they were too aggressive in wanting him to be on the Big Boy Club, whether it might not have benefited him more to just well, I guess they couldn't send him to Providence, but.

28:47 Speaker 2: I think about that too. The fact is, though, particularly when they first brought him up, he did look really good at first. I know he did, and so I think based on that information, it didn't feel like a bad decision at the time. So I'm not really sure, but the fact is he is good. I don't I'm not seeing him developing right now. I'm not sure what his ceiling is. But I'm also not sure we have room. We've got other guys who are beating him out for his job right now.

29:20 Speaker 4: Interesting this week he got a new agent. Well he the memes, Yeah, that was brought up in recent trade rumors where you know, the Bruins were linked to potentially being in on Rasmus Anderson and one of the again, you know, I don't know who's sourcing this stuff, but one of the potential scenarios was Mason Mouri, Matt Potra and perhaps a draft pick going to Calgary for Rasmus Anderson. However, in reading things online, it didn't sound like Rasmus Anderson would have been interested in signing an extension with the Boston Bruins.

30:03 Speaker 4: Then therefore, why would you give these guys up if you're not. We don't need rentals right now. But just the fact that Doctor's name was part of that rumor, I'm just wondering how the organization is feeling on the stability of maintaining.

30:23 Speaker 2: This player in the organization moving forward. Well, we have to remember too, his his entry level contract expires this year, so he's an RFA this year. Now, my guess is they'll resign him. There's there's not really a reason not to at this point. It's still going to be short money. You know that I could be given him a bag of money, you know. Uh So, So my guess is that they will resign it. But I think that that also plays into some of the trade rumors, the fact that his ELC expires. Okay, Okay, So I think that that's so.

30:56 Speaker 2: Those are the kinds of things you want to keep in mind. Now, the other player I really want to talk about this from the Bruin or from the Providence Bruins is Georgie. Georgie.

31:10 Speaker 1: George g George, So our good friend Georgie Merklov Markalov. Yeah, again, another guy who's you know, we've seen, We've seen snippets of.

31:22 Speaker 2: Him, we have. He's been back and forth between Providence and Bruins over the over quite a few seasons. His contract expires at the end of this year and he'll be a UFA, so it means that we basically have a chance of losing him. Regard losing him now, the thing is with Markolov, he is center and left wing, so he is one of those players that can slot it in either place, so that you know, and he's known for that. This season he's at thirty four games, thirteen goals, fifteen assists, twenty eight points, so I mean he's on hislouch.

31:57 Speaker 2: But last season fifty nine games, fifteen goals, thirty nine it says he was at fifty four points last year. He did do the NHL this year one game. Last year he did six games, kind of nothing on either one. But the thing was when we brought him up this year, we brought him up to play right wing, but he's a left shot. Is that given the guy a chance? It's not it's just putting in a winger. But you can't just plug in a winger anywhere.

32:27 Speaker 1: No, And this is this is one thing I think that the Bruins organization to some degree does a disservice to these players that they have drafted and are trying to develop. Yeah, if you really, if you really intent on putting them in the best position to have success and to contribute to the team, why aren't you playing them and then natural positions?

32:55 Speaker 2: Right? That's and so I sort of feel like for this year, for that one game, I mean, he did nothing. It was one game, but he was really just brought up to cover something. He wasn't really grew up for a chance. But we also didn't give him a chance. He's twenty five years old, so he's coming. He's kind of like right there in his hockey prime. He did have a thirty goal season twenty three twenty four, but he just hasn't produced at that level since. So I don't know, is he a career HL player? Maybe maybe you know, and maybe we just don't ever inform.

33:29 Speaker 2: So he's one that I like his playdown in Providence, But I'm also you know, I'm looking at that as from a developing standpoint from players that we want to bring up. I'm not seeing a ton of upside there.

33:44 Speaker 1: It sounds like you have you have others ahead of again, ahead of that's what it is on the depth chart, ahead of Georgie and can I put Matty Patra in that category?

33:59 Speaker 2: Two? I hate to say it out loud.

34:03 Speaker 4: You just did.

34:05 Speaker 2: You said out loud. I just agree with you. You're guilty by associations. That's exactly right. But I will put the blatant squarely on you. Maria.

34:16 Speaker 1: That's okay, I'll take it. I've got broad shoulders. Yeah, but that's but that's in Providence.

34:22 Speaker 2: We have to remember they are I mean in the NHL they are too, but really kind of to a lesser extent, they are interviewing for a job. They're trying out for something else. You are not in Providence to stay in Providence, one would hope that's the thought. And kind of once you're spotted in on the Boston Ruins, you have your spot. Now it is yours to lose. But you're not every day trying out for that job in the same manner you are in Providence. Your whole reason to be at the Main Mariners to be in the Providence and is to get up to Boston.

35:00 Speaker 2: Anyway, I don't know. That might just be where Georgie lives. Well, well, we'll find out. And again, because it's the end of his of his contract this year, we may know suoner rather than later what the Bruins think of him. Now, I will say one thing that Don Sweeney is really good at is he is great at finding talent. Yes, on other teams, he is seeing these un you know, these these unpolished players and bring them in and putting them where they belong, and we're seeing really great things from them.

35:31 Speaker 2: I don't know that he is as good at drafting, although I'm starting to think maybe he is and we and we just weren't giving him the credit due because I'm starting to see some new things. But is he but e is he really? Again? I will agree with you on him being.

35:46 Speaker 4: Able to identify NHL talent and then making making the deal that works for the Bruins. But you know, when a James Hagen's falls into your lap, it's it's I mean, let's face backs, you and I could.

36:08 Speaker 2: Have drafted well this is true.

36:10 Speaker 1: Okay, Sweeney and Neelie wouldn't have needed to be at that draft table and we would have known exactly, James Hagens. So I still find that aspect of the organization and management in identifying young, unproven talent something that is in their wheelhouse that they do well.

36:32 Speaker 2: Yeah. No, I have to agree with you. And so so I want to give that props because as we're talking about that, I want to move into some of our younger prospects, the ones who are juniors Ncuba. Some of them are drafted James Hagen's. Some of them came over in a trade, which is that that gift of Don Sweeney's, and that's Will Zeller's. So let's talk a little bit. I'm going to lump those two together for a minute, because boy, oh boy, were the World Juniors fun those guys were. They were on fuego.

37:08 Speaker 1: I mean they were on and Bruins fans should have felt really, really good. I think some of them felt a little too good, because.

37:18 Speaker 4: You know, bring him up now, bring him up now? No no, no, no, no, no, okay.

37:25 Speaker 2: Yeah no, they are the thing is what and I and I mentioned this over at Development Camp. The two of them had so much fun together in dev Camp, and they had a ball together at World Juniors. Will Zeller's the standout of the US of tm USA, and the thing was he was a late addition. He almost wasn't on the team that they were finalizing. Yeah, he came in late and he was kind of an after that. We'll bring him in sort of a thing, right, right, right. He was the number one player for the US, and.

37:56 Speaker 1: Good on him for taking advantage of that. I'm at the world representing Team USA. I'm going to show I'm going to show the world and the team that picked me what I can get.

38:09 Speaker 2: Yeah. He led the team and goals. He led the team in points, he led the teams in plus minus, and in shots on goals. He was amazing. Had the game winning goal for TMOSA first three games of the tournament. He scored in four of the five US games. Finished the tournament tied for twelve in points and we got knocked out in the quarterfinals, but he was tied for second and goals for the tournament. I mean, that's amazing. We want a goal scorer, we want a kid like this. But he's also integral to the power play and we know we need that.

38:39 Speaker 2: So Will Zeller Zellers. He's smart, he's feisty, and he's just fun to watch, he's in the right place. He makes things happen, you know, So just's he's And the thing is, he's also very well spoken and mature, and the same with Higgins. The two of them when they're speaking to the press, they just have this composure about them, and to me, the maturity of them as as young men speaks to their maturney on the ice, And that's the kind of stuff when I'm looking at these guys and saying to myself, are they ready?

39:18 Speaker 2: Do we want to see some more development from them? Or are we feeling about them coming up? I'm seeing stuff like that that yeah, they're they're getting ready to come up. Now, it wouldn't surprise me if he comes up to Boston this year. But he's just a freshman at North Dakota. I'm hoping he gets one more year to develop. But by the same token, as I sort of think about it, I'm like, based on what we saw in the world stage, how much more does the NC double A have to offer him? Right? So I do think I mean, he's just you know, he's young freshman, So I do think another year NC double A isn't going to hurt his development.

39:55 Speaker 2: So I'm sort of hoping he stays down there for another year. He is a left wing, so again we want to kind of keep in mind too, what do we have, where do we slot people in and when do we want to bring them up? Some of it is do you have a space now? If not, hey develop yourself a little bit further in the NCAA. Can he plays center too? I'm just looking at a little you know.

40:18 Speaker 1: I did a little kind of AI tell me about the Ruins prospects today, and they have him listed as a center and left wing.

40:28 Speaker 2: But he is his preferred because Hagen's is definitely a center. I think he can spot in a center, but left wing is his natural. Okay, Hagens is a center, but this season he's been playing on the wing with Teddy Steegers. So yeah. So now, speaking of Hagens, he's been a point per game player for the last two seasons and he's exceeding that this year. He's the top player at BC this week. Just this week he had a three point game against Providence. I mean, he's just he's got a strong four check, plays an aggressive game, and he's got so much hockey sense.

41:03 Speaker 2: Just you watch him on the ices, just otherworldly. But the thing is, and again I said this already, he has fun playing the game. And I look at when I when I think about that, I figure like Will Smith and Max Celebrity over at the Sharks. They're up and coming, but they're having a ball, and that's what you want to see. I mean, it's hockey, it's a game. Have some fun with that. One thing that I really thought was interesting Matt Hagens is at the World Juniors. He showed a lot of leadership, you know, he had He was wearing the A but he was collecting for a charity, so every time they want, he was making a contribution, was asking for people to make sense.

41:40 Speaker 2: I'm sort of sort of wondering if that's the Jesuit influence right there, but it speaks to a level of leadership and a level of churnity. There's just nothing not to like about about James Haggens. Is he a freshman as well? He's a sophomore, so he actually had a great year last year, but he had a couple of guys head of him who went pro at the end of last year, so this was really his year to shine. So I'm guessing he's coming up at the end of the BCC.

42:07 Speaker 1: I was just going to say that is and I mean typically BC makes deep runs into Pucky East and even the Frozen Four. So I was wondering if there is any possibility, depending on how that all plays out, whether we could see him this.

42:26 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we're going to see him. Even if we don't see the end, we'll see him beginning next. I think he's coming up. Okay, now nobody's told me that, but but just based on based on the trajectory of the guys he was playing with, on his trajectory, I think that that's what's going to happen. Makes it makes sense, speak of guys. I don't want to come up yet, Yes, okay, all right, so we've got Will Zeller's on that list right now. Yeah, i'd like you. I mean again, I wouldn't hate it if he came up.

42:58 Speaker 4: No, no, no, but I understand what right, he's a freshman, So yes, I'm with.

43:04 Speaker 2: You on that.

43:05 Speaker 1: Let's let's not jump the shark on that one quite quite yet.

43:09 Speaker 2: Who was the other player, so, James Hagens, I'm ready to come up. I think he'd be fine. Dean Laturno though he's also a BC. Yes, we've talked about our friend Dean before.

43:20 Speaker 1: We have because he's he has been on people's radars, but not for the right reason until recently.

43:31 Speaker 2: This year he is knocking it out of the park, second in points of BC to Hagen's first and goals. He's head of Hagens and goals this year, fourth and assists. He's a pointy game player. Last year he played thirty six games three points. Is he really six feet seven inches? I know, I just see this. I'm like, what the hell, Yeah, he's up to He's got twenty points this season compared to his three of last year. I mean, he's amazing. Now. I have to say when I did these, I was working on these the last couple of days and everybody's playing games and numbers are a little lot right, but they're closed.

44:10 Speaker 2: But the thing is, there's I remember watching him right after he was drafted and Caroline said to me, is he standing out on the ice? I'm like, well, he is, because he's tall. Other than that, like, it wasn't like it was like, oh there he is, Like Hagen's on the ice this year, I'm like, oh there he is laturnover Now. It was only because he was standing heading shoulders. But this year, what a difference in watching him move around the ice. He dominates, he creates chances, and he's taking advantage of other chances that are provided, Like he's just he's finding these open places he's available.

44:48 Speaker 2: His skating is just so much different than it was last year. He's got this confidence and he's had multiple multiple games this season, and the kid can snipe, so I wouldn't have missed that last year.

45:04 Speaker 1: Yeah, I felt kind of bad for him last season, just the criticism that was being levied at him.

45:11 Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, the thing was and and I mentioned this in the sub stack earlier in the year, I kind of did a quick little preview before World Juniors of some of our younger guys. The thing is with him is he he came up a year early. He was at the EHL level and he was so he wasn't meant to come up, but somebody from BC went pro Will Smith and his space opened up. So he ended up coming to BC a year earlier that he was expected to. And the fact is that team was stacked last year, so there wasn't really space for him.

45:45 Speaker 2: There wasn't nobody.

45:46 Speaker 1: You're absolutely right that that team was a wagon. They they were they were the Colorado Avalanche.

45:54 Speaker 2: That's exactly a y and and a bunch of those guys ended going pro. So what I hope for him, I feel like this is the freshman year and we're seeing from him what we wanted to. I feel like if he could have another year, that would really help his development. Again, I think he's doing great things, but I'm really hoping they keep him down one more year. And then there's one other center I want to talk about, which is kail Yamlanov, who I'm sure I'm butchering his name. He is. He was drafted by the Bruins this year, but he's playing juniors in Russia, okay, and he was an NHL All Star, And I haven't seen him play because you know, Russian juniors, but the scouting reports sound like he is a two way player with really great hockey sense.

46:46 Speaker 2: He's fourth in points for his team, he's second in goals, he's fourth in assists. But this season so far he's done thirty seven games, he's got nineteen goals, seventeen assists, thirty six points, and he's a plus twenty. Holy moly, this is what I'm saying, Jesus. So I don't know when we would see him or sort of, you know, and it does get a little trickier when you're in these some of these international leagues. But he's one that I want to bring up because that kid on a heater. Wow.

47:19 Speaker 1: Yeah, so he's just that's the first I'm hearing of the name. But yeah, I'll take up a point plus player per game and right.

47:30 Speaker 2: Yeah, so he's somebody that I think is really is really great. We've got a couple of other guys that these are the ones that I think are are going to be talked about for this season well, and.

47:41 Speaker 1: Their quote unquote household names that I think, you know, our listeners want to hear about. I know that, you know, there are many who are anxious in seeing some of the names and players that you have mentioned sooner rather than later. And who may be you know, a bit frustrated that things haven't worked out as had been expected on some of these players. But you know, I think that could be said of any organization. I don't think this is an issue that is you know, a chronic just exclusive to the Boston Bruins.

48:20 Speaker 1: It maybe just you know, because there's been so much notoriety around past drafts that haven't gone well for the Boston Bruins.

48:30 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I totally agree with you. So I think that I think one of the things that that's been a really fun mind exercise, and but it will make your head explode, is Okay, let's start looking at these guys. Where do they slot in well? And again comes out he comes in. This This is a place, right you make yourself crazy right now.

48:52 Speaker 1: You've got contracts at your NHL level where you're paying some of these guys. We'll go, Bucks, who are you gonna who are you going to pull out of the lineup to give these kids a chance right now when you've already made a commitment to a certain number of players on your current roster.

49:14 Speaker 2: Nope, that's exactly right now. I do want it. There's a couple of guys really quick that we should bring up. Well. I do want to mention Michael Dps the goalie. The goalie.

49:22 Speaker 1: We've got to talk about the goalie AHL All Star top goalie in the AHL right now.

49:29 Speaker 2: And there's a lot of conversation online right now because Bussy is tarted up right now.

49:34 Speaker 1: Unbelievable and never happy for I know I am happy for him too. I thought he was a solid goaltending goaltender. I think a lot of the conversation right now is crapping on the Bruins organization for basically, I can go for virtually nothing.

49:52 Speaker 2: But yeah, well, I'm sorry that we did get a trade for he was at the end of his contract. But I also think we should have gotten something for him. But I agree with you, Corpy. We've got it locked in till twenty twenty eight and then Dpetro this year top ahl goalie. Last year he was third in the league. We've got him under contract till the end of next season. He's played twenty one games, has had one shutout, his GAA one point seventy four, save percentage point nine three eight. He's phenomenal.

50:24 Speaker 1: See now, I think again, this is a This is a good problem for the Bruins.

50:31 Speaker 2: To have in the fact that, Okay.

50:35 Speaker 1: You're retooling, rebuilding, Jonis Corposalo is still a serviceable goalie. Yep, he's indicated that he wants to play more, and you've got the flexibility of potentially being able to move Jonas if not during the trade deadline.

50:58 Speaker 2: This season.

50:59 Speaker 1: Most certainly, I would think that Jonas Corposalo will be on the move to another team at the end of the twenty twenty five twenty six sees.

51:10 Speaker 2: And that's what we'll have to see. I mean again, he's got the contract through the twenty seven to twenty eight season, so it depends what they could do with that. So you know, I sort of worry that we might be enjoying Dpietro from AFAR, but I'm hoping were not. Well.

51:25 Speaker 1: I mean again, you can look at it in terms of that might be even a better selling point to someone who wants him, because he's got a little bit of term left on his deal, so I don't think he has a bad deal in the scheme of you know, goaltender salaries.

51:42 Speaker 2: And as we already heard from Caroline, we've got Cavalin to come up and take his place for the people, so we're all set there.

51:50 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think the Bruins have to some degree a little bit of an abundance.

51:53 Speaker 2: Of riches when it comes to goaltender, which is great because that's hailing cups. Yeah, defense, defense, and good goaltending.

52:02 Speaker 1: There is one other player I want to get your thoughts on because as I did my little kind of quick research ahead of our recording, a name that I haven't heard came up as under other noteworthy prospects, Cooper Simpson.

52:19 Speaker 2: So Cooper Simpson, I actually really liked him. I did. If people go back to the sub stack from earlier, at like a month or two ago, I did mention him there. I did talk about him at DEV camp. The thing is he's still young, so I don't think we're going to be seeing him for a little bit. He was drafted this year in the third round. He's playing for USHL right now. He is committed to North Dakota for next year, so he hasn't even started his NCAA career yet. Correct, So that's where for him. He was second point.

52:53 Speaker 2: This was back in the fall, second points at Youngtown, third in the USHL. He's tearing it up, for sure. He's a great player. But I also think because he's getting ready for his freshman year, we're not going to see him just yet. He's somebody to keep in the pipeline. Cooper Simpson, Chris Pelosi, Jonathan Morello, Will Moore, and Beckett Hendrickson. Those are all names that I think are probably a couple more years out, but they're all names to kind of keep in the back of your head, say, oh, I've had my eye on them for a while, and you'll be all right, right, all right.

53:31 Speaker 2: But Cooper Simpson in particular, he's having a great season. So based on this and the information that you have shared with us, it's made I know, it's made me feel a little more at ease about the future and the development of these young players, which has been questionable.

54:00 Speaker 4: That's a nice way of putting it questionable, Marie, Thank you.

54:06 Speaker 2: I appreciate that, Mary.

54:07 Speaker 1: Ben, But you know, it's it's been a bone of contention where the Boston Bruins have been concerned in the past because you know, there's questions about how are you identifying these players and why is their development appearing to be stagnant? And then it doesn't transition to the big boy club when we knew they were running at one point whatever system was being run by the Boston Bruins, the coaching staff was running the same program, the same system down in Providence. So this does make me feel better in that it.

54:51 Speaker 3: Seems to.

54:53 Speaker 1: Have the organizational shift is on the upswing.

55:00 Speaker 2: It feels like it to me. And it may just be that I'm paying more attention now, but I just feel like we've got this pipeline of development now where again, we've got people in a bunch of different places. Like you asked about Cooper Simpson, he's a couple of years out, but yet he's in our pipeline. He's being developed and he's tearing it up. We've got a couple of guys in the next year or two where we could see them coming up really comfortably. We have a couple and again, we're always gonna have something that aren't.

55:30 Speaker 1: Going to pan out right, No, No, And we've discussed and that's what that happens, right, any variety of reasons.

55:39 Speaker 2: When do you move on? When do you decide that we're not the ones to development now? Again, Don Sweeney a gift is bringing these guys in from other teams, yes, and helping them to shine. Well, at what point do we say, all right, you should go somewhere else to shine? Correct? Correct, correct?

55:56 Speaker 1: And I think he seems to be willing to let other teams teams do the development for him because sometimes they're not very good at that, right, and bringing those guys in that way, So who I hate to do it this way, but in terms of kind of on the depth chart from top to bottom of the players that you've just discussed, who do you, in your view has the most upside and then working our way down.

56:29 Speaker 2: Into our well for sure, I mean Haggins and Zeller's without question, and we've seen them on the world stage and that makes a huge difference. I think lush Mellis and I think it's going to be fun to watch him at the Olympics. You know, he's so young and it's it was so funny when they announced it. But their team is smaller, their group is smaller, but he's had that experience. So I think that those are ones. Obviously, Frederick Burnet, I think I do think that he is next up as far as when we're looking at Providence, but when we see we're going to see him, So I think that for me, that's where it goes.

57:03 Speaker 2: I think then we start to get into Yemmel and off we get into Laturno. We get into these guys who maybe could come up now or maybe they could still percolate and develop a little bit longer, a little bit again Zeller's, I'm not sure what they're going to do with him. They'll make that decision on it. I wouldn't hate it if he came up, but I also wouldn't hate it if he developed a little bit more. I do think Licell, we're getting to that do or die situation. I think Markolov they need to make some decisions on so when we're looking at the depth charge as far as those goo, I would throw Matt Potra in that.

57:39 Speaker 2: In that and I think Patra isn't there too. I think again, I think signing him to another two years, I'm not I'm not going to hate it. Licel is also an RFA at the end of this year, so we're going to see some interesting things that come up. I'm hoping they signed Blamel, you know, and extend his one year contract, hoping to hear that sooner rather than later. They may also be waiting on that because he's having a good run in Providence, so maybe that's maybe they're going to put that off a little bit and to see how far he takes that, or maybe he comes up sooner with injury.

58:14 Speaker 2: Well, this does give I would thank dohn Sweeney as a general manager a good deal of flexibility as end end assets depending on how he wants to build this team moving forward. Yeah, I agree with you. I think we've got a whole bunch of possibility switch, which does beg the question of why are you bringing up Sweeze every other day?

58:42 Speaker 1: This poor kid has been like a yo yo in the last wood. Has it been forty eight hours? Yes, he's Oh he's coming up. Nope, going back to Providence.

58:50 Speaker 2: No, no, we'll sending him back. Yeah, back to Providence. So and there's nothing that tells me he should be coming up. But I think again, it comes back to Brene, I think is the better place, but Sweeze is able to come up. I felt the same way though about Asper. I felt like Asper was a placeholder when he came up and look at how well he's done. He's I mean, he's been well.

59:10 Speaker 1: Yeah, you can't send him, Yeah, you can't send him or his mustache. Oh you cannot need to step back to Providence right now. I forget what the stat was in terms of the Bruins like on you know what their their goals for and their goals against. Since he's come back in the lineup, but it's it's been pretty terrific.

59:31 Speaker 2: It's been amazing to give them. When he first came up, I really just thought he was he was a good place, or he'd be decent, he wouldn't harm us. But I didn't expect him to bring so much extra the table. He's really brought it up a nunch. Maybe we'll see that from Sweeze if he actually gets on the ice, that's a chance. But I but he's one that I I. My thought is he came up so the younger kids can continue their run, you know, but.

59:56 Speaker 1: He's taken full advantage of it, which is credit to him. We're making it difficult for coaching staff management to make a decision about sending him back. You can't, I mean you just you can't, because his play speaks for itself and his contribution speaks for itself.

1:00:17 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I do want to see I would like to see Ridley Tufti is on a one year contract. I'd like to see if we could give him a shot. The kid kids score the kidd he's twenty seven, but he's at UFA at the end of this season. I want them to give him a fair shot before he just walks. Okay, now that's fair, that's fair. We'll see we'll see if that comes to the left wing. So again specific and he's not that flight, he is a left wing. Okay, Well this has been for me. I know.

1:00:46 Speaker 1: I always feel so much more informed after we have you on the pod in terms of, you know, the prospects and the rookies. So thank you so much for all of the information.

1:00:58 Speaker 2: And I know the.

1:00:59 Speaker 1: Research and how much time you spend keeping tabs on these young players for the benefit of our listeners, So I thank you very very much.

1:01:10 Speaker 2: Well, it is truly my pleasure. They really, particularly right now, they bring me so much joy. Well, and it does make you feel good. It does make you feel good about.

1:01:21 Speaker 4: The direction of the organization where you could fall into the you know, the negativity spin, the constant negativity spin of the you know, the organization doesn't know how to draft players, they don't know how to develop players, and that was likely true to some degree in the past, but I think they're recognizing the errors of their ways, and I believe that that is one of the major reasons that they brought Marco Stern and I think so too as a coach.

1:01:54 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I think so too. I was really, as you know, I was excited when they brought him in because he is known for his player development, and that's really where we are in this retool of developing these younger players, and I'm hoping we're giving them a fair shot now.

1:02:08 Speaker 1: Yeah, the first step is admitting that you're wrong, and the second step is taking steps to remedy that you.

1:02:16 Speaker 2: Don't do that again.

1:02:18 Speaker 1: So let's see where that takes us. Well, folks, thank you for listening. For more content, please subscribe. You can find us on pretty much any platform that you listen to podcasts. You find us on YouTube, Apple, Spotify. You can subscribe, leave us a rating and a review so other Ruins fans can find us. You can also support the podcast by joining our Patreon or following us on our socials. You can find us there at Tape to Tape MK and on Substack at Tape Tape MK dot substack dot com. Any closing thoughts, Mary Gott just keep an eye on these kids.

1:03:08 Speaker 2: They are fun. I Am going to tune in.

1:03:13 Speaker 1: We'll have some we'll have some quiet time during the Olympics as there won't be any any jelf hockey on, so I am going to make it a point to check in on these young players that you spend so much time getting us information on. So with that said, folks, go babes.