With so much else going on, or not going on, on various fronts for the Bruins this week, the annual development camp at Warrior Ice Arena may have gotten a bit overshadowed.
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That might not be the worst thing, as there can sometimes be a tendency to over-analyze a week that’s designed more for teaching the prospects on hand rather than having them battle for jobs and roster spots. The latter will happen more in the regular, full-team training camp in September.
That said, there was still plenty to be gleaned from the week, which culminated with Friday’s scrimmage. Here are 11 things that stood out:
1) Oskar Jellvik, a 2021 fifth-round pick, was arguably the breakout star. He consistently looked like one of the best, most exciting players on the ice and scored twice in the camp-ending 5-on-5 scrimmage, which finished in a 4-4 tie.
Both goals (which you can watch below) featured a lot of what he showed throughout the week: skill with the puck, good hands, determination to get to the net, and an ability to finish in close.
Jellvik, a 19-year-old, 5-foot-11 left wing, is coming off a stellar season with Djurgardens in Sweden’s under-20 junior league, where he put up 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists) in 41 games to rank seventh in the league in scoring. He is heading to Boston College this fall.
“Oskar Jellvik popped to me,” said Jamie Langenbrunner, the Bruins’ director of player development. “He's not a guy we see a lot, but the skill level, the creativity.”
2) Georgii Merkulov’s offensive skill is evident. Next up: Improving his defensive play. The 21-year-old center, signed out of Ohio State in the spring, was funny while discussing his defense this week, but it’s clear that he’s not taking the work lightly.
“The D-zone is my area of focus,” he said. “They say that my offensive game is there, but I have to work on my D-zone. That's been an issue since I was like 13 years old.
“I've been working on that in school, juniors, even when I played for Youngstown. Coaches would say, ‘Scouts always ask about you but they don't like how you play in the D-zone, so you have to be better, and you will have success.’ So, it's the same here in Boston. They always say ‘D-zone, D-zone, D-zone.’”
Merkulov, who had 34 points in 36 games as a freshman at Ohio State, acknowledged that he sometimes “cheats” or pulls himself out of position in the D-zone because he’s so eager to get going on offense as quickly as possible. He’s working on being more responsible and taking care of his defensive play first.
In addition to his regular video work with the Providence Bruins staff, he also bought an account for a video program that allows him to watch all his shifts himself so he can get a better understanding of what he’s doing right and wrong.
Merkulov said he’s also looking forward to meeting and watching Patrice Bergeron, whom he called “a master of the D-zone.” He could also pick up a thing or two from his idol. Merkulov said his favorite player growing up was fellow Russian Pavel Datsyuk, who won three Selke Trophies with Detroit.
The Bruins see it as a positive that Merkulov is acknowledging his defensive deficiencies and putting in the effort to work on them.
“It's nice that's he worked at it himself and he wants to work at it,” said Adam McQuaid, Boston’s player development coordinator. “Seems like it will be a good fit that way.”
3) Johnny Beecher wants to score more goals. When asked what he was working on this summer, the 2019 first-round pick’s answer was simple.
“A big thing for me this offseason has been scoring goals,” Beecher said. “It’s something I’ve struggled with a little bit in the past. I've been working with [University of Michigan assistant coach] Brandon Naurato out in Plymouth, Michigan, and just kind of dissecting the shot and where to look at goalies when you're coming down at certain angles and things like that.”
Beecher has all the size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds), speed and strength you want from an NHL player, and he did well this past season in a third-line, defensive role on a loaded Michigan team. But yes, the offense still leaves plenty to be desired. After scoring nine goals as a freshman at Michigan, Beecher scored just 10 in 50 games as a sophomore and junior while also missing significant time due to injury.
From this perspective, Beecher’s shot did look dangerous at times this week, but there were also a few occasions he hit the goalie square in the gut and looked frustrated with himself.
Beecher could get a chance to compete for a fourth-line role in Boston this fall, but it could also be helpful for him to play in some more offensive situations in Providence to see if there is still some untapped offensive potential there.
4) We got our first look at 2022 draft picks Matthew Poitras, Cole Spicer, Dans Locmelis, Frederic Brunet, Reid Dyck and Jackson Edward.
Poitras and Locmelis both stood out with some silky, skilled moves and good shots. Spicer looked like a prototypical Minnesota-Duluth forward: Hard worker, gets to dirty areas, never gives up on a play.
Brunet looked really calm and confident with the puck on his stick, especially during Friday’s 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 scrimmages. Edward was one of the most physical players on the ice and probably could’ve done some damage if guys were really trying to hit hard. I won’t pretend to have gotten a detailed enough look at Dyck, as judging goalies in a camp like this is tough.
Langenbrunner highlighted Poitras as one of the players who impressed him.
“Our second-round pick this year, Matthew Poitras, stood out for me. Just his sense, his willingness to play inside,” Langenbrunner said.
5) Marc McLaughlin was clearly one of the leaders among this group of 36 prospects, with someone half-jokingly referring to the Billerica native as “the captain” in the locker room at one point.
That’s not too surprising. The 22-year-old (turning 23 on July 26) center/wing was one of the older players at camp and he was a two-year captain at Boston College, so he was one of the few with leadership experience at that high of a level, too. And while he wasn’t actually a Bruins prospect yet, he was also at last year’s development camp as an invite.
McLaughlin made a memorable first impression in 11 games with the Bruins towards the end of last season, scoring three goals, including one in his NHL debut on TD Garden ice in front of dozens of family members and friends.
McLaughlin, who scored the winning goal in Friday’s 3-on-3 tournament at camp, will certainly have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the Bruins’ opening night roster this year. His combination of physical play, a good shot and defensive smarts fit what the B’s are looking for in their bottom six.
“Just kind of been focusing on fine-tuning my individual skill,” McLaughlin said when asked what he was working on this summer. “Whether that be my skating, my skill work, poise with the puck, I think that can definitely be improved, and there’s no better time to do that than in the summer. So I’ve been working on that.”
Defenseman Ty Gallagher even gave McLaughlin some rare BU-on-BC love, citing McLaughlin as an example he wants to follow.
“It's awesome to be on the ice with a guy like that,” Gallagher said. “He's a hard worker, and to see a guy like that who's that much closer to the NHL and just how he works and approaches every day is fun to watch and is something I can take notes on.”
6) Riley Duran, a 2020 sixth-round pick, looks like another prototypical Providence College forward. Think Tim Schaller, Noel Acciari, Kevin Rooney, Brandon Tanev: physical, feisty, relentless.
The Woburn native had 10 goals and nine assists in 38 games as a freshman this past season. Continued offensive progress will give him a chance to follow in those Friar forefathers’ steps and play NHL games.
“He took big strides,” McQuaid said of Duran’s past year. “A guy that I never had to question what I was gonna get when I went to his games. I knew he was gonna bring the work ethic. He competes. As the season went on, I thought he got more comfortable and confident with the puck. I think he scored 10 goals as a freshman, so that’s pretty good. More so the offensive side of his game grew as the season went on.”
Duran has another camp coming up on July 24, as he is one of 60 players who’s been invited to evaluation camp for the 2022 U.S. World Junior team. That tournament, postponed from December/January due to COVID, will be played Aug. 9-20 in Edmonton.
Duran may have an uphill battle to make the final 25-man roster, but it’s not hard to envision him being picked for a grinder/checking-line type role. The fact that Nate Leaman, his coach at PC, is the team’s head coach probably doesn’t hurt.
“I’m just happy I got the invitation for the camp,” Duran said. “I’m gonna go play my game and see what happens from there.”
7) Another prospect who will be at U.S. World Junior camp is defenseman Ty Gallagher, a 2021 seventh-round pick. Asked if there’s anyone he tries to model his game after, Gallagher gave an answer Bruins fans will love.
“Definitely Charlie McAvoy,” Gallagher said. “I feel like I play like him. I try to model my game a little bit after him. It's hard to be as good as he is, but definitely a BU guy. Just the way he carries himself around Boston and around the rink is great, and I definitely try to model my game after him.”
Needless to say, the Bruins would be thrilled if a seventh-round pick turns into anything even remotely resembling McAvoy. While no one should be setting the bar at McAvoy heights, there is reason to believe Gallagher will out-perform his draft slot.
The 19-year-old has a great shot, which he used to score 14 goals in his final season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, and which he showed off during one-timer drills this week. Last season, he played a top-four role as a freshman at Boston University for a team that at one point was the hottest in the country, but ultimately just missed the NCAA tournament.
“He came in as the youngest guy on their team, and he was just confident,” McQuaid said of Gallagher. “I always say about Ty, he’s a gamer. He just loves to compete. How hard he works, he’s just a guy that wants to continue to get better. He has the right approach. He asks questions.”
8) As noted earlier, camps like this aren’t always the best for evaluating goalies, but one who did stand out was 2021 fourth-round pick Philip Svedeback.
In Friday’s 5-on-5 scrimmage, Svedeback made two big point-blank saves on Joseph Abate and denied Riese Gaber on a breakaway. He also came up big in the 3-on-3 tournament part of the day, helping his team win said tourney.
“He brought our team to a victory in the 3-on-3 today. He did great,” Duran said of Svedeback.
Svedeback will be joining Duran at Providence College this season. He’ll have a good chance to compete for the starting job there given that the Friars’ everyday starter from this past season, Jaxson Stauber, turned pro.
9) Speaking of Riese Gaber, he’s a name to keep an eye on. The undrafted right wing was at camp as an invite, and the Bruins and other NHL teams will continue to track him throughout his junior season at the University of North Dakota.
Gaber was North Dakota’s leading scorer as a sophomore with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 34 games. If he continues to build on that, he’ll certainly have offers from NHL teams after the season, despite his size (5-foot-8) and age (he’ll turn 23 in October).
“Riese Gaber’s a really good hockey player,” Langenbrunner said. “He’s got what I believe you need if you’re going to play at that size. He’s got a lot of courage. He’s got a really good stick. He can get underneath guys. His motor is nonstop. … He’s a guy we’ll definitely be tracking.”
10) The Bruins’ top two prospects, Fabian Lysell and Mason Lohrei, were not on the ice. Lysell was back home in Sweden preparing for August’s World Junior Championship. While he wanted to attend, he and the Bruins ultimately decided that it didn’t make a lot of sense for him to fly to Boston now, fly back to Sweden for World Junior camp, then fly back to North America for the tournament, all within a few weeks of each other.
“He was disappointed, quite honestly. He wanted to be here,” Langenbrunner said. “It's an opportunity for him to meet everybody and be around. But after talking through with him … bouncing back and forth would just mess up his summer too much. He's going to come in here after World Juniors. He'll have a good almost month until [training] camp to spend around here then.”
Lohrei, meanwhile, is recovering from knee surgery. He was at Warrior for the week and participated in some off-ice stuff, but he won’t be back skating for a couple more weeks.
“It's going well,” Lohrei said of his rehab. “It's really cool being here this week and working with the trainers here, doing a lot of new stuff. I'm in a later phase now. Just trying to strengthen as much as I can and get back on the ice soon. I start skating in a couple weeks here. Been itching for a while.”
Langenbrunner said the Bruins really like what they saw from Lohrei as a freshman at Ohio State, and like the way he continues to mature physically. The 6-foot-4, 21-year-old defenseman will be going back to Ohio State for his sophomore season.
“His frame. He's filling out. He's going from a boy to a man,” Langenbrunner said. “He carries himself just a little bit differently now. I think watching him during the season, his poise with the puck, his ability to create and make plays. At 6-5 or whatever he is, to move like he does, is pretty impressive.
“I think the thing you'll get from all the staff around here is the way he carries himself in the room. Everyone really enjoys him. It's been great just having him here even though he couldn't skate. He's progressing well. And according to the medical staff, should be ahead of time. That's a good thing.”
11) Last but certainly not least: Congratulations are in order for Danielle Marmer, who was officially hired as the Bruins’ new player development and scouting assistant this week. She is the first woman to be hired by the Bruins in an on-ice/player development role.
Marmer was on the ice at Warrior working with Bruins prospects throughout the week. She will work directly with player development coordinator Adam McQuaid to help develop the team’s prospects at all levels.
Marmer doesn’t see herself as a trailblazer, but rather the latest in a growing list of women who are landing prominent jobs throughout the NHL.
“It’s an honor to work for the Bruins, regardless of gender,” Marmer said. “Luckily I’m not a trailblazer. There are a lot of women right now in leadership roles in the NHL and other development roles. I like to think of myself as a reinforcer, just that that’s going to continue. I definitely won’t be the last.”
Marmer played at Quinnipiac University from 2013-17. She spent two years as an assistant coach at Connecticut College after graduating, then returned to her alma mater as the director of player development and hockey operations for Quinnipiac’s women’s hockey team.
She spent the 2021-22 season as one of 12 participants in the Bruins’ diversity and inclusion mentorship program, working closely with associate director of amateur scouting Ryan Nadeau. While Marmer knew that was a great opportunity, she never envisioned it leading to a full-time job with the team.
“I envisioned it as being an opportunity to work on my ability to evaluate players, but I had no intention of trying to get in with the Bruins,” Marmer said. “…I think he [Nadeau] liked my reports on players and my ability to talk hockey.”
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