DeBrusk, Heinen see bigger picture
NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I. — The Bruins have numerous holes in their lineup. One is at left wing. This summer, general manager Don Sweeney will have various methods at his disposal to plug the holes. He could make a trade. He could go the expensive free agency route.
But there are a couple of young players in Providence who surely hope Sweeney finds his guy — or guys — in-house. And right now, they’re putting their best feet forward toward earning a good, long look in training camp.
Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen followed up strong debut pro seasons with good firstround playoff performances for the AHL Bruins. They both get more chances to impress the Bruins brass when they open a bestof-seven series against the Hershey Bears tomorrow.
On the verge of elimination at the hands of the AHL’s top team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, DeBrusk scored twice in a 4-2 road win to force a deciding Game 5. Heinen then scored both goals in a 2-1 Providence victory that also featured a 50-save performance by goalie Zane McIntyre.
DeBrusk has a slightly higher pedigree than Heinen, being one of the Bruins’ three first-round picks in 2015 (14th overall). He has spent the entire season with Providence, rebounding from a slow start to post 19 goals and 30 assists in a team-high 74 games. He added three goals and an assist against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. DeBrusk had 213 shots during the regular season, tops among AHL rookies.
“He’s been tremendous throughout the year,” B’s executive director of player development John Ferguson Jr. said this week. “He’s really made strides. Early on, he had high shot totals and the production wasn’t coming just yet, the conversion rate wasn’t there.
“But he finished really strong, a great second half. He believes he’s ready to play (in Boston), without question. He’s got great confidence, but he’s never once allowed that to adversely affect his play down here.”
DeBrusk is not big (6-foot, 183 pounds), but he’s wiry and possesses tenacity and willingness to go to the scoring areas.
“He’ll sacrifice his body to make plays,” Ferguson said. “He plays bigger than he is, and with a little added strength and power in his first pro offseason coming up, he’s only going to get better.”
The B’s have remained patient with DeBrusk, which took a certain level of commitment when they were searching for a fit on David Krejci’s left wing. Many of his teammates received long looks in Boston — including injured teammate Peter Cehlarik — while he stayed on the farm. If DeBrusk was annoyed, he kept it to himself.
“He didn’t admit it to me, but I brought him in and told him, ‘When guys are brought up, you’re in every discussion.’ But I think they’d like him to be playing 20 minutes a night here instead of maybe not playing as much. He understood that,” Providence coach Kevin Dean said. “I think the fact that his father (former NHLer Louie DeBrusk) gets it and is a good influence on him in terms of the big picture — it doesn’t matter where you are in March of your first year but where you are in March of your second or third — has helped. He’s ingrained that in Jake, and to Jake’s credit, he’s bought in.”
DeBrusk, 20, has enough maturity to not take this season as a snub.
“It just wasn’t my time,” he said. “It’s just one of those things where they want to be patient with me, they want me to get developed, and you can see it really working out now.”
Heinen, meanwhile, made the Bruins roster after a strong camp but could not stick. Chosen in the fourth round in 2014, he played eight NHL games without a point. When he was sent to Providence, he started well but hit a rough patch. The message from Dean was he needed to be stronger on the puck and use his body more to get possession. Heinen snapped out of his slump and finished with 14 goals and 30 assists in 64 games. He has four goals and two assists in the playoffs.
“When Danton Heinen possesses the puck, good things are going to happen,” Dean said.
Barring any trades, it looks like a heavy field vying for forward spots in next season’s camp. Cehlarik should be in the running, as could Notre Dame prospect Anders Bjork if he signs. Frank Vatrano also is trying to establish himself as a top-six forward.
“Making the team out of camp should give me confidence going forward,” said Heinen, 21. “But also coming back down here and spending most of the season here, that makes you want it even more.”
While focused on the Calder Cup playoffs, DeBrusk also hopes to reside in Boston next season.
“It’s your dream, and everyone wants to be up there,” he said. “It’s one of those things that excited you and motivates you. And it’s going to motivate me until I earn a shot.”