Plenty of depth to youth movement
When a flu bug swept through the Bruins shortly before last Thursday’s game against Winnipeg, the team did not know how many players would suit up that night. They looked to Providence for emergency replacements.
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Now, if a comparable situation popped up not too many years ago, the B’s might have looked at the AHL team’s roster and said, “Well, uhhh, I don’t know. Maybe we could try this guy?”
There were few, if any, players able to step into the NHL lineup. Now the Bruins can take their pick.
Last week, they chose 22-year-old forward Colby Cave, who became the ninth rookie to skate for the Bruins this season, tied for the most in the NHL. Seven of those freshmen have netted their first NHL regularseason goals and played key roles in a surprisingly successful campaign.
In doing so, they’ve changed the future prospects for this organization.
“This particular moment in the cycle, a snapshot, if you will, I think it reflects well on what’s going on with this organization,” said John Ferguson, the executive director of player personnel and general manager of Providence. “And it bodes well for the coming years.”
The Bruins made it a primary goal to restock the depth in their organization a few years ago. It’s paying off. Where they once had few high-potential prospects, now they have many.
“There’s a real consis- tent message for these players,” said Ferguson. “They’re getting good support, they’re getting good direction, they’re earning opportunities and deliver- ing. So in a lot of ways, the development program is working the way it’s sup- posed to work, the way you hope it can. We’re not where we need to be. We know that. But certainly there’s enough of these players now where there’s a little bit of a critical mass, and it bodes well, not just for now, but near term and beyond.”
Two players Ferguson frequently talks about are defenseman Jakub Zboril and right winger Zach Senyshyn, the 13th and 15th picks in the 2015 draft. Zboril, 20, has 0-4-4 totals in 20 AHL games and is a plus-15. The speedy Senyshyn, also 20, has put up 6-9-15 numbers in 28 games.
“Those two are only two or three months into their first years as pros, and they’ve made really good strides,” said Ferguson. “With Zboril, it’s always a little bit more challenging for a defenseman to try to grab hold of as meaningful spot and hold it. But he’s been in the lineup every night and been really good.”
There’s hope the pipeline will be bolstered soon by players not even in the system yet. Team managers and scouts will flock to Buffalo for the world junior tournament, which runs through Jan. 5.
Six Bruins draftees will take part. The Team USA roster includes center Trent Frederic (8-8-19 at Wisconsin), defenseman Ryan Lindgren (2-2-4 at Minnesota) and goalie Jeremy Swayman (5-3-1, 2.38 goals-against average, .925 save percentage at Maine). The B’s 2017 first-round pick, defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, and forward Joona Koppanen will play for Team Finland, and forward Oscar Steen for Team Sweden.
“For us to have six guys taking part, that’s a pretty good number,” said Ferguson. “It’s a real good test for these kids, a testament that they’ve grown and developed and put themselves in the mix to be on their national teams. They all look like they’re going to be able to do something down the road.”
The Bruins could also have representation at the upcoming Olympics, notably Harvard’s Ryan Donato (8-7-15 in 10 games). It’s possible he’d turn pro afterward, and perhaps step right into the B’s lineup.
“I hate to ever make that speculation,” said Ferguson. “But look at some other guys who he played with and what they’ve done this year. He’s on that track. Look at (Alex) Kerfoot in Colorado (9-14-23 in 32 games), Jimmy Vesey (24-17-41 in 116 games for the Rangers in two years). These were his teammates and they didn’t need time in the (AHL). So I’m not going to speculate on that, but it’s a pretty good sign.”