Major results from the minors
Like their NHL brothers, the Providence Bruins are among their league’s best
PROVIDENCE — In a tight hallway under the grandstands at Amica Mutual Pavilion, Georgii Merkulov was seeing the ice on the concrete wall in front of him. As he stickhandled a golf ball, two imaginary defenders charged in. He worked his way around, under, and through them, finding a teammate who wasn’t open until that moment. In his mind, the Providence Bruins had another scoring chance.
The sinewy forward kept tapping the little white ball to himself, off the wall, juggling it airborne. He grew up in Russia studying Pavel Datsyuk, and while no 22-year-old can match the Magic Man’s guile, Merkulov has clearly lifted a few moves from his bag of tricks.
The Bruins can’t wait to see what he pulls off next. Providence’s leading scorer (24-30—54 in 65 games) is preparing for his first playoff run as a pro. As soon as he learns to adapt to the physical punishment, play consistent defense, and bring his best nightly, he will be warming his hands for NHL shifts.
“I’m not sure there’s a ceiling,” said Providence general manager Evan Gold, who described Merkulov as a “rink rat” who is hellbent on improvement. Coach Ryan Mougenel said Merkulov has made great strides defensively.
The Bruins signing Merkulov as a college free agent and developing him into a top prospect is more evidence of their organizational robustness, as if the NHL records for points (135) and wins (65) in a season weren’t enough.
Providence was 42-18-8-2 entering its final two games and has one of the best winning percentages in the AHL. The P-Bruins earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, and will likely face the Hershey Bears in the Atlantic Division semifinals.
The P-Bruins will also likely supplement Boston’s playoff roster with a handful of “Black Aces,” who practice with the NHL team and are ready for duty. Already, a dozen Providence players have reinforced the deepest team in the NHL during its historic season. Including the ECHL’s Maine Mariners (40-27-2-1), Boston and its affiliates have won approximately twothirds of their games this year.
The days of the Bruins’ resources and facilities lagging behind their NHL counterparts are long gone. Players say their roles and expectations are clearly defined and communicated. Mougenel and his Boston counterpart, Jim Montgomery, employ the same high-paced attack and layered zone defense.
“Everything’s the same, top to bottom, systematically,” said Providence defenseman and second-year captain Josiah Didier. “When guys get called up, it’s a seamless transition.”
Providence has given Boston plenty of options. Energetic winger Jakub Lauko, who has suited up for 23 games with the Bruins, looks like a full-time NHLer. Forwards Oskar Steen, Joona Koppanen, and Marc McLaughlin are a few credits shy of graduating, as are defenseman Jack Ahcan and goalie Brandon Bussi, who is third in the AHL in save percentage (.925).
Providence is winning with players who have proven themselves in the NHL (defensemen Mike Reilly and Anton Stralman, forward Chris Wagner) and the AHL (forward Vinni Lettieri, defenseman Connor Carrick), who are teaching first-year pros such as Merkulov, John Beecher, Mason Lohrei, and Fabian Lysell how long a season can be.
Last year, Lysell played 81 junior games in the Western Hockey League and for Sweden’s national team, all in his age group. The 20year-old is on track to hit that number again this year, but Lysell’s reserves are low. He admits he’s exhausted. He is learning what it takes.
“Probably the most impressive thing is how they haven’t taken any time off,” Lysell said of the NHL’s Bruins. “They’ve found ways all the time, and they keep having guys stepping up.”
After wins, the NHL’s Bruins play “Dancing on My Own,” by Swedish pop star Robyn, and captain Patrice Bergeron might be in the corner, belting out the lyrics. Providence players go with “Danza Kuduro,” by Puerto Rican rapper Don Omar. They turn off the lights, and a disco strobe throws splashes of color around the room. The selected player of the game dons a faux bear head for the celebration.
“That’s why I wanted to sign here, not only because of the winning organization but the culture is everything here,” said Lettieri, a 28year-old who previously played in the Rangers and Ducks organizations. “Guys treat you the same down [in the AHL] as they do up [in the NHL].
“The leaders up there, there’s no shock to anyone why the guys are the captains, and the leaders who don’t have letters on their jerseys are just as important.”
Think about it, Lettieri continued. Someone who works a long time for a company has a daily routine. At a new job, “the first week to a month, you’re trying to A. not step on anyone’s toes, B. not get in the way of anyone, C. find your own routine and where everything is,” he said. “You’re trying to fit in and get by without, like, ruining anything.
“You get into the Boston locker room, and they make you feel like you’ve been there 10 years. People are helping you. Guys are checking in on you, seeing if you need anything. It’s big. You get comfortable in a day there.”
Outside of rush hours, Providence is an hour’s drive from Boston. Portland, Maine, where the ECHL’s Mariners play, is 90 minutes away. The Bruins this year had multiple prospects on New England college teams. It is easy for management — such as Gold, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, and player personnel head Jamie Langenbrunner — to visit with dozens of prospects per week.
“We can go there, shake their hands, ask how life is going, how is school, almost on a daily basis,” Gold said. “If I were a player, I would say that access is exciting to me. If I’m deserving of an opportunity, they’re going to see me. We’re in constant communication with everybody.”
For European players such as Merkulov, the Bruins offer the shortest flights back home. That wasn’t the primary reason he signed.
A few teams were interested in him after his freshman year at Ohio State, but none had the Bruins cachet.
“Teams like Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh — if those teams are offering you, you’re not turning it down,” Merkulov said. “Especially Boston; not many Russians play here. If you go to Detroit, you have [Sergei] Fedorov, Datsyuk, those guys. That’s hard to beat. Boston doesn’t have many Russians. Maybe I could be . . . ”
The Pavel Datsyuk of Boston?
He smiled. If that plays out, it would be a dream come true.
“Even Pasta [David Pastrnak] played here,” he noted. “[David] Krejci played here. [Jake] DeBrusk. Marchy [Brad Marchand]. All the superstars played here.”
Does Merkulov want to be next?
“Yeah, of course,” he said. “Everybody wants to be a superstar.”