When it comes to the 2021 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo this weekend, the Boston Bruins roster brings a little more pro experience to the mix on average than its counterparts on the Sabres and New Jersey Devils.
Defenseman Jack Ahcan is one of several prospects who got some NHL games in last season, his first in pro hockey after signing with the B’s as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2020. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Minnesota native played all four years at St. Cloud State, captaining the Huskies as a senior and all-situations player.
“It was obviously nice to get into some games last year with the Bruins,” Ahcan said after the second day of rookie camp before the team left Boston for Buffalo. “Just the experience of getting to meet the guys, the coaching staff and all of that.”
Although he has been a pro for just one season, Ahcan played about as much college hockey as you can in four years, while also helping Team USA capture a World Jr. Championship gold medal in 2017 with Charlie McAvoy. He’s battle-tested and ready to face the competition at the prospects challenge.
“He’s a pretty special player,” Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel said when asked about Ahcan. “Jamie Langenbrunner and Don (Sweeney) did a great job in recognizing a player who is obviously undersized but possesses a ton of skill and true to the Bruins fabric of who they are, he's a competitive player. Real great skating ability. Has it in his DNA to commit and complete plays.”
Mougenel ran the defense for Jay Leach’s Providence club last season and quickly learned what he had in Ahcan.
“He’s a player for me in the American League that I relied on heavily for minutes,” said Mougenel. “He played heavy, hard minutes. He played on that top power-play unit. He did a lot of things last year that I was really impressed with.”
The Devils and Sabres have had more draft choices and much earlier than the B’s since 2016. Both clubs boast an impressive array of top young talent under age 22. High-end forwards Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka were Buffalo’s first two selections in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. By contrast, Boston didn’t make a pick for the first time until 58th overall, taking defenseman Mason Lohrei. Quinn and Peterka will be facing the B’s futures this weekend. Lohrei is at Ohio State University.
However, to counter some of the younger, more skilled and flashy competition, the B’s also have Oskar Steen. Like Ahcan, Steen isn’t blessed with an abundance of height, and also like the latter, he got into 3 games with the NHL Bruins last spring. Steen just finished his second AHL season in Providence, but he’s been playing pro hockey in his native Sweden since 2015 and has more than 200 games in his country’s top league and second division under his belt.
“First, it was big for me to play a game up there in the NHL,” Steen said. “A lot of good players to play against, so it was a good experience for me. Especially the last game, I played a lot of minutes, so it was good for me.
“I think I can play both center and wing, and I can play all four lines,” said Steen. “I can play defense, offense, everywhere.”
Steen may not possess much height at 5-foot-8, but he has tree trunk-thick legs, which allow him to not only generate tremendous power in his short but fluid stride, but drive through contact from bigger, but lighter and more top-heavy opponents.
“I try to stay low on the ice, be strong on the pucks and make some hits, so that’s a big part of my game,” he said.
Steen is a natural finisher who doesn’t waste much time or energy when he catches a pass. If he’s anywhere near the net, a shot is usually swift to follow when Steen gets it in the wheelhouse. Given that his confidence is growing, especially after getting that first couple of NHL games out of the way after being a late-round selection of the Bruins in 2016, fans should expect to see more goals for Steen in the AHL. That could lead to more opportunities at the NHL level should the team need help at any point during 2021-22.
“Like a lot of guys that come across, Oskar no exception, it takes a year to get familiar with the pace, the size, the strength,” Mougenel said noting the transition challenges from the larger European ice surfaces. “They play differently (in Sweden) so it takes some time to get acclimated to how we play (here).
“I think the one thing about (Steen) is that he’s a competitive, in-your-face, abrasive…I think his identity is exactly what you saw in that Washington game. He has the ability to get under an opponent’s skin, he has the ability to get underneath and inside, and I think that’s one of his biggest attributes.”
Steen is closer to establishing himself in the NHL than Ahcan is, but both are alike in that they have earned the trust of their coaches in Providence and both bring the right attitude to the rink each day with them.
Mougenel noted that Ahcan, like most young players, has some things to work on with his game and will have the chance to do so with the former now running the bench in Providence.
“The one thing that I love about Jack is that he’s going to make an impact on the game no matter what,” he said. “He’s one of those kids that’s super committed to getting better.”
He added that at his height, Ahcan may not have a lot of length to his game, but his inside ability and leverage allow him to be effective at both ends. On breakouts, he can escape and elude forecheckers, who are trying to disrupt his momentum and create turnovers. Ahcan can also use that inside gear as Mougenel described it, to deny time and space to opposing forwards in his own end while employing a superb stick defensively.
“I think it’s really just about body position,” said Ahcan. “Torey (Krug) was obviously really good at it. Watching him growing up was very helpful for me. A lot of undersized defensemen- Jared Spurgeon on the Wild and also Matt Grzelcyk- just little things that they do in the league were pretty helpful for me when I was growing up, and still today watching them.”
Ahcan is merely observing no more. He’s a part of the organization, a part of the culture now. He can maintain his focus on developing in the AHL while keeping his NHL experiences handy to draw from.
“The first one definitely was,” Ahcan said when asked how eye-opening his three Boston games were. “Just getting out there with the guys, being in the locker room, and all the pre-game stuff. Once you get out there, you just kind of slowly get used to it…Obviously, it’s not easy playing in the NHL but you kind of get your feet underneath you and it’s awesome.”
Scouting: Quick-hitters on key opponents
Buffalo Sabres
Jack Quinn, RW- Former Ottawa 67’s star is a shoot-first, ask questions later type who went 8th overall in 2020 to Buffalo after scoring 52 goals in the COVID-shortened OHL. Goes to the dirty areas and is a slashing type of skater who goes into the teeth of defenses because he knows that’s where the highest danger scoring areas are.
John-Jason “J.J.” Peterka, RW- German sniper has high-end skills and that killer instinct to finish off plays. Great initial burst and ability to zip through small areas, he’s also got a deadly one-timer with lightning hands to dangle ‘D’ with. Fun to watch.
Brett Murray, LW- Massive (6-5), rangy winger scored 41 goals for Youngstown two years ago and is the most pro experienced player on the Buffalo roster with the last two seasons spent in Rochester of the AHL, along with 2 NHL games with the Sabres in 2020-21. He’s got a cannon of a shot and knows how to get open to use it. Watch for a big jump in his production as a third-year pro this season.
Mattias Samuelsson, LD- Son of former NHLer Kjell Samuelsson is the total package of size (6-4/230), skill, skating and brains. A star with the U.S. National Team, he turned pro out of Western Michigan in 2020 and got 12 NHL games in with the Sabres last year. He’s not dynamic, but just a superb all-around type who doesn’t make many mistakes.
Ukko-Pekka Lukkonnen, G- The second-rounder in 2017 got a cup of coffee in Buffalo and was reported to be a reason the Sabres were okay with letting Linus Ullmark go via free agency. He’s a classic butterfly-style goalie with the size (6-4/220) and quickness to shut it down. As a bonus, he'd be quite an answer on Wheel of Fortune- make sure to buy some vowels.
New Jersey Devils
Nolan Foote, LW- Son of former NHLer Adam and younger brother of Tampa Bay defenseman Cal Foote is a power forward with a nice blend of size (6-3/193), skating and offensive skills. Acquired by the Devils in the Blake Coleman deadline deal in 2020, he got into his first NHL action and went 1-1-2 in 6 contests after spending the AHL season in Binghamton. Bruins-style winger who is heavy on pucks and had to mend from a bad wrist injury that kept him on the shelf.
Dawson Mercer, C- Top pick in 2020 was a steal by the Devils as he can score and plays hard in all three zones. He’s smart, engaged and plays the game the right way, but has the skills to score highlight-reel goals on you. High NHL upside going forward, but even if he doesn’t hit it, he’ll play in the league for years as a top middle-of-the-roster guy and leader.
Tyce Thompson, RW- Former Providence College star turned pro after last season ended, and saw games at both the AHL and NHL levels. Long in the shadow of his older brother, he took longer to develop, but at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, has pro size and the hockey IQ to become a solid NHL forward.
Akira Schmid, G- The USHL’s top goalie in 2021 went on a tear in the final two months of the regular season, practically willing the Sioux City Musketeers into the playoffs himself. Given that the 6-5 Swiss product underwent double hip labrum surgery in 2019-20, that was no easy feat. He’s big, athletic and a sharp kid. The Devils have a quiet assassin in their system who has all the time to develop.
