Happy Independence Day and thank you for joining us for our weekly look at the Boston Bruins during the celebration of America’s 245th birthday.
In this edition, we’re talking about what is next for former B’s assistant coach Jay Pandolfo, and who is a prime candidate to replace him on the staff. We’re also looking at a young center the Providence Bruins just signed this week, but whose game could translate into an NHL contract at some point.
We close out with another 2021 NHL draft player profile after looking at a power winger and a two-way defenseman in previous weeks. Check out this rising, speedy center with a big heart who had to play in Europe with hockey shut down in his native Ontario for all of 2020-21.
Boston University announces new associate head coach; next man up?
As New England Hockey Journal reported first late Wednesday, Boston University announced Friday that Jay Pandolfo will be the new associate head coach on Albie O’Connell’s staff.
The former NHL defensive forward won a national title with BU in 1995 and two Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils before ending his playing career with the Bruins in 2013. Pandolfo comes to the Terriers with five years under his belt as an assistant in Boston.
A native of Burlington, Mass., the 46-year-old did a lot of work on the Boston power-play units and was a well-respected member of the coaching staff for his championship pedigree and ability to relate to the players. Some of the initial reactions to the breaking news questioned why he would leave the NHL coaching track for the NCAA, but Pandolfo’s motivation likely stems from the oppressive schedule of pro hockey vs. college. The challenge of developing and molding younger players and helping them reach their pro hockey goals also reportedly appealed to Pandolfo at this stage of his career.
As for what the B’s do next, look for Providence Bruins head coach Jay Leach to be the prime candidate to fill Pandolfo’s position with the big club.
At 41, the Providence College graduate and long-time minor league defenseman is one of the rising stars in pro hockey. Leach took the helm at Providence for the 2017-18 season with the promotion of Kevin Dean to Cassidy’s Boston coaching group. He has compiled 136 wins over the past three seasons, including a 15-6-2-2 record in 25 games of a COVID-shortened season to lead the Atlantic Division in 2020-21.
Leach interviewed to fill the Arizona Coyotes head coach opening, but the job went to Andre Tourigny, as that club unveiled its new hire this week.
Pandolfo’s departure opens the door for Leach to move up to the NHL with the Bruins, as both of his head coaching predecessors in Providence have done. Whether the B’s would be able to hold on to Leach in the long term remains to be seen, but his presence on the staff would continue to give Boston some of the best coaching in the league.
Providence signs an underdog
Although this doesn’t directly impact the Boston club at present, the AHL Bruins announced the signing of undrafted free agent center Eli Zummack last week. The 21-year-old has longer-term implication for the big B’s, however.
A standout for the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs after having played five full seasons there (a rarity due to COVID creating a dearth of pro hockey options for 20-year-olds playing in major juniors), Zummack put up 31 goals and 108 points in 85 games over the past two WHL campaigns. The independent scouting service Red Line Report ranked him 165th in its 2018 draft guide and had this to say: “Tiny little puck hound never stops moving his feet.”
Although undersized at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, the British Columbia native is a superb skater with an elite motor and the hockey IQ to create offense. He competes hard and brings a dog-on-a-bone mentality in puck battles, often outsmarting bigger, stronger defensemen to come out of the corners with possession and not getting himself in trouble with physical mismatches.
While you shouldn’t expect him to put up big points in his rookie pro season, Zummack is the kind of versatile pivot who can play up and down the lineup. He brings a similar style of game to current Baby Bruins veteran Cameron Hughes and hopefully will have better luck with injuries than the 2015 Boston draft choice has in recent times.
Because Zummack is on a two-year AHL contract, he cannot be recalled by Boston during the course of the season on his current deal. However, as we have seen most recently with defenseman Brady Lyle, who signed out of the OHL as an undrafted free agent last summer, the B’s often reward strong farm play with an NHL deal. Connor Clifton followed a similar path after being unsigned by Arizona out of Quinnipiac in 2017.
Target: 2021 draft
Francesco Pinelli, C, 6-1/185, Jesenice (AlpsHL)
After scoring 41 points in the OHL as a rookie with the Kitchener Rangers in 2019-20, Pinelli saw the pandemic shut down hockey in Ontario, and he was forced to take what he could get by playing for the Slovenia-based team in the little-known Alps Hockey pro league. Playing against men (albeit a lower level of pro competition with teams based in Austria, Italy and Slovenia), Pinelli put up 11 points in 13 games.
The left-shot Pinelli’s best attribute is his skating: He’s explosive and dynamic, with the ability to get up to full speed in just a couple of powerful, slashing strides. He has impressive balance, able to make tight cuts and turns to shake loose from defenders with rapid direction changes or absorb hits and drive through contact.
He works hard and competes on pucks, forcing turnovers and then generating scoring chances with a shot he isn’t afraid to use or dishing to teammates in open ice. Plays a Bruins-style game with a high motor and pace that he uses to speed up and slow down the tempo. Although not elite in terms of his puck skills and shot, he is nonetheless able to create offense because he moves his feet and establishes himself in prime areas of the ice to make a difference.
With the OHL slated to resume play in 2021-22, he’ll return to Kitchener and looks like a good bet to put up 75-plus points given the natural progression of his size, speed, effort and upside style.
Scout’s out: “NHL projection: Speedy second-line center on a consistent playoff team, playing style compares to Travis Konecny.” — Red Line Report 2021 Draft Guide, 21st-ranked prospect.
New England Hockey Journal draft prediction: Pinelli could very well be the intersection of both best player available and need when the B’s are up to make their selection at 21. He’s got good size, great wheels and can score, but it’s his heart/compete that embody the values that Boston embraces. The organization hasn’t gone to the OHL since it took Jack Studnicka 53rd in 2017, but Pinelli would be the right kind of prospect to bring into the fold.
