BRIGHTON, Mass. — The Boston Bruins held the final day of development camp at Warrior Ice Arena with a group session of drills, followed by the Black vs. White scrimmage.
Anton Malmstrom, Trevor Kuntar, Quinn Olson and Dustyn McFaul scored for Team Black in a 4-2 victory, while Parker Ford and Ty Gallagher tallied for White.
Friday capped a successful week for the B’s prospects and open camp invites, who not only were put through the paces on and off the ice, but also did some team building and community events to give them a feel for life in Boston.
While 2021 European draft picks Fabian Lysell, Philip Svedeback, and Oskar Jellvik were not in attendance, Swedish defenseman and rising Bowling Green sophomore Anton Malmstrom impressed all week with his performance. At 6-foot-4, 209-pounds, he can skate, defend and has a sneaky puck game.
Most of the players who hit the ground running on Monday kept up the pace all week. A few who were a little less visible in previous viewings stepped up today. Overall, it was a well-run camp and the biggest crowd of the day was on hand to witness the events.
“I do believe in what we try and accomplish this week is us learning about the players on an individual level and where they’re skilled,” Bruins GM Don Sweeney said in comments to media after the camp ended. “But also where they are off the ice and how they fit And vice versa- how the player feels about our organization, whether they’ve just been drafted or are returning, and how much they’ve grown as a person. And. how we’ve continued to evolve as a team, and what opportunities are for them.”
While not every player is in the same position in terms of experience, talent or background, the commonality that exists this week is with the introduction of team and organizational methods and values.
“This isn’t a week where we necessarily find out if anyone’s ready to play in the NHL,” Sweeney said. “But we sure as heck find out what their habits are like, how hard they’re willing to work and what type of teammate they’re going to be.”
Mason Lohrei and Trevor Kuntar front and center
In terms of the players whose rights are held by the B’s, two prospects from the 2020 draft lived up to expectations this week.
Lohrei is a bit polarizing when it comes to public opinion of him as the team’s top choice last October and a second-year eligible ’01. The bottom line is that the Ohio State-bound freshman looked the part this week with his skating, puck skills and a willingness to bear down and show some tenacity defensively, albeit in limited evaluation capacity during drills and the one scrimmage.
“I like to give our scouts all the accolades in terms of recognizing that he had a longer path of development,” Sweeney said of Lohrei. “He was obviously growing, he hadn’t played the position, there’s a bunch of things you put into the context of where is today and how much room he still has, we’re excited.”
Lohrei was at risk of not making the Culver Military Academy 16-U team in 2017, and converted to defenseman from forward. The switch changed the entire trajectory of his career, and with his natural offensive instincts, coupled with his size and agility, he has the raw potential to develop into an impact NHLer one day.
Along with Lohrei, Brady Lyle had the strongest camp of any Boston prospect. Lyle is the one most ready to see NHL time this season, though it would likely happen in the event of injuries.
Kuntar distinguished himself this week as the most effective and consistent forward of the draft picks in attendance. The New York native will have every opportunity to be a front-line player at Boston College this season because he plays with pace, speed and has some impressive skill/hands. He is evolving into a complete forward who can beat you in a variety of ways.
In the scrimmage, he grabbed a loose puck at the blue line, put on a burst to open up time and space for himself, then lasered a wrister over Zach Stejskal’s glove hand that found the back of the net just inside the far post. That quick-twitch ability and natural instinct to pounce on a scoring chance will serve Kuntar well going forward.
Curtis Hall progressing
The 2018 fourth-rounder is preparing for his second pro season in the AHL after getting a taste with Providence and battling through injuries and the adjustment from college hockey.
Hall knows what he is as a 6-foot-4, 216-pound center who is athletic and plays with the requisite effort needed to be a capable middle-of-the-roster contributor. He’s a good 200-foot player who can make some plays but doesn’t try to overcomplicate things or play a flashy style.
In a 2-on-1 break with Ty Gallagher, he patiently held the puck getting the defender to come over enough that he was able to feed it right to Gallagher, who wasted no time in going upstairs for a short-lived 2-1 lead. That patience and poise, while in a camp setting, shows what Hall can do as a three-zone player who can win draws, chip in offensively and is big enough to exploit some favorable matchups.
After Kuntar, Hall was the best of the B’s prospects up front.
Ben Meyers and Parker Ford have NHL interest
Two of the most consistent and productive forwards here all week were Meyers and Ford. Both will have plenty of NHL options when the time comes for them to decide where they wish to sign as a free agents.
Ford is a key contributor at Providence College, and after watching him this week, it isn’t hard to understand why. At 5-foot-9, 174 pounds, he plays bigger than he is because of his non-stop motor and a relentless, manic drive to get to the net. He’s a winning hockey player, and teams at every level need guys like the Wakefield, R.I. native because he works so hard and saves his best for the biggest moments.
As for Meyers, he arguably has a higher offensive ceiling at the pro level than Ford does, and is a little bigger (though not by much), but brings a similar pace and energy. He was fun to watch this week after missing the first day, and did not disappoint.
Both players leave Boston with some legitimate NHL buzz surrounding them.
Brett Harrison getting there
There is a lot of fan interest in Harrison after he was the team’s second choice (85th overall) in the draft.
As an 18-year-old, there were times when he looked a little tentative. It’s understandable, especially when you consider he didn’t play a lot of hockey due to the pandemic. He also made a few nifty plays this week, so there are a lot of positives to work with here. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, he’s got a lot of filling out to do. He skates well and can shoot the puck/likes to get to the net.
The thinking here is that one year from now, Harrison will be one of the best forwards at his second development camp.
Goalie roundup
Of the three netminders here all week, only Kyle Keyser’s rights are owned by Boston.
The undrafted free agent did well, competed on pucks and made some good saves. As is the case at every development camp with the amount of shots the goalies face, this setting does not play to their strengths.
Keyser was part of the tandem in net with veteran minor leaguer Sean Bonar (to give both teams two goalies for the scrimmage) to get the scrimmage win today.
Keith Petruzzelli (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Stejskal looked the part as big, athletic goalies who have pro potential and just have to continue to refine their mechanics and get experience as they try to climb the ladder to the top.
As for the rest of the B’s prospects, the performances were fine if a bit uneven. We don’t have the space to dedicate to every player, but will look to address them more in Bruins Brunch and other opportunities to shine light on them and the other prospects in Boston’s system.
