BRIGHTON, Mass. — New England Hockey Journal checked in on Bruins Development Camp’s third day of action Aug. 4 at Warrior Ice Arena.
The 28 prospects in attendance are a solid group, but several local current and future Hockey East forwards separated themselves from the pack a bit with their speed and crisp execution of the drills and performances in the small area games played between the blue lines.
The defensemen skated during the first hour, followed by all players for the second. The forwards finished out the third hour of drills to conclude the day’s on-ice portion.
Here’s a recap of who stood out on day 3, with a focus on the New Englanders who just got it done, plus a deeper dive on B's prospect and Boston College forward Trevor Kuntar.
New England natives shine
Several local forwards brought their A-games to the rink on Wednesday. Riley Duran, Marc McLaughlin and Parker Ford were all skating like they had atomic balm in their breezers.
Duran, the only drafted player among the trio (6th round, 2020), showed good speed to beat defenders outside and gain the edge, then work pucks to the middle of the ice, where forwards driving the center lane were able to get those shots on net and score on a couple. The Woburn, Mass. and Lawrence Academy prep product showed good effort and determination today. It wasn’t the easiest of seasons for him in the USHL with the last-place Youngstown Phantoms, but he has the talent to be a productive, 200-foot forward at Providence College if he embraces the details of what that requires. He did his part today.
As for McLaughlin, you can’t watch him and not notice the sheer effort and hard-nosed play. On this day, his hands were electrified: he sniped at least 4 prime goals with blistering shots that caught everyone’s attention. He was scoring from the outside, between the hash marks and in tight, so it is a good sign for the rising Boston College senior captain, who has 19 career goals with the Eagles. If the North Billerica, Mass. native keeps shooting the puck like that, he could get 20.
Ford is just a gamer. The Providence College star might not possess ideal NHL size at 5-foot-9, 174 pounds, but you wouldn’t know it by just how tenacious and competitive he is. Teams are smart enough to understand that players with the speed, shot and heart of the plucky Rhode Islander from Wakefield is worth taking a chance on. We think Ford will have plenty of offers when he’s ready to turn pro, but for now, he’s going to be a prime time player and leader for the Friars. He should have been drafted when the NHL clubs had the chance. Now, it will cost them more to bring him in the fold.
Kuntar ready for expanded role at BC
2020 third-round pick (89th overall) Trevor Kuntar has looked good in both days of viewing.
The Boston College center can skate, handle the puck at speed and plays with good pace. He’s a smart, creative presence who should have a bigger role with the Eagles this season after scoring six goals and 10 points in 23 games.
“I did get a chance to watch him,” Bruins skills coach Kim Brandvold said. “He’s certainly someone that understands the game well, he’s willing to get inside and can make plays. Good knack for the flow of the game, so there’s good upside there.”
At 6-foot, 196 pounds, he has the size, IQ and skill to develop into a productive college player and projects more as a middle-of-the-roster player as a pro. His skating isn’t elite, but he gets there. As one of the more talented players in his 2001 birth year as a USHL tender with the Youngstown Phantoms, Kuntar has it in him to become something more at the pro level.
“I play a really hard-nosed game, but I have also some skill too,” Kuntar said after the sessions. “So I think I’m a very versatile player. I can play top-6, bottom-6, penalty or power play, wherever they need me.”
Kuntar talked about having big shoes to fill with departures of three key Eagles forwards in Matt Boldy (Millis, Mass.) , Alex Newhook and Mike Hardman (Hanover, Mass.), who all turned pro after their second year at BC. With his all-around game, Kuntar will get that chance to produce more offense and play in key situations this year.
Take a flyer on Meyers
University of Minnesota junior Ben Meyers was probably the most impressive forward in terms of pure speed, skills and effort. He has the look and feel of a future NHLer.
The 5-foot-11, 194-pound forward doesn’t just move up the ice, he flies. His small-area burst is elite — he’s like a shark circling around the net, and when he sees the puck, he explodes into his prey. It isn’t tough to figure out why he’s had a lot of NHL free agent buzz around him, and he’s lining up for a big payday when he decides he’s ready to turn pro.
The problem for the Bruins and a player like Meyers is that with the major free agent signings they just made, he might not see Boston as the right fit in terms of opportunity. They did a great job of landing undrafted college defenseman Jack Ahcan a year ago, and anything is possible, but more than a few observers today probably watched him and were hoping the B’s could sign him to a contract between Zamboni resurfacings.
Realistically, he has options and will return to the Golden Gophers, where he could put up big numbers and be courted by every team. In the end, a player of his caliber makes the event better and the Bruins deserve credit for getting him here.
One thing is for sure: Meyers has delivered as advertised. The hype is real.
Defensemen have size, skill
Several defenders stood out today, and some of the drills were very good at exposing clear areas many players need to address in their respective developmental paths.
Mason Lohrei looks like one of the top prospects in the B’s organization. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound second-round pick in 2020 cruised through the drill (along with Brady Lyle, who obviously had seen it a time or three last season) and demonstrated his two-way skills during the defense-only and group sessions. He’s still lanky and needs to put on weight. That might be the biggest deterrent to the proposition of signing him now. College and Ohio St. will be good for him. As he gets stronger, he’ll be more assertive, but he already moves well and handles pucks so confidently. As he fills out and adds lower-body leg drive, he’s going to be able to stand up opponents at the blue line and end plays far more effectively along the walls. He'll get that chance in college this season, as opposed to rushing him to the pro ranks.
Other defensemen with strong showings on Day 3: Travis Mitchell, Anton Malmstrom and Ryan Mast. All three are tall, move well and play with length. That has been a recurring theme of the B’s makeup at the position here, with the “smallest” blueliner in attendance being incoming BU freshman Ty Gallagher at 6-foot, 190 pounds. J.D. Greenway (6-foot-5), Lohrei, Lyle, Malmstrom, Mast, Brandon Scanlin and Mitchell are all over 6-foot-3 in height.
That’s a lot of beef. But there's some longer-term pro upside with these players, too. They all fit the physical mold of the modern pro defenseman with size, mobility and a puck game.
