The Boston Bruins prepared for life after Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci by signing center Pavel Zacha to a four-year extension. Since the January 14 deal with the Czech native, Zacha has proved his worth by scoring eight goals and tallying five assists in the 13 games since the $19 million deal was inked. Beyond the versatile 25-year-old forward, the Bruins are searching for answers when it comes to top-six centers. There might be one at the American Hockey League level that could see some NHL action as early as next season.
Providence Bruins center Georgii Merkulov is making serious strides at the minor league level and is one of the hottest players in the league right now. The former Ohio State Buckeye has registered 16 goals and 23 assists in 46 games with Providence with a plus-8 rating. Merkulov joined the Baby Bruins after his freshman season at Ohio State in 2021-22 and played eight games with one goal and four assists. This season, the 22-year-old has excelled as the top-line center with linemates Fabian Lysell and Vinny Lettieri. Justin Brazeau has also been on Merkulov’s line at times.
Recently, Merkulov has been at his best. In his last ten games, the Ryazan, Russia native, has eight goals and five assists on 14 shots with a plus-5 rating. On Saturday, Merkulov had his six-game goal-scoring streak snapped but found the back of the net on Sunday in a 3-2 loss to Springfield. Linemate Lysell is widely regarded as the Bruins’ top prospect, but Merkulov is certainly climbing the ranks and getting valuable time with Lysell. The two are projected to be a solid pairing in the NHL soon.
An area of improvement for Merkulov is better defensive play in his own end. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward has steadily improved his 200-foot game and will need to continue that trend as he enters the National Hockey League. Merkulov played for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League before arriving at Ohio State and totaled 73 points in 74 games but had a less-than-stellar minus-23 rating.
The streaking Providence Bruins are first in the Atlantic Division at 30-10-8-2 with 70 points, one point ahead of second-place Hershey. The Bruins are 7-2-1 in their last ten games, and it is no coincidence that Merkulov’s hot streak runs parallel to it. As the continues, keep an eye on Georgii Merkulov, and Bruins’ fans can look forward to seeing the young center participate in this summer’s Rookie Development Camp. The Boston Bruins will need a young pivot to develop very soon, and Merkulov might be the top candidate.
Season 4. Episode 39. The Off Season – Bruins Benders Podcast
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