For once, the Boston Bruins seem to have some talented prospects in their pipeline. For years the Bruins have relied on a core group of players such as Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci, along with newcomers in David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. Developing and inserting young talent over the last decade, especially the last five years, has not been a strong suit for the Bruins besides two of the names just mentioned. Don Sweeney has gone for the trade and free agency route as he retools on the fly each season, trying to keep the Bruins in contention yearly.
The Bruins prospect pool is now headlined by the likes of Fabian Lysell, Mason Lohrei, Marc McLaughlin, Johnny Beecher, Brandon Bussi, Georgii Merkoluv, and Luke Toporowski, who are all playing for the Providence Bruins besides Lohrei. The Bruins also have some younger guys recently drafted, such as Riley Duran, Dans Locmeils, and Matthew Poitras, that represent their future at the center position but are still a few years away from making contributions.
One name that has been making waves at the NHL level is left winger Luke Toporowski. After scoring 199 points over 245 games in the WHL, the Bruins inked the 21-year-old playmaker to a two-year contract last June. Since coming to the organization, he has been, as advertised down in Providence, lighting up the stat sheet on almost a nightly basis.
In 19 games for the Providence Bruins, the Bettendorf, IA native has scored nine goals and tallied seven assists for 16 points, including his first hat trick the other night on November 26th. He started the season off hot as he recorded a point in nine straight games and ten of the team’s first 12 of the season.
With all this success, he has started to become a known name as teams around the league have taken notice. While it’s good to know you have a prospect that teams are interested in, also knowing that player may be able to help at the NHL level in a year or two is just as important.
Bruins fans know Don Sweeney isn’t afraid to ship out a prospect or first-round pick in exchange for an established veteran. While the focus on winning a cup this year is front and center, ensuring the team can sustain success for years to come is of great importance as well. If the price is right, we could see Sweeney move on before fans get to see just what Toporowski is capable of at TD Garden.
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