The Boston Bruins made a few roster moves over the weekend, with Brett Harrison being one of the names on the list of cuts from training camp. The third-round draft pick in 2021 was assigned to Providence Bruins camp in the American Hockey League after playing two preseason games for the parent club. In the exhibition opener against the New York Rangers on September 24, the forward played 15:34 of ice time and collected two shots on net, two blocked shots, and a hit in the 3-0 win. In the third game against Philadelphia, the 20-year-old played just 9:14 in 12 shifts with one blocked shot in a 4-3 shootout loss. Harrison got his first taste of NHL hockey after playing just one game for Providence last season following a campaign where he split time with Oshawa and Windsor in the Ontario Hockey League.
Harrison was not available for training camp last season after suffering a shoulder injury. The left-shot center participated in this fall’s Prospect Challenge in Buffalo and led the Bruins in goals with three as Boston finished with a 1-2 record in the tournament. Harrison’s ability to score has never been in question as evidenced by his 34 goals last season. After a midseason trade to Windsor, the London, Ontario native scored 18 goals with 18 assists in 30 games. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound forward has climbed the prospect charts in Boston and is currently a consensus top-five prospect in the organization (#5 in Bruins Benders Podcast Top 30).
Now Harrison can take his experience playing at the highest level into what appears to be a full season at Providence. The goal-scoring sniper has a terrific shot and a nose for the net. With teammates Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov, there will be plenty of opportunities to produce offensively. Harrison continues to work on his 200-foot game with an emphasis on playing sound defensive hockey, but the offensive talent is there.
Harrison has been a center for much of his minor league career but is projected to play wing in the AHL. This season is an important one for Harrison, who needs to show he can play with speed and physicality in the pro game. Harrison can certainly play and has great upside. Now it is time to prove that he can be a viable NHL player. He will have plenty of ice time to do so in Providence with talented offensive players who should push him to do great things.
