Back in October, the Boston Bruins traded one of their former top projects Jack Studnicka to Vancouver for goalie prospect Michael DiPietro and a 19-year-old defenseman who was arguably the best right-shot blue liner in the Canucks’ system. Jonathan Myrenberg is now an intriguing young player in the Bruins’ system and a player to watch in the coming years.
Myrenberg is a 6-foot-3, right-shot defenseman who the Canucks selected in the fifth round with the 140th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Although the 19-year-old was a late-round draft pick, Bruins fans should not believe that he was simply a throw-in to the deal. His value as a prospect has improved significantly over the last year due to his strong play in 2021-22. In 35 games with Linkoping HC J20 in his last campaign, he scored eight goals and recorded 31 points in 35 games. That kind of production from a defenseman at any level is quite encouraging and helped him be deemed as one of Vancouver’s top defensive prospects.
Jonathan Myrenberg currently plays for Mora IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan league in Sweden, where he has four goals and four assists in 38 contests. Although his solid offensive totals are not overly impressive, Myrenberg has undoubtedly shown the potential to be an offensive threat as he gets used to playing against stronger competition.
Aside from offensive skill, however, Myrenberg also has been noted for playing a fairly physical game. This is an area that the Bruins need to improve, so there absolutely could be a fit here if he continues to develop in the right direction. Furthermore, the Bruins’ right side is not particularly strong after Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. Connor Clifton and Anton Stralman are pending unrestricted free agents (UFA), and the Bruins do not have many notable right-handed defenseman prospects. Therefore, getting an intriguing prospect like Myrenberg certainly makes sense for the Bruins. Let’s see if he can become a bottom-pairing defenseman for Boston later down the road.
As the trade deadline nears, the Bruins will be looking to add a piece or two to their Stanley Cup-contending team. There is a possibility that Myrenberg could be flipped as part of a package to improve the club. Although a later-round pick, Myrenberg has the potential and size to be a solid third-pair defenseman or better in the National Hockey League. You can add Myrenberg to the list of Bruins prospects that could surprise you down the road.
