There aren’t many hockey players from Bettendorf, Iowa. It is not exactly a hotbed for hockey. Luke Toporowski is a native of Bettendorf, the son of a minor league hockey player who loved a good fight. As a sixteen-year-old, Toporowski joined the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League as a forward with more offensive ability than his dad. By the third season with the club, Toporowski was an offensive force, scoring 29 goals in 2019-20. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound winger, would surely be drafted by a National Hockey League team.
Unfortunately, the call didn’t come on draft night, and Toporowski remained unsigned. After a split season with Spokane and Kamloops in 2021-22, where he totaled a combined 65 points in 49 games, the Boston Bruins called and offered a two-year American Hockey League deal to play with the Providence Bruins. Toporowski’s offensive ability and gritty style during a training camp invite was impressive. Those qualities have translated into a good start to the AHL season for the surging Baby Bruins.
Providence is 10-1-1-1 and at the top of the American Hockey League standings. The team’s hot start is primarily due to a deep forward group led by first-round pick Fabian Lysell, 27-year-old Vinny Lettieri, former Ohio State signee Georgii Merkulov, and the 21-year-old Toporowski, who has totaled five goals and five assists in 12 games. The left wing has progressed enough to be considered a legitimate NHL prospect. The Bruins have been rebuilding a weak prospect pool and might consider Toporowski for an entry-level contract if the production continues.
The question mark for Toporowski has always been a lack of size and whether that will hamper any chance of being a regular NHL player. But the young winger makes up for that size deficiency with a good motor and a hard-working style of play. Toporowski is showing the Bruins that he can be a viable candidate to be a part of Boston’s future. This would be a pleasant surprise for Boston, which will need to replace some aging veterans in the coming years.
The Bruins seem to have found themselves a good prospect who has remained under the radar for the past few years. Boston has had some success with undrafted free agents in recent years, and Luke Toporowski could be the next good get for the Boston Bruins and the first-ever NHL player from Bettendorf, Iowa, and the fifth from the state of Iowa.
Season 4. Episode 39. The Off Season – Bruins Benders Podcast
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