The day after completing their second preseason games, the Boston Bruins announced some roster moves as they began to narrow down which players would be heading to Boston for the regular season.
In those two games, fans and the organization got to see what the Bruins’ future holds for them as many young players made an appearance. While the Bruins’ prospect pool may not be elite like other teams around the league, it does seem to be in better shape than many had thought.
Yesterday on September 28th, Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced the following roster transactions:
Joey Abate, Samuel Asselin, Francois Brassard, Justin Brazeau, Brandon Bussi, Josiah Didier, J.D. Greenway, Curtis Hall, Georgii Merkulov, Luke Toporowski, Eduards Tralmaks, Alex-Olivier Voyer, and Jacob Wilson will report to Providence Bruins Training Camp.
Matthew Poitras will return to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League.
While the names on the list are no surprise, it’s essential to get them into the systems where their development will benefit the most as they get the most playing time.
Who to keep an eye on in Providence
Two of the biggest names heading to Providence are Luke Toporowski and Georgii Merkulov. Both players are highly talented offensively but have work to do to improve their overall game.
For Toporowski, this will be an important year for him as he makes the jump from the WHL to the AHL. After lighting it up in the WHL for the last five years, where he played in 245 games scoring 96 goals and adding 103 assists for 199 points, he will look to take the next step in his development and build on the success he has had in his career so far.
The 21-year-old left winger has plenty to look forward to after his first NHL training camp and a successful prospect challenge. A full year in the AHL will be necessary for Toporowski as it will give him the playing time to excel and polish his skills against higher levels of competition.
Merkulov was another player who succeeded during the prospect challenge and received playing time during the preseason games. While he is skilled offensively, he is a liability on the defensive end and has plenty of work to do this season in the AHL to improve. It has been the one area coaches have highlighted since he joined the organization earlier in the year after finishing up at Ohio State University.
For those fans in the Providence, Rhode Island area, it will be worth the trips to games this year as the P Bruins squad will be an entertaining group to watch. There is a high probability that Fabian Lysell and Johnny Beecher will be heading down to Providence as well to start the season.
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