2023 Training Camp

[The don godfather]

Oh, that's a lot.Zboril and something else but not Lysell. Lysell is gonna probably take more time than we would hope but he'll probably be a better player than anyone mentioned here.

Gotta pay to get pinto is a expensive potential 2c right now.

 

[Gordoff]

That's very interesting. I've read that red heads will disappear in a few hundred years. My great X6 grandfather and his brother were excommunicated from the Quakers in PA for fighting in the revolutionary war, moved to Virginia, and married the twin red-headed grand daughters of a Scottish immigrant. I told my red-headed wife that my preference for red heads was genetic. (My first GF in HS was a red head.)

HA, so was mine!

 

[Gordoff]

I'm ambidextrous. I write right (my teacher made me grrr), throw right, shoot right. I bat left and kick left. If I had been a hockey player I would have shot right. I can use my left hand in many situations & that came in very handy when I had my shoulder operation.

I write with my right, throw with my left and shoot left (hockey). Always played on the right side. As a yute, I played D, when I played in our beer league I moved up to RW. A lot more glory for a lot less getting hit blocking pucks.

 

[DKH]

I say beecher gets dealt for a package for pinto.

Don’t see it

How they paying Pinto and he’s a 3rd line center

 

[DKH]

If Beecher can bring Browns consistent physical game and a faceoff percentage above 50 I would love the Lucic-Beecher-Lauko line.

The problem is I have seen Beecher play about 15 games and he is very inconsistent with his physical play, some nights he is using his speed to forecheck and hit others you barely notice him.

The idea of a 6'3 fast center with a scrappy rw in Lauko who also has a ton of speed using their speed and size to control 2/3 of the ice while Lucic is still more than capable of controlling his wing and burying some people.

Dom mentioned his fear of them giving up 3 on 2's, but I think they could control the play in the offensive zone with their speed and combination. They may not have possession of the puck all the time but they should be able to pin defensemen in with hitting and speed.

Lauko strength to me is he’s an elite neutral zone back checker

If you read Divver article above on their defensive zone structure in Providence this is where Beecher got it down last 15 games including playoffs

Lucic I can see but he sure got back in that Calgary game they stole from Bruins in the Orlov game - but Beecher & Lauko should be strong defensive players

Lauko puck pursuit and angles chasing down opposing forwards coming up ice would make any dog chasing a tennis ball proud

 

[Gee Wally]

Prospect Johnny Beecher is a big piece to keep an eye on among Bruins’ center candidates - The Boston Globe

Beecher, who goes 6-3, 212, hit his stride last season with Providence, and he realizes there are opportunities in Boston.

www.bostonglobe.com

Johnny Beecher is poised to step up and step in.
A strapping 6-foot-3-inch, 212-pound center, Beecher was among the most notable skaters at the opening of Bruins rookie camp Wednesday morning at Warrior Arena.
A first-round pick in 2019, Beecher flashed nice speed and nifty hands as he led the white squad’s top line through the 90-minute session.
“I feel good,” said Beecher, 22. “I had a really productive offseason and just coming into camp open-minded and try to give everything I’ve got.”
With the Bruins losing their top two centers to retirement (Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci), Beecher is among a handful of candidates set to compete for slots on the varsity.


“It’s definitely something that you look at and it’s enticing,” said Beecher. “Obviously, everybody coming into camp wants to have a shot, and this year there’s a bunch of opportunities, so I’ve just got to go into camp and try my best.”

Beecher started off his AHL career slowly but gained a lot of traction and started to find his groove late last season. Providence coach Ryan Mougenel said Beecher’s progress was impressive.

“I can say he’s not the only player to come down to Providence and I wouldn’t necessarily say struggle but maybe had a little bit of an identity issue early on,” said Mougenel, who led Wednesday’s practice. “And by the second half, he was our go-to guy down there for a lot of situations.

“The ability to hang onto a puck and get in and be first to pucks is something that he did really well. And then the one thing we really liked about John by the end of the year was his willingness to play a physical brand of hockey.”

“It took time,” said Mougenel. “And the one thing we’re allotted in the American League is you have to have patience for players, especially a bigger player, to figure that out. And I think John did an amazing job of that and thinking the right way is always going to be something that we preached to our players, and it is tough.”

Mougenel has been impressed by Beecher’s skating ability, but his improvement in other areas has the Boston brass excited as well.

“The other thing that might separate John, too, is his penalty killing’s real strong,” said Mougenel, noting that Beecher has played some left wing, too. “Where do I project him? It is hard to say.

“I think when we brought up his name the other day with [Providence assistant coach] Trent Whitfield, he has the makeup to be a real good NHLer, you can see why he was drafted so high when you’re on the ice with him, he’s a huge presence and he skates extremely well, and when he hits, he hits with velocity. And I think if he can embrace that, he’s going to have longevity in the league.”

 

[UncleRico]

I say beecher gets dealt for a package for pinto.

Going to cost the bruins much more than beecher. Beecher has very limited value around the league.

 

[Bodit9]

Prospect Johnny Beecher is a big piece to keep an eye on among Bruins’ center candidates - The Boston Globe

Beecher, who goes 6-3, 212, hit his stride last season with Providence, and he realizes there are opportunities in Boston.

www.bostonglobe.com

Johnny Beecher is poised to step up and step in.
A strapping 6-foot-3-inch, 212-pound center, Beecher was among the most notable skaters at the opening of Bruins rookie camp Wednesday morning at Warrior Arena.
A first-round pick in 2019, Beecher flashed nice speed and nifty hands as he led the white squad’s top line through the 90-minute session.
“I feel good,” said Beecher, 22. “I had a really productive offseason and just coming into camp open-minded and try to give everything I’ve got.”
With the Bruins losing their top two centers to retirement (Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci), Beecher is among a handful of candidates set to compete for slots on the varsity.


“It’s definitely something that you look at and it’s enticing,” said Beecher. “Obviously, everybody coming into camp wants to have a shot, and this year there’s a bunch of opportunities, so I’ve just got to go into camp and try my best.”

Beecher started off his AHL career slowly but gained a lot of traction and started to find his groove late last season. Providence coach Ryan Mougenel said Beecher’s progress was impressive.

“I can say he’s not the only player to come down to Providence and I wouldn’t necessarily say struggle but maybe had a little bit of an identity issue early on,” said Mougenel, who led Wednesday’s practice. “And by the second half, he was our go-to guy down there for a lot of situations.

“The ability to hang onto a puck and get in and be first to pucks is something that he did really well. And then the one thing we really liked about John by the end of the year was his willingness to play a physical brand of hockey.”

“It took time,” said Mougenel. “And the one thing we’re allotted in the American League is you have to have patience for players, especially a bigger player, to figure that out. And I think John did an amazing job of that and thinking the right way is always going to be something that we preached to our players, and it is tough.”

Mougenel has been impressed by Beecher’s skating ability, but his improvement in other areas has the Boston brass excited as well.

“The other thing that might separate John, too, is his penalty killing’s real strong,” said Mougenel, noting that Beecher has played some left wing, too. “Where do I project him? It is hard to say.

“I think when we brought up his name the other day with [Providence assistant coach] Trent Whitfield, he has the makeup to be a real good NHLer, you can see why he was drafted so high when you’re on the ice with him, he’s a huge presence and he skates extremely well, and when he hits, he hits with velocity. And I think if he can embrace that, he’s going to have longevity in the league.”

Beecher should focus on being an elite 4th line defensive, physical shutdown role player. He doesn't have strong offensive chops. But he's got great size and speed. If he can be Nosek with a little more physicality, speed, offense, and scrap here and there, he will have a good, long NHL career.

 

[veganbruin]

Remember when we drafted Beecher and and smoked everyone in the prospect showcase for team USA that summer? Do we still have that player? Was that just catching others off guard with his speed and size?

 

[bruinmann77]

I think you see one rookie making the final Roster

 

[The don godfather]

I think you see one rookie making the final Roster

Lohrei.

 

[Kegs]

Have we done the “which prospect surprises and makes roster” poll yet?

Lohrei.

I think it’s lysel and/or poitras

 

[NDiesel]

Remember when we drafted Beecher and and smoked everyone in the prospect showcase for team USA that summer? Do we still have that player? Was that just catching others off guard with his speed and size?

Probably a case of a guy having better physical tools than some of the other prospects attending. I have some hope he can be a complimentary player and that playing with more skilled players could unlock something if he can just keep it simple.

 

[goldnblack]

How many of the say 13 forward spots are open, realistically? I say realistically because Geekie, JVR and Boqvist are getting spots. I count 9 spoken for, 4 available. I don't have Lucic in my 9, he's going to have to beat others out. But I'm fine calling it 10 if Lucic has more game left than I think.

3-4F spots in play basically?

On D it's....one spot open? Either the 6th or 7th? Lohrei as the #7? (he's LD?)

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

How many of the say 13 forward spots are open, realistically? I say realistically because Geekie, JVR and Boqvist are getting spots. I count 9 spoken for, 4 available. I don't have Lucic in my 9, he's going to have to beat others out. But I'm fine calling it 10 if Lucic has more game left than I think.

3-4F spots in play basically?

On D it's....one spot open? Either the 6th or 7th? Lohrei as the #7? (he's LD?)

I don’t think Boqvist or JVR are locked for spots. Likely yes, but not locked. I think Lucic is a lock unless he retires. Geekie certainly has a spot.

So to me, two centers (4C and 2C/3C depending on where Coyle slots), 2LW, 3LW, and all three 4th line spots are up for grabs along with 13F. If Freddy is 3C then 3RW opens up instead. Lucic and Geekie have two of those somewhere. 5 spots open, with JVR, Boqvist, Lauko having the inside track for 3 of them. Brown, Greer, Chiasson, Heinen and the kids fighting them and for the other two.

On D, it’s 3RD and 7D, with Shattenkirk even more likely than JVR to get a spot. I’d like to say 3LD but Forbort has compromising pictures of someone somewhere and unfortunately I think he has that spot. I’d highly doubt they’d put Lohrei at 7D instead of playing every night. Mitchell, Walsh, Regula et Al are trying to beat out Zboril for 7D.

 

[goldnblack]

Wow I have Boqvist and JVR at say....95% likely. You think less?

 

[PlayMakers]

How many of the say 13 forward spots are open, realistically? I say realistically because Geekie, JVR and Boqvist are getting spots. I count 9 spoken for, 4 available. I don't have Lucic in my 9, he's going to have to beat others out. But I'm fine calling it 10 if Lucic has more game left than I think.

3-4F spots in play basically?

On D it's....one spot open? Either the 6th or 7th? Lohrei as the #7? (he's LD?)

I would say 1 forward spot (4RW) and 2 D spots (7,8) are “up for grabs.”

Everywhere else requires beating out a vet on a one-way contract.

 

[Beesfan]

I would say 1 forward spot (4RW) and 2 D spots (7,8) are “up for grabs.”

Everywhere else requires beating out a vet on a one-way contract.

Increasingly there is no pretense about there being a competition in training camp for roster spots. Instead, training camp is for making and impression and moving up the organizational depth chart. I think it is for depth preservation purposes - basically anyone who can go to Providence and not be lost to waivers gets sent down.

I do sort of agree that you cannot determine much about a player in training camp or preseason games. Last year our best preseason performers were Zboril and Greer and it didn't really translate to the regular season for either one. By contrast, I thought Zacha was awful in the preseason game I went to and he was fantastic when the season started.

 

[Dr Hook]

Increasingly there is no pretense about there being a competition in training camp for roster spots. Instead, training camp is for making and impression and moving up the organizational depth chart. I think it is for depth preservation purposes - basically anyone who can go to Providence and not be lost to waivers gets sent down.

I do sort of agree that you cannot determine much about a player in training camp or preseason games. Last year our best preseason performers were Zboril and Greer and it didn't really translate to the regular season for either one. By contrast, I thought Zacha was awful in the preseason game I went to and he was fantastic when the season started.

I'd guess that the FO and coaches have a pretty good idea already of who is slotting where and probably won't make decisions primarily based on a camp performance. They see these guys all the time and know where the players are at on the depth chart and development curve. In this case we likely do have a spot or two up for grabs, but overall, yeah I agree with you.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Wow I have Boqvist and JVR at say....95% likely. You think less?

I wouldn’t put that number on anyone other than Shattenkirk, and that’s because there’s a big drop off below him unless they want to play Zboril or Lohrei silly side. Except Lucic, who is 99% unless he retires.

I would absolutely 100% have JVR and Boqvist on my proposed roster today. But I don’t think they’re locks whatsoever.

 

[DaBroons]

Bruins youngsters on the hunt for open roster spots

With jobs to be had in Boston, Bruins rookies head to Buffalo looking to turn heads.

www.bostonherald.com

The Bruins hopefuls will be making their annual shuffle up to Buffalo for the Prospects Challenge on Thursday, and they will be doing so with a little more pep in their collective step than in previous seasons.

There are jobs to be had in Boston. Technically, that has always been the case, and last season Jakub Lauko did surprisingly crack the lineup when no one expected him to do so. But we haven’t seen this kind of exodus from the B’s roster – including three of their four centers from last year’s 65-win team – in a long time.

“Obviously, guys see some of the holes and some of the messages to the guys is that you’ve got to do what other guys aren’t willing to do,” said Providence coach Ryan Mougenel on Wednesday. “You come to a certain spot where everyone’s capable, and then it’s just the willingness. That’s one thing we saw in Providence. Guys put their toes in early on and then they really dove in by the end of the year. We had a lot of huge growth by the end of the year by a lot of our young pros.”

Mason Lohrei is the top defense prospect, but greater opportunity exists at forward. While none of these kids are expected to take the place of Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci, there are spots in the bottom six. Just who replaces fourth line center Tomas Nosek is still up in the air. The B’s signed veterans Morgan Geekie, Jesper Boqvist and Patrick Brown and their experience would seemingly give them the inside track for the bottom two centermen positions.


But the B’s also used a first-round draft pick (30th overall on 2019) on John Beecher and that holds some cache, too. In his first full pro season in Providence last year, he had 9-14-23 totals in 61 games, but Mougenel said he liked how the 6-foot-3, 215-pound center progressed. He’s got excellent speed for a big man, is a strong penalty killer and has been learning how to use his frame.

“John Beecher’s growth for us has been great,” said Mougenel. “He’s not the only player to come down to Providence and, I wouldn’t necessarily say struggle, but maybe have a bit of an identity issue early on. By the second half, he was our go-to guy for a lot of different situations. His skating obviously separates him from most of his peers down there. The ability to hang on to pucks and get in first on pucks is something that he did really well. And the one thing that we really liked about John, by the end of the year, was willingness to play a physical brand of hockey. It took time. And the one thing we’re allotted in the American League is you have to have patience with players, especially a bigger player, to figure that out. I think John did an amazing job with that.”

On the wing, B’s management has signed a couple of veterans – Alex Chiasson and Danton Heinen – to tryout deals, but that doesn’t mean a rookie can’t break through. Russian-born Georgii Merkulov, signed as a college free agent out of Ohio State as a goal scorer who needed lots of work in the defensive zone. He made good on the former (a team-leading 24 goals in his first season in Providence) and put in some honest work on the latter.

“Maturity is a huge thing with Merk. His personality is kind of stoic and he doesn’t give you much. He was stubborn early on and his growth was huge,” said Mougenel. “His attributes that separate him I’d say is his offensive mind. He’s a pretty clean player, sees the ice extremely well, can make plays on his forward and backhand and really has the ability to complete a lot of plays. When we lost some of our go-to players – (Vinni) Lettieri was out for 25-30 games – Merkulov really stepped up and was really our offensive guy. So I think his ability to buy in was something we were questioning at first and I think everybody had those questions. They obviously see the skill and ability, but is he willing to do it? For us, we were extremely pleased with his willingness.”

Fabian Lysell, the B’s first-round pick (21st overall) in 2021 and arguably their most skilled forward prospect, said he’s fully healthy since suffering a season-ending concussion in the Calder Cup playoffs last spring. He should make push for a roster spot.

“It’s my third (camp) and I’ve grown a lot both on and off the ice and I think that’s going to help me. It’s a process. It’s a month of hard work and you’re trying to prove yourself that you can play in the NHL. I’m excited for it,” said Lysell.

Another forward to keep on is Luke Toporowski, who had his season limited to 47 games because of a knee injury but managed to pump in 15 goals.

The B’s rookies will open the tourney on Friday against the Penguins prospects (3:30 p.m.), play the Canadiens on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) and finish up against the Devils on Monday (10 a.m.).

I would compare this level of player exodus to that after the 1972 Cup, when the team was decimated by another expansion draft and the new WHA, losing Cheevers, Ted Green, Pie McKenzie, Sanderson, Westfall, and prized prospects Dan Bouchard and Ron Plumb.

 

[Grumpy Grizz]

Just on the cruise ship at bar harbor, but coming into Boston early next tomorrow morning, as our data is spotty out here, wondering if there are any practices at warrior arena for the next few days? We leave late Sunday evening.
Thanks

Grizz

 

[BlackFrancis]

Just on the cruise ship at bar harbor, but coming into Boston early next tomorrow morning, as our data is spotty out here, wondering if there are any practices at warrior arena for the next few days? We leave late Sunday evening.
Thanks

Grizz

They'll be in Buffalo the entire time through Sunday.

Uncanny timing for you.

 

[DaBroons]

If Beecher can bring Browns consistent physical game and a faceoff percentage above 50 I would love the Lucic-Beecher-Lauko line.

The problem is I have seen Beecher play about 15 games and he is very inconsistent with his physical play, some nights he is using his speed to forecheck and hit others you barely notice him.

The idea of a 6'3 fast center with a scrappy rw in Lauko who also has a ton of speed using their speed and size to control 2/3 of the ice while Lucic is still more than capable of controlling his wing and burying some people.

Dom mentioned his fear of them giving up 3 on 2's, but I think they could control the play in the offensive zone with their speed and combination. They may not have possession of the puck all the time but they should be able to pin defensemen in with hitting and speed.

Good observations. Many young players have to learn to bring the full intensity every shift when they move to pro hockey.

I'm encouraged that Merkulov appears to be willing to work to improve in the d zone. One of his teammates once said of Pierre Larouche, "The hardest thing to do in hockey is score goals and he does it with ease. The easiest thing to do is check, and he doesn't do it."

Gotta pay to get pinto is a expensive potential 2c right now.

I'd like to see how Zacha and Coyle do, before making an expensive trade. Find out whether we need a #2 C or a #1 C. Most likely a #1, but you never know.

Do we wait for Lindholm to hit the market next summer? No guarantee that he would sign here or even make it to July 1.

 

[bruinmann77]

they will not rush any trade