Who the hell is Justin Brazeau?

[zaYG]

He’s good. He has very high hockey IQ and is always in the right place.


The knock on him was his speed. Yeah - he seems slow. Then we brought in Maroon and now I have a new definition of slow. As he showed last night too he clearly has another gear he can turn on too. Not sure what his potential is but seems higher than just another 4th liner.

 

[Sheppy]

He won't be the fastest guy on the ice, but he seems incredibly smart and efficient to get in the right areas all the time. He showed some good wheels on his goal last night, though.

Ideally he's a guy who plays low and works his tail off in front of the net and cycling the puck.

Absolutely love what I'm seeing from him so far.

 

[goldenblack]

In Boston we call him the Great White Hope, because he's as big and vicious as a great white shark, and better looking than Hope Solo.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

He won't be the fastest guy on the ice, but he seems incredibly smart and efficient to get in the right areas all the time. He showed some good wheels on his goal last night, though.

Ideally he's a guy who plays low and works his tail off in front of the net and cycling the puck.

Absolutely love what I'm seeing from him so far.

His overall play along the boards is good too, he uses his size well.

 

[CowbellConray]

Maybe the new aged Paul Gaustad? Not the best fighter, good along the boards, willing to hit, big, good two way game. Classic fourth line player with maybe some offensive touch to play in the top 9 if needed

 

[Ladyfan]

He has been a blast to watch. Not fast but smart and has good hands. I believe he was told he was too slow for the NHL, so he has been working on his skating.

He can stay!

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Good thing you came here to ask and not google search his name and ran into certain sites

 

[Ladyfan]

 

[WarriorofTime]

Justin Brazeau is one of the many reasons Don Sweeney is among the best GM's in the league, despite what many Bruins fans will claim about his job security.

The AHL GM probably deserves the credit. I don't think NHL GMs are too in the weeds on 23 year old players signed to AHL contracts. Props to him for playing well enough in Providence to get an NHL deal, callup and making the most of it.

 

[FU Shoresy]

The puck just seems to find him. He's always in the middle of the action. Hope this is the beginning of great things for the kid.

 

[bigbadbruins1]

big guy recovering from an injury, didn't look great against the leafs but had some moments, but probably just shaking off the rust. He's been a welcome addition to a mostly small forward core for the bruins. He and Maroon hopefully will bring so much needed physicality against florida.

 

[nbwingsfan]

This 26 yo career minor leaguer comes up and instantly looks like Cam Neely reborn? Damn! I like his game. 6'5" with good offensive numbers in Jr......and not even drafted? What gives?

Every time I’ve watched a Bruins game that he’s played in he just looks like a guy who’s ready to breakout.

It takes him a while to get going, but once he gets up to speed he looks an dangerous as anyone else on the ice

 

[Over the volcano]

Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy: Justin Brazeau

I knew that it was going to take a lot of hard work, and it was going to be a long road just to get to the places I wanted to go. Growing up in small-town northern Ontario, nothing is given to you.…

voyageurprofile.wordpress.com

How a too slow, too heavy kinesiology major and former Leafs prospect found NHL success with the Bruins

Brazeau will miss the start of the Maple Leafs-Bruins series, but considering what he's been through to get this far, don't count him out.

theathletic.com

Great reads for folks who are interested

Couple bits

"Mougenel (providence head coach) had early intel on Brazeau. He knows Stan Butler, Brazeau’s North Bay coach. Mougenel is also close with ex-Bruin Wayne Primeau, whose son Mason was Brazeau’s Battalion teammate. Wayne Primeau regularly pumped Brazeau’s tires when he spoke with Mougenel. When Mougenel watched the Battalion, Brazeau jumped off the screen.


“He was a man among boys,” Mougenel said. “He was so big and strong. The pace was always going to be an issue.”

Mougenel saw that firsthand.

Brazeau did not train for pro hockey in the summer of 2021. He thought he was going to school.

So when he reported to Providence camp that fall, he was not in good shape. Brazeau’s skill would do him no good if he couldn’t get to the puck. Mougenel told Brazeau he was headed to the ECHL’s Maine Mariners to start 2022-23. Brazeau had to play his way into AHL form.

 

[HHHH]

I saw him in the AHL a number of times and found his size and shot intriguing, but figured that if he was not a guy who was good at dropping the gloves, that there would really not be a spot for him in the NHL.

...And, this is why I watch the games at home and no one is looking to hire me for my ability to scout hockey players

 

[Dellstrom]

He was consistently excellent for us when he was called up (out of nowhere), until he got hurt. Took a few games to get back but he's looked great again.

He's not quick, but he has great hands and is impossible to move from the net. Not many of his goals are pretty but he's pulled a breakaway or a crazy move out of his ass a few times. Has been just what we've needed to add some depth to the bottom-6.

 

[McGarnagle]

Tremendous, NHL quality hands. ECHL quality legs. That kept him in the AHL for years until he found the right opportunity this year on a Bruins team with depth and a system that lets him do his thing.

 

[KnightofBoston]

The AHL GM probably deserves the credit. I don't think NHL GMs are too in the weeds on 23 year old players signed to AHL contracts. Props to him for playing well enough in Providence to get an NHL deal, callup and making the most of it.

Don Sweeney and Evan Gold work hand n hand and Sweeney made the move to bring him in

 

[HockeyMomx2]

The Leafs? I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

They're the gift that keeps on giving to Boston....Raycroft. Rask. Swayman(rumored to have promised by scout they were drafting him, then didn't), now Brazeau. Gotta love it.

 

[BlackFrancis]

It's as though the Bruins front office staff and Brazeau got together over the holidays and talked about him earning an ELC.

"Justin, we know you'll never approach even average skating but if you could just work on being more physical - think more grizzly bear than huggy bear - we'll offer you an ELC."

"Yeah, I can do that."

Then he gets signed a couple months later and now has veteran NHL defensemen worried about him catching them in the corners. Anyone who saw him in the AHL or (god protect your souls) ECHL can tell you Brazeau was not a banger. Now, sign the deal and sprinkle some Neely powder on him and this guy has turned into a major forecheck pain in the ass.

There's nothing about this guy that isn't utterly confusing to me.

 

[DKH]

He worked at TD Garden at the gelato stand outside section 20 but he has been playing in the Saugus men’s league at Hockey Town for the Kowloon Wings and is one of leagues better players.

Sweeney saw him during the employees game family Christmas skate back in mid December and signed him and here he is.

Bruins don’t have many picks or prospects so you gotta find guys wherever you can especially that big and strong enough to scoop frozen ice cream first try

 

[the_fan]

He’s a hockey player

 

[SImpelton]

Quintessential bottom 6 forward. Kinda perfect to just plant his thick body in the net and be hard to get rid of. He didn't factor into the scoring in game 7 against the Leafs but on the regulation goal, his presence on the far side of the crease forced Samsonov to hedge his bets and allow the gap that Lindholm's shot found its way through.

He found a way to contribute by adding a second scoring threat and preventing the Leafs from focusing entirely on Lindholm's shot. Those don't count on the scoreboard but they still matter.

Basically, big, thick body guy with high IQ and bottom 6 skill. I think he's seen his last AHL game.

 

[Over the volcano]

Quintessential bottom 6 forward. Kinda perfect to just plant his thick body in the net and be hard to get rid of. He didn't factor into the scoring in game 7 against the Leafs but on the regulation goal, his presence on the far side of the crease forced Samsonov to hedge his bets and allow the gap that Lindholm's shot found its way through.

He found a way to contribute by adding a second scoring threat and preventing the Leafs from focusing entirely on Lindholm's shot. Those don't count on the scoreboard but they still matter.

Basically, big, thick body guy with high IQ and bottom 6 skill. I think he's seen his last AHL game.

Think his goal last night showed he's a little more than that.

 

[SyZyGY]

Other than Swayman.

I would also add Lohrei

 

[SImpelton]

Think his goal last night showed he's a little more than that.

Maybe but I can show you highlight reel goals from other 4th liners. Gregory Campbell had a banger of a 3 on 5 shortie, he was still a bottom 6 forward. Shawn Thorrnton had 11 goals one year, but he was definitely a 4th liner. He was just a well balanced 4th liner with some legit skill to go with his pugilistic talent.

It's not an insult to describe a guy as having bottom 6 talent at the highest level of his chosen profession. Those guys are still NHL players. They're at the highest level of the sport and they belong there. They make good money. And they often contribute a lot more than their slot on the depth chart indicates when playoffs come around and the top 2 lines get smothered.