BUFFALO — Watching most of the Bruins’ top young prospects compete here, team president Cam Neely saw a slew of kids who maybe aren’t NHL-ready yet, but clearly have plenty of talent and potential.
“The depth in our organization has come a long way the last few years,” said Neely. “It’s gotten better and deeper for us. There’s reason to be excited about what’s coming.”
As the Jay Leach-coached Bruins finished the Prospects Challenge Monday with a 9-3 rout of the New Jersey Devils, led by a hat trick from winger Danton Heinen, the discussion with Neely excluded defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who played only one game here with nothing to prove. It would be a shocker if he’s not a top-four guy this year.
But it’s the hopefuls, the would-be Bruins, who were watched closely, and gave indications of just what they have to offer. Many were impressive.
“There’s a couple who are ready already,” said Neely. “And then there are some other kids who are extremely talented, but haven’t played pro hockey yet.”
Neely offered thumbnail views on some of the key youngsters:
• Winger Anders Bjork: “His hockey IQ and skill set are certainly NHL quality. It’s just a matter of getting used to the space. You’ve got to do things a little quicker. He’s probably not getting the shot off as quickly as he needs to. That will come with understanding the pace and how the defenders close on you so much faster.”
• Center Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson: “Great skater, smart player, 200-foot player. I know this has been talked about a lot, (but he is) along the ilk of Patrice Bergeron. Positionally he knows where to be and he’s always on the right side of the puck.”
• Winger Jake DeBrusk: “He’s more of a straight-line guy. He’ll go to the net, get to the dirty areas you need to be in to score goals.”
• Winger Zachary Senyshyn: “He’s got plenty of speed. I’d like to see a little bit more out of him. He’s got NHL speed, an NHL shot and body. But he’s just got to put it all together.”
• Defenseman Jakub Zboril: “He can skate really well. It just looks effortless the way he skates. And he sees the ice well. But he’s got to get more engaged. He’s got to understand what he needs to do to get to the next level, and work at it.”
As for Heinen, he did himself no harm in his bid to make the Bruins with his three-goal showing. A fourth-round pick in 2014 from the University of Denver, Heinen made the club out of camp last year and played seven of the first nine games (no points, minus-3).
“I felt I had a good preseason and I felt good going in,” said Heinen. “But it’s a tough league. It’s tougher to stay than to make it. I don’t think I played to the best of my ability. I think I was trying to be too perfect, gripping the stick a little too tight. I didn’t play with the confidence I would have liked.”
Sent down, he struggled initially at Providence but caught fire in the second half.
“He’s got finish,” said Providence Coach Leach. “You can see that.”
Bjork got his first taste of pro hockey and was a standout.
“He made some really nice plays in tight,” said Leach. “You can really see his willingness to get in there. He’s not timid. He’s not on the outside; he’s on the inside. He’s got that compete we’re looking for, and the skill and speed.”
Bjork was very good Monday, scoring the final goal on a crisp wrister from the left circle.
And here’s a scoring line that ought to catch the eyes of fans: The second goal was DeBrusk, assisted by Senyshyn and Zboril, the three successive first-round picks in the 2015 draft.
Center Jack Studnicka, the second-round pick who was probably the Bruins most pleasant surprise in this tourney, opened the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway.
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