Welcome to the 2015 edition of Top Shelf Prospects. As the summer progresses, I will be featuring each NHL team’s top prospects, following the order of the first round of the 2015 NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) — you can find all the articles here.
Because we already published an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in 2015, as my reports on them will not have changed — I will, however, link you to those articles. Instead I will focus on prospects that were acquired in past drafts, examining their progress and their chances of making the 2015-16 roster of their respective NHL team. I will also choose one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the fourth round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as a darkhorse to make the NHL.
For those wondering, the determining factors for defining who is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old. These are not set in stone, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
Coming off a President’s Trophy in 2013-14, the Bruins had a very disappointing season. Injuries to first line centre David Kreijci and star defenceman Zdeno Chara, amongst others, were just too much to recover from. The Bruins missed the playoffs despite accumulating 96 points, the highest total ever for a club that did not qualify. All of this led to general manager Peter Chiarelli losing his job, and moving to the Edmonton Oilers. Former assistant GM Don Sweeney would take over and have an interesting first off-season in Boston.
Out are Dougie Hamilton, Milan Lucic, Carl Soderberg, Gregory Campbell, Dan Paille, Niklas Svedberg and Reilly Smith; while in are Matt Beleskey, Jimmy Hayes, Zac Rinaldo, Colin Miller, Matt Irwin, and a whole bunch of draft picks.
Players Drafted: Jakob Zboril, Jake Debrusk, Zachary Senyshyn, Brandon Carlo, Jacob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Jeremy Lauzon, Daniel Vladar, Jesse Gabriel, Cameron Hughes, Jack Becker
Graduates: Ryan Spooner
TSP: Boston Bruins Prospects
Top Prospect: David Pastrnak, Right Wing
Born May 25 1996 — Havirov, Czech Republic
Height 6’0 — Weight 168 [182 cm/76 kg] – Shoots Right
Drafted in the 2014 NHL Draft: Round 1, #25 overall by the Boston Bruins
David Pastrnak was a pleasant surprise for the Bruins, making the team in his first year after being drafted, and putting up 27 points in 46 games. He also added 28 points in 25 AHL games and 7 points in 5 games at the World Juniors. Overall it was a remarkable year for a player drafted near the end of the first round.
David Pastrnak is an extremely good skater, with good speed and an excellent first step and acceleration. He also has great edgework and agility helping him to elude defenders off the rush. Pastrnak has a great ability to beat defenders by changing speeds and can do this both on the rush and in the cycle game. He can dart into the smallest of openings and create a scoring chance. Pastrnak also has very good balance. He is strong on his skates which helps him in protecting the puck, winning board battles and fighting through checks. He could win more puck battles if he adds muscle to his frame though as he is a bit skinny for his size right now.
Pastrnak is very creative with the puck, he has excellent stickhandling, very quick hands, and a wide array of moves. He is able to use his skating skill and his quick hands to be a nightmare for defenders off the rush. If they back off too much to respect his ability to get past them, he can unleash a powerful and accurate wrist shot which features a very quick release. While he profiles as more of a sniper than a playmaker, Pastrnak is a good passer and has good vision to find open linemates.
Pastrnak’s defence is very much a work in progress, though he did show some good signs this year. He was a lot more consistent in terms of the effort level he shows on the back check compared to what we saw pre-draft. He still needs some work on positioning and play without the puck, but he’s getting there.
#2 Prospect: Malcolm Subban, Goaltender
Born Dec 21 1993 — Rexdale, ONT
Height 6.01 — Weight 190 — Shoots Left — Catches Left
Drafted by Boston Bruins in round 1, #24 overall at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
PK Subban may be hated by the Bruins, and their fans; but the team made his younger brother Malcolm, a first round pick in the 2012 NHL draft. The middle brother in a trio of drafted brothers, Malcolm had his second AHL season with Providence in the AHL this year putting up a .920 save percentage. Similar to his first season when he battled for the starting job with Niklas Svedberg all season long, Subban battled Jeremy Smith for the starting job this season.
Subban is a tremendously athletic goalie. He has fabulous reflexes and is extremely agile. He is particularly quick sliding post to post and is able to make some very nice saves on one timers as a result. Subban is also extremely quick with his pads and effectively uses his quick feet to put up a wall in the bottom half of the net. Subban’s great skating ability allows him to come out of the net and challenge shooters, as he’s able to back up very quickly should they attempt to come in for a deke. He is also very quick with his glove hand and blocker and effectively covers the top of the net as well.
Subban shows excellent technique in the net. He is almost always square to the shooter and in position to make the first save. His movements in the crease are controlled and smart. This allows Subban to recover quickly and to get himself in position to make a second save. It also ensures that he covers the maximum amount of net possible. Subban is a natural leader who inspires a sense of quiet confidence for his Bulls teammates when he is in the net. He excudes a calm demeanor that makes him a natural leader and he rarely gets flustered, bouncing back quickly from goals against.
Like many young goalies, Subban does need to work on his rebound control as he can sometimes have trouble with low shots. However we don’t think this is a major issue. It’s definitely something that should improve with maturity, and we’ve heard that Malcolm possesses the same Subban family work ethic that helped PK transform himself from a draft prospect with defensive question marks to a Norris Trophy winner in the NHL. We also think Subban could work on his handling the puck when he leaves the crease.
Subban will go to Bruins camp looking for the staring job. However the fact that he is younger and has much more upside than Smith might suggest that the Bruins would rather him start in Providence than backup Rask in the AHL, and so he will have to greatly outplay Smith to get the job. That said, if the unthinkable happens and Rask were to get hurt, Subban would have a good chance to pass Jeremy Smith on the depth chart and get starts for the Bruins.
#3 Prospect: Alexander Khokhlachev, Centre/Left Wing
Born Sep 9 1993 — Moscow, Russia
Height 5.11 — Weight 184 [180 cm/83 kg]
Drafted by the Boston Bruins in round 2, #40 overall at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
Alexander Khokhlachev has scored 100 points in 126 AHL games over the past two seasons. Clearly a talented offensive player, he’s knocking on the door of making the Bruins squad. Khoklachev did get in three NHL games last year, and one in 2013-14; but is still looking for his first NHL point. If he gets time with the big club, it will certainly come.
Khokhlachev is a decent skater with very good acceleration and decent top end speed which makes him extremely dangerous off the rush. He can take defenders wide, drop his shoulder, and and use that acceleration to get past them as he takes the puck to the net. He also has the very good agility and the ability to change directions on a dime. He could use more power and balance to improve his ability to fight for pucks in the corners and in front of the net, though he isn’t afraid to go to those areas. Khokhlachev can also use some real work on his backwards skating.
Khokhlachev is also a good stick-handler and has an excellent shot and release making him a dangerous sniper whether he plays in the middle or off the wing. Defenders must respect Khokhlachev’s speed, and so he has the option to pull up and take a shot when they back off on him off the rush. He also has good vision, and can make passes through the tightest of openings. Khokhlachev has excellent hands and can stick handle in a phone booth. He is willing to play a gritty game, but could stand to add some muscle this summer
If there is a weakness here though, its his defensive game, and other squads may be able to take advantage of him in his own end, as his positioning is not good, and he just doesn’t seem to give the same effort along the boards in his end of the rink as he does in the offensive end. He can get caught puck watching, and not moving his feet which sometimes allows him to lose his man.
Khokhlachev will go to Bruins camp looking to add some offense to the club. The Bruins have plenty of two-way forwards, and so they may be able to put up with his defensive deficiencies and teach him to improve, while sheltering his minutes and injecting his offense into the lineup.
Sleeper Prospect: Seth Griffith, Right Wing
Born Jan 4 1993 — Wallaceburg, ONT
Height 5.11 — Weight 185 [180 cm/84 kg]
Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 5th round, #131 overall at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
Seth Griffith had 31 points in 39 games with the Providence Bruins last year. He also got a decent stint in the NHL with 10 points in 30 games for Boston.
Griffith might not have the best physical attributes. He is slightly undersized, and his skating is good, but not great. However he has two things going for him, a non-stop work ethic and very good hockey sense. Griffith battles constantly in the corners and in front of the net, winning the puck off of bigger defenders and making plays for linemates. He has good balance and controls the puck in the cycle game, waiting for opportunities to pass to teammates or cut to the front of the net. He also has a very good wrist shot and a quick release, and is able to use his high hockey IQ to find soft spots in the defence and set himself up to receive a pass from a teammate and fire the puck on net.
Griffith’s relentless work ethic extends to the defensive end of the ice. He is willing to take hits to make a play in his own end and ensure the puck gets out of that end and starts the transition game. He is also willing to block shots and put his body on the line for the good of the team. The willingness to battle for loose pucks also extends to his own end of the ice. Griffith is strong positionally and cuts down passing lanes.
Griffith will head to Bruins camp looking to make the club. He could fill a role on the team’s bottom six, grinding things out and playing sound defensively, while also having the offensive skill for a short term call-up to the top 6 if injuries hit.
The Bruins added some serious depth to the prospect pool with a ton of picks this year. While some have questioned picks like Jake Debrusk and Zach Senyshyn (us included) with picks 14 and 15 of the first round, there is no denying that adding them and Zboril, Carlo, Forsbacka-Karlsson, Vladar, Lauzon and the rest, along with a first round pick next year, has added serious depth to the Bruins ranks. Youngsters like Torey Krug and Ryan Spooner are also fixtures in the Bruins lineup now. The system also has Joe Morrow and Colin Miller who will compete for a spot on the blueline in training camp. Up front, keep an eye on Peter Cehlarik, Ryan Donato, Brian Ferlin, and Ryan Fitzpatrick as longer term projects.
Main Photo: PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 10: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his first period power play goal against Braydon Coburn #5 and Ray Emery #29 of the Philadelphia Flyers with teammates Zdeno Chara #38 and Torey Krug #47 on January 10, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The goal was Pastrnak’s first in the NHL. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
