Boston Bruins Prospect Spotlight: Brandon Carlo
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins used one of their second round picks in the 2015 NHL draft on American defenseman Brandon Carlo. Standing at 6’5 and weighing just a touch under 200lbs, Carlo is a very strong defenseman who knows how to use his size and the length of his stick to disrupt opposing offenses. The Bruins are in a transitional phase for defense with Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg likely skating on their last legs in Boston . With the offseason departure of Dougie Hamilton, and the Johnny Boychuk season the offseason before, the Bruins are in desperate need of a strong defenseman; Carlo has the size and grit to slot right into that top four role in a few seasons.
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Brandon Carlo is known for his strong defensive abilities, but also lacks offensive ability that most top-2 defenders have. In 63 games with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL last season, Carlo put up 4 goals and 21 assists for 25 points. Without having offense to back-up his game, it goes without saying that Carlo puts as much pride and effort into his defensive abilities as possible, which is good for a Bruins team that takes pride in their defense also. Carlo should be a few years away from debuting in the NHL, but at only 18 years old, his size is very encouraging. It isn’t every day that an 18 year old, 6’5 defender like Carlo is available in the second round of a draft; the Bruins benefited greatly from the draft being so deep, even if people might not agree with their methods in the first round.
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Puck Prose
The Boston Bruins disappointed a lot of people with their three straight selections in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft. That headline has been circulating for months, and while it may be true, the drafting of Brandon Carlo should leave Bruins fans optimistic. Carlo is a first round talent who slid into the second round, there’s no doubt about it. Every team needs to build up a strong defense if they want to be serious Stanley Cup contenders and the Bruins were thinking forward by drafting both Jakub Zboril and Brandon Carlo….and to an extent, even Jeremy Lauzon.
The Boston Bruins can work hard over the next few seasons and draft smart to build a contender again. General Manager Don Sweeney prides himself on building teams through the draft and developing prospects and that leaves room for optimism for Bruins fans. The draft is an integral part of building up teams, and Sweeney has already shown he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on blockbuster deals, and although the moves might not all be agreed with, it’s encouraging to see him trying.