Brian Ferlin Called Up From Providence; Kevan Miller Placed On IR

Sep 23, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Boston Bruins right wing Brian Ferlin (68) misses a chance to score a goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Dustin Tokarski (35) during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

“He’s such a good net-front guy; he gets to loose pucks and can use his size and strength to create a little space for himself and maintain possession or generate scoring chances. He’s starting to feel more confident in his role and figuring out the type of player he can be.” — Sweeney

This afternoon the Boston Bruins made a couple of announcements in regards to roster moves.  Upon further evaluation, though there has been no official update, Kevan Miller has been placed on the Injured Reserve list.  They also decided to call in some reinforcements, likely placing an under-performing forward up in the balcony for the next game or two.

This afternoon the Boston Bruins announced they have called upon forward Brian Ferlin, making this his first official NHL call up of his career.  Ferlin has been playing in the AHL for the team’s affiliate in Providence where he has 9 goals and 16 points in 46 appearances.  He’s also managed to rack up 36 penalty minutes.

Ferlin is a bigger forward, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 220lbs, comparable in size and strengths to that of Milan Lucic (just not as advanced).  According to a scouting report at the beginning of the year;

[He is a] solid bottom-six NHL forward/grinder and power-play potential but needs more AHL developmental time in a more established role. Ferlin is an intriguing package of size, skill and natural athletic ability from the non-traditional hockey market of Jacksonville.

More from Bruins News

• Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
• Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
• The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
• NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
• The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci

At the beginning of the season he struggled with adapting to schedule changes going form NCAA to the AHL level, so I will be curious to see how he handles the pace at the NHL level.  Being that he’s a bottom-six forward I would imagine Daniel Paille or even Craig Cunningham would be likely to get the boot up to the balcony to showcase Ferlin and see what he is made of.  Given that Julien told reporters that Ferlin suiting up for Friday’s game is likely.  Should that happen, he would wear #68 like he did during training camp. The showcasing could also mean he’s a prospect the Bruins are looking to deal away in a package in order to make some room for a more solid solution to get the team on the right track. (Unlikely, but possible) Regardless of the reason, the Bruins are still going to need to make some hefty movements in the near future to get some more dependable and talented two-way players in order to stand a chance at maintaining the Wild Card position from here on out. Though at this point, I’m not even sure they deserve it.

Next: Throwback Thursday: Boston Bruins Acquire A New Leader