Boston Bruins: Streaking Baby Bruins Provide Depth

Boston Bruins: Streaking Baby Bruins Provide Depth

As the Boston Bruins ride a rollercoaster year adjusting to a roster makeover and new system placing more emphasis on pushing the pace, the Providence Bruins are quietly becoming an AHL power and a good potential source for reinforcements in the second half of the grueling NHL season.

Amid a 15-5-4 run over their last 24 and without a regulation loss in 10 games, the Baby B’s are providing some solid insurance for the big club. They feature three players in the top 20 in AHL scoring and another who is quickly rising up the charts.

Seth Griffith, who was selected for the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic, is tied for second in the AHL scoring race with 13 goals and 41 points in 34 games while Alexander Khokhlachev is tied for seventh with 12 goals and 35 points in 32 games.

Center Austin Czarnik, 23, is close behind. He’s tied for 19th in league scoring in just his first pro season with 12 goals and 32 points in 36 games, while also leading the team in shorthanded goals (2) and ranking third in plus-minus.

Meanwhile fast-rising left wing Frank Vatrano put up another three goals and five points in his first three games back with Providence over the weekend and now has 13 goals and 4 assists in 13 games overall with the Baby B’s.

Griffith, Khokhlachev, Czarnik and Vatrano, all listed at 5’9” or 5’10”, represent more of the new NHL Tyler Johnson-type model that places less emphasis on size and more on skill and speed. Having them all on the same team is quickly turning Providence into a powerhouse.

Vatrano, 21, had a nice trial run with the varsity B’s over a lengthy stretch in Boston this season, netting 6 goals and an assist in 30 games before falling victim to a numbers game when David Krejci returned last week from injured reserve. Now, he is putting his hard shot to use in Providence as he gains more game experience and playing time at the pro level. “(The Bruins told me) just go down there, play minutes, get some confidence and I’d be used in a different role than (I was) up here (including getting powerplay time),” Vatrano told Mass Live after Saturday’s game against Springfield. “Obviously, didn’t want to hear that news, but then again, it’s for my best interests and gaining more confidence to develop my game so I can stay full-time up in Boston.”

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While Vatrano and Griffith, who put up 6 goals and 10 points in 30 games during a stay with Boston last season, have received extended looks with the big club, it would be interesting to see what the speedy, shifty Czarnik can do at the NHL level. Czarnik has yet to taste a game with Boston. Khokhlachev has further only skated in 9 games with the varsity over three seasons.

Meanwhile as Providence has come together as a team, players like center Colby Cave, a former junior linemate of B’s 2015 first rounder Jake DeBrusk, have provided solid scoring depth for the Baby B’s. Cave has 8 goals and 18 points in 43 games, while Brandon DeFazio has flashed good stickhandling at times and put up 10 goals and 23 points in 38 games. At 6’2” and 220 lbs, Colton Hargrove, 23, adds a straight-line bruising game with offensive upside around the net to complement the smaller, crafty players well. He’s put up 12 goals and 20 points and leads the team at +5 in 35 games.

Providence coach Bruce Cassidy sometimes blends the top scorers on lines with checkers and energy players to find the right chemistry and balance. For instance, hard-working Noel Acciari has recently centered Griffith and Vatrano, while DeFazio played left wing on a line with Czarnik and Khokhlachev.

On defense, Boston got a few solid games out of 6’3” Tommy Cross in a fill-in role earlier in the season and Cross continues to play well for Providence, along with Ben Youds (16 points in 31 games). “Strong game for the defense pair of Tommy Cross (+4) and Ben Youds (+3) on Sunday,” according to the Providence Journal.

Although he struggled mightily with Boston at the beginning of the season, Matt Irwin leads Providence defensemen in scoring with 20 points in 38 games.

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Boston’s 2012 first round pick Malcolm Subban, 22, has been playing well in goal, winning seven of his last eight and leads the Baby B’s in save percentage (.912), wins (13) and shutouts (1).

After weathering a couple losing streaks, Providence’s recent winning ways have catapulted them into the eighth playoff spot of the AHL’s Eastern Conference. Like their varsity counterparts, they are sporting the league’s best powerplay along the way. Their penalty kill has also climbed to 6^th overall.

“I love it (with the Providence Bruins),” Hargrove told the Providence Journal. “It’s awesome. Good coaches. A lot of good guys. We hang out together. We’re a team outside the locker room as much as inside. It’s been a lot of fun, so far.’’

While Boston struggles to find the right line combinations and more scoring depth and consistency throughout its lineup, several Baby B’s stand ready for the call should injuries arise or the Bruins decide to try out a fresh face in search of an added spark.