Over the next few weeks, the team at Causeway Crowd will be taking a look at the Boston Bruins roster and their disappointing 2015-16 season. We’re going to go through every player that wore the spoked ‘B’ this year, highlighting their season and the positives (or negatives) they brought to the squad. As fellow Bruins fans, we encourage you to comment on our rankings and share your opinions.
Noel Acciari – Forward
Games Played: 19
Goals/Assists/Points: 0/1/1
Acciari came to Boston as a free agent before the start of this season. He had spent the last three years at Providence College, and was a member of last year’s championship team.
Acciari was one of the Bruins who were promoted up from the AHL this season. He started the season in Providence putting up 19 points (seven goals) for the baby Bruins until he was called up on March 1. Acciari did his best work for Boston playing on the fourth line with Landon Ferraro and Frank Vatrano. The ‘Linguine Line’ became a functional energy line for the Bruins as the team tried to put a few wins together during the last few weeks of the season.
Acciari didn’t spend much time on the ice overall. He would see between 7-10 minutes a night. He would have up and down nights in the face-off circle, going above 50 percent some nights, going below 40 percent on others. He’s a young player (24) who is getting used to the NHL, and if his game improves during the summer, he’ll have a shot of making the roster as a bottom-six forward next season.
He was one of six Bruins to play his first NHL game this season. He earned his first NHL point in a game against the Florida Panthers on March 7. After the Bruins were eliminated from the postseason, the Bruins organization sent Acciari and three other players back down to Providence to help the baby Bruins in their attempt to win the Calder Cup.
Final Grade: C+
The Bruins fell apart at the end of the season, and none of it was Acciari’s fault. He got in some NHL-level play time and wasn’t terrible.