Jesse Gabrielle- Left Wing – 105th Overall 2015
Year-to-Date: 23 Games – 16 Goals – 11 Assists – 27 Points – 32 PIMs – Plus-7
When Jesse Gabrielle was drafted, he appeared to be destined for a bottom-six NHL role. A prototypical gritty winger, Gabrielle has said on a few occasions that he has modeled his game after a certain current Bruins fan-favorite, Brad Marchand.
In his first full season in the WHL, Gabrielle recorded 12 goals and 26 points in 49 games as well as 68 penalty minutes and a minus-two rating. He did put up impressive totals in the playoffs, however, recording three goals and six points in nine post-season contests.
He did see an uptick in production in his draft season, though, which caught the attention of the Bruins. In 66 games split between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Regina Pats of the WHL, Gabrielle recorded 23 goals and 44 points along with 112 penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating.
From Bottom-Six to Top-Six
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Those totals still don’t exactly jump off the page, however. As a result, the expectations for Gabrielle were never that of a top-six forward. All of that changed, though, when he joined the Prince George Cougars ahead of the 2015-16 season. In 72 games with the Cougars, Gabrielle broke out and scored 40 goals and 75 points, compiled 101 penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating. He followed that up with one goal and two points in three playoff games and went scoreless in three games with the Providence Bruins to finish off his season.
This season, Gabrielle is scoring at an ever higher clip than he did in 2015-16. In 23 games, Gabrielle has scored 16 goals and 27 points along with 32 penalty minutes and a plus-7 rating.