Young Boston Bruins defenseman Frederic Brunet broke training camp with the big club in the NHL rather than being sent down to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). There was no guarantee that he would have made it down there, as he would have needed waivers and likely would have been claimed, along with forward Matthew Poitras.
However, despite not cracking the Opening Night lineup against the New York Rangers, Brunet has become a staple on the backend for the Black and Gold. In Friday night's 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Anaheim Ducks in California, Brunet continues to make a nightly impact in the lineup, and he scored his first NHL goal; after the game dropped an honest but funny response.
Bruins defenseman Frederic Brunet drops funny quote after scoring first NHL goal
It was a dreadful first 20 minutes for the Bruins, who allowed two goals in the final minute and faced a deficit after the first period. However, in the final 40 minutes, Boston looked like a different team. Who got the rally started? Brunet with a power-play goal early in the second period. He made a nifty play to keep the puck inside the offensive blueline, and his shot from the blueline found its way through multiple bodies and into the net. After the game, he had an honest take on his goal.
“Probably the worst shot of my career. No, it was great. Everyone just coming to congratulate me after, which was awesome. It was such a special night for me, and I think just getting the win was even better,” Brunet said, per Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. “It was a burger, so I was like, ‘There’s no way that went in…’ But it went in, so I’m happy about it.”
How quickly has he grown the trust of Sturm and the coaching staff? He's just five games into his first full season, and he is averaging just over 17 minutes a night and is the quarterback of the second power-play unit now that Charlie McAvoy is back from his six-game suspension.
"For me, his feet are elite. The way he drags and even across the blue line and comes with the hands, too, a little bit. It’s just fun to watch,” Sturm said of Brunet, per Fraser. “He’s showing a lot of good stuff.”
Since McAvoy returned over the last two games, Connor Clifton, who re-signed over the summer in free agency, has been out of the lineup, and whenever he comes back in, Brunet makes it very difficult for Sturm to take him out. Boston began training camp with a ton of defensemen, and eight games into the season, Brunet is cementing himself inside the top six.
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