Bruins reward Jonathan Aspirot's journey from AHL regular to NHL defensive stalwart

Jonathan Aspirot's growth from a six-year AHL veteran to an NHL regular with the Boston Bruins is an inspirational story. Aspirot honed his craft with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL, but he didn't have the talent level to reach the NHL. He spent six years riding the buses in the AHL, never earning an NHL opportunity and never playing more than 44 games in a season until the last two years with the Calgary Wranglers.

Calgary's AHL affiliate is where Aspirot started turning heads of pro scouting staffs and, more importantly, the head coach of the Ontario Reign at the time, Marco Sturm. When Sturm took the Boston job, Aspirot signed a deal with the Bruins shortly after, and the rest is history. Aspirot now secured some financial security by signing a two-year NHL contract extension with the Bruins.

Aspirot has the potential to be a massive steal for the Bruins, given his success already this season. He is a +15, which leads the team, and seems to be the defensive stalwart that calms the waters on Boston's backend. The defensive corps looked like a different unit when he was out with an injury earlier this season, and has been looking much better since he returned, even with Hampus Lindholm out of the lineup.

Aspirot's signing could signify that Sturm is drawing a line in the sand with the group. With Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov ahead of him on the depth chart, it leaves Aspirot and Mason Lohrei as the two left-shot defenseman battling for the third-pairing spot. Given Aspirot's ability to play up-and-down the lineup and alongside seemingly any of the others, it might be bad news for Lohrei, who needs some more shelter in his minutes and pairings.

The key for Aspirot will be continuing to stay consistent over the remainder of his contract. He is at his best when he keeps it simple, and some more security could calm him even more. If that happens, the defender should have no trouble securing more NHL contract extensions and making a long career for himself as a reliable presence on the backend.