Puck Prose
Fansided

Boston Bruins: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about

By Colton Pankiw

Jack Studnicka #23 of the Boston Bruins. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Jack Studnicka #23 of the Boston Bruins. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Dan Vladar (80)
Dan Vladar #80 of the Boston Bruins. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

6. Dan Vladar

The first of two exciting goaltending prospects the Boston Bruins have is Dan Vladar, who they grabbed in the Third-Round (No. 75 overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. While it has taken some time for the now 23-year-old to find his footing, there is now an argument to be made that he is NHL ready, especially after his outstanding 2019-20 season. Appearing in 25 games with Providence last season, Vladar posted a 1.79 Goals Against Average (GAA) along with a .936 Save Percentage (SV%) and a 14-7-1 record.

With those numbers, he likely would have cracked many NHL rosters this season, however the Bruins are an exception given that they have arguably the top goaltending duo in the league with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. As a result, Vladar is back with Providence this season and is posting great numbers early on once again as through two games played he has a 1.03 GAA and a .957 SV%.

Jack Ahcan (3)
Defenseman Jack Ahcan #3 of Team United States. (Photo by Adam Pulicicchio/Getty Images) /

5. Jack Ahcan

Though it remains to soon to tell, the Bruins appear to have found a steal in defenseman Jack Ahcan. They were able to sign the now 23-year-old undrafted blueliner in late March of 2020 after his fourth season with St. Cloud State. The offensive abilities for him are very evident, given his combined 103 points in 144 games over his four seasons. On top of the great offensive skill, he also has great leadership qualities, proven by being named St. Cloud’s captain prior to the 2019-20 season.

Related Story. Top 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects. light

While he is just five games into his professional hockey career, it has been a fantastic start for Ahcan, as he already has three assists. Though it is almost a guarantee he won’t see any NHL action this season, if he is able to keep up the offensive pace with Providence this year he may give himself a chance to crack Boston’s lineup for the 2021-22 season. The one concern on him is his size, as he is listed at just five-foot-eight, 185 pounds. However, former Bruins defenseman Torey Krug was a nearly identical size and was one of the team’s best players for a number of years.

Home/Boston Bruins