No matter how you cut it, the Boston Bruins' prospect pool is still near the bottom of the NHL. There are several reasons for that, from trading away high draft picks at previous trade deadlines to poor drafting. Ask any Bruins fans and you’ll get different answers, with most of them surrounding general manager Don Sweeney.
The 2024-25 season was forgettable for the Black and Gold, which became big-time sellers at the trade deadline. In several deals, the Bruins collected draft capital and even some promising prospects. For an organization that talks about injecting some youth into the lineup, the Bruins rarely do it, as they tend to look to free agency to sign veterans to plug holes in the lineup.
After the trade deadline sell-off, some of the roster spots were filled by prospects from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL), and truth be told, the returns were fairly good. Depending on what happens this off-season in terms of roster construction, you could see some in Boston in a full-time role as soon as 2025-26. Here are three prospects that Bruins fans should be excited about.
Fabian Lysell
It longer than some might have liked, but one of the Bruins top prospects with the P-Bruins, Fabian Lysell, finally got his chance in the NHL and after a slow start, he got better and showed he’s close to making the roster. As is the case with younger players being called up, it took some time to get his feet wet, but once he did, he played with more confidence.
In 52 games with Providence this season before being called up to the NHL, Lysell had 11 goals and 23 assists. He scored his first NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins in April to go along with two assists while averaging 13:27 a night. He showed flashes of the speed he has, and once the 2021 first-round pick puts it all together, he is someone who can be an impact player. There is no doubt that he should challenge for a full-time role next season.
Fraser Minten
When the Bruins traded Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline, they were able to get prospect Fraser Minten back in the deal. He was one of the prospects that Maple Leafs fans were high on, but to get the shutdown defenseman Toronto wanted from the Black and Gold, they had to sweeten the deal for Sweeney.
Minten played in 19 games for Toronto the last two seasons, and he played in 15 this season with two goals and four points. The second-round pick of the 2022 Entry Draft started in Providence following the trade before playing in six games in Boston to close out the season. He had a goal against the New Jersey Devils and averaged over 15 minutes a night. He is someone who plays well in all three zones, and like Lysell, there is a lot to like about his game. Minten should challenge for a roster spot in camp in September.
Michael DiPietro
You might be thinking, “A goalie. Really?” Yes, a goalie. After Brandon Bussi broke out last season with Providence, this season it was Michael DiPietro, and he offers an interesting option for next season should Sweeney make some bold moves this off-season. He was named to the AHL First Team and the Baz Bastein Award as the AHL's Most Oustanding Goaltender after a season that saw him go 26-8-4 with a 2.05 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.
Late in the season, Joonas Korpisalo threw the coaching staff and organization under the bus after his lack of playing time this season, and then his agent gave the front office an ultimatum to either play him next year or trade him. If Sweeney chooses the latter, it’ll open a spot for DiPietro, who is a free agent this summer, to be Jeremy Swayman’s backup. He would be cheaper than Korpisalo’s $3 million AAV and would open up a little more cap space that Sweeney can use. His AHL season should make it easier to trade Korpisalo.
