Justin Brazeau has been called a lot of things in his brief but burgeoning NHL career.
The 6-foot-6, 227-pound right winger has been dubbed everything from a hulking forward to a Humvee on skates.
Tuesday night at TD Garden, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery added another name to his repertoire, penalty killer.
The second-year Bruin forward got a crash course in special teams101, during a 4-2 exhibition win over the Washington Capitals.
The New Liskeard, Ontario native scored the team’s fourth goal of the game. He was also among the Bruins top five forwards on both the powerplay (3:56) and penalty kill (1:43), enhancing his workload.
“Honestly, it’s one of the first times I’ve killed,” said Brazeau. “It’s something I used to do in Juniors a little bit. I think it’s something that I can bring to my game and help the team. I felt comfortable, if that’s something I’m going to do.”
A power forward in his four years with the North Bay Battalion, Brazeau previously potted 100 goals over his last two OHL seasons. This included a 61-goal outburst in the 2018-19 campaign. He continued to establish himself over the last four seasons in the American Hockey League, before being called up to the Bruins late in 2023-24.
The big rangy 6-foot-5, 220-pound winger came out of nowhere to make an immediate impact last February. He scored five goals and seven points in 19 games with limited ice time. Those totals would have put him on pace for a 20+ goal season over an 82 game schedule.
“I came into camp after one of the best summers ever,” said Brazeau, regarding the past 18 months. “Obviously it feels nice to get off to that good start, have a positive impact and get that first one out of the way. I’m looking to build on that going forward.”
Brazeau is currently among a handful of players competing for the Bruins coveted second line right winger spot. The list of contenders continues to grow with Matt Poitras, Tyler Johnson, Fabian Lysell, Morgan Geekie and others also in the equation.
Brazeau’s imposing size and net-front presence makes him an intriguing option. Adding another important dimension to his game on the PK could raise his profile and help separate him from the rest of the pack.
The young winger looks at is as part of the evolution of becoming an everyday NHL player.
“It obviously feels good when the coaches trust you to do something else and expand your role,” said Brazeau. “I’m just looking to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
When he wasn’t on the PK, Brazeau was buzzing in the offensive zone. Skating on the second line with Johnson and prospect Georgii Merkulov, the trio put the game away in the third period. Brazeau buried a goal off a nifty backhanded feed from behind the net by Merkulov to grab the 4-1 lead.
“Anytime you can score it feels good, especially my first game of the preseason,” said Brazeau. “I’m trying to work out the kinks, trying to get back to your game. It felt good.”
Brazeau read the play beautifully, after spending the last two seasons with Merkulov in Providence.
“I figured he’s not the type to hold onto the puck down there,” said Brazeau. “He’s looking to make the play, so I thought I’d try to get in the area for him. He made a good play.”
According to Montgomery, Brazeau rose to the occasion.
“We know he has a real good hockey brain,” said Montgomery. “He actually did some really good things and might develop into a penalty killer. It was nice to see. He’d give us options. We lost a couple of people last year, so we’re still auditioning.”
Brazeau is up for the challenge.
“I just want to keep building my confidence,” said Brazeau. “I obviously had a quick stint here last year. The playoffs were good, but I’m just showing what I can do, and what I did down in Providence to try to bring it to this level.”
And so far, so good.
