Boston Bruins Monday Morning Prospect Update Week Ending: December 15, 2024

Dans Locmelis

UMass closed out the first semester with an 8-7-2 record following a 4-2 loss to Boston University on Wednesday. Dans Locmelis skated a team high 23:48, did not register a SOG and was a minus-1 along with 5 for 14 on the dot. Locmelis ends the semester third in team scoring with 3 goals and 12 assists in 17 games. He is second on the team with a plus-5 and his 20:05 TOI is second among forwards on the squad.

Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, Dean Letourneau

Monday was the final game of the semester for Boston College and they squeezed by UMass-Lowell 3-2. BC got on the board first less than 4 minutes into the game when Oskar Jellvik set up the opening goal. The rest of the scoring was done in the second period with the Bruins prospects shut out the rest of the way. Jellvik had 3 SOG and was a plus-1 with 14:18 TOI. Gasseau had 2 SOG and was 8 for 16 on the dot with 19:58 TOI. Letourneau had 1 SOG and played just 8:42.

 Boston College will play their next game January 10, 2025.

Jake Schmaltz

North Dakota blanked St. Cloud State 2-0 on Friday to take the first game of the two-game weekend. Schmaltz did not factor in the scoring but led his team with 4 SOG. He was 8 for 23 on the dot with 19:20 TOI, which led all North Dakota forwards. Schmaltz spent a lot of time on the PK, helping his team kill 5 of 5 penalties.

It took overtime but North Dakota came out on top in the second game 4-3. Schmaltz scored the game winner 2 minutes into overtime with his third of the season. Schmaltz found himself alone in front of the St. Cloud net, corralled the puck and ripped home the wrister for the win. It was his only SOG in the game and he made it count. He also went 14 for 25 on the dot.

Beckett Hendrickson

Minnesota continues to roll along with a 15-2-2 record following a 4-3 shootout loss to Michigan State Friday, which technically is a tie in the NCAA. Hendrickson was pointless and finished a minus-1 with 2 SOG and 14:00 TOI. Minnesota was shorthanded in this contest playing with just 10 forwards. Both teams are Big-10 powerhouses as Michigan State is 12-2-1 on the season.

Saturday did not go so well for Minnesota as Michigan State won 5-3. Hendrickson had 2 SOG in 14:20 TOI and was an even plus/minus. Minnesota once again played with 10 forwards.

Ty Gallagher

Friday was the first of back-to-back games between Colorado College and defending national champion Denver University. Denver got out to a 3-0 lead with the first two goals coming short handed and things did not look good for Colorado. Then they scored the next 5 goals before Denver added another, but that’s the way it would end, 5-4 Colorado. Gallagher did not factor in the scoring, was a minus-1 and had 2 SOG with 22:02 TOI. He blocked some shots, took care of his own zone and transitioned well, even setting up chances with his crisp, accurate passing.

Denver took the second game by a score of 2-1. Colorado got on the board first as Gallagher scored his 4^th of the season. Gallagher received a pass at the right point, took the open space and skated toward the net and fired the puck through bodies in front for the lead. Denver would score the next two for the win.

Loke Johansson

It was an exciting game in the QMJHL on Friday between the Moncton Wildcats and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Moncton outshot the Titan 49-32 but needed overtime to come out on top by a score of 3-2. It was 1-1 until Moncton scored a shorthanded goal with 2:47 remaining in regulation. The Titan would tie it with 1:08 remaining until the game winner with 35 seconds remaining in overtime. Johansson was not involved in the scoring, was a plus-1 and a whopping 8 shots on net.

Moncton easily took care of Cape Breton on Saturday with a 7-2 victory. Johansson was not in on any of the scoring and failed to register a shot on goal. He was the one of three Moncton players without a shot.

Kristian Kostadinski, Jonathan Morello, Cole Spicer

Dubuque dropped a 4-1 decision to Des Moines on Friday night. Cole Spicer missed his second game in a row but Jonathan Morello returned to action and was a minus-1 with 3 SOG in the loss. Kristian Kostadinski was also a minus-1 and finished without a shot on goal.

Dubuque got back into the win column with a 7-2 victory over Des Moines on Saturday. Morello ended a streak of 20 games without a goal as he notched his second of the season. He also added an assist, just his second in ten games. Kostadinski ended a streak of 7 games without a point with an assist. Spicer did not play and remains sidelined.

The Providence Bruins faced the Bridgeport Islanders on Wednesday and skated away with a 4-2 victory. Michael DiPietro stopped 31 of 33 shots he faced including 16 of 17 in the third as the Islanders tried to compete a comeback. Jackson Edward scored his professional goal, the first of 4 consecutive goals in the second period as the Bruins trailed 1-0. Max Jones scored his third while John Farinacci and Matthew Poitras scored their fourth. Frederic Brunet and Vinni Lettieri had a pair of assists.

The P-Bruins won their fifth in a row on Friday following a 5-3 win over those same Islanders on Friday. Coincidently, Poitras scored in his fifth consecutive game. Poitras scored 1:38 into the contest and the Bruins never looked back. Mason Millman continues to be a surprise for the Bruins scoring his third of the season and then adding his fourth assist in just 11 games. The defenceman is on an AHL contract. Fabian Lysell, Patrick Brown and Jones also scored for Providence. Georgii Merkulov and Lettieri each had a pair of assists. Brunet had an assist and now has a helper in each of his last 3 games. Brandon Bussi stopped 32 of 35 shots for the win. Bridgeport outshot Providence 35-33.

Make it 6 wins in a row following Sunday’s 5-2 win over Hartford. Tyler Pitlick, Brown, Merkulov and Poitras scored their sixth goals of the season while Jeffrey Viel added his fifth. Lysell and Lettieri had a pair of assists while Brunet kept his streak alive with a helper of his own. DiPietro stopped 21 of 23 shots for the win.

Here’s a look at the Providence Bruins leaders. You will notice a column called “Benchrates” This is provided by our friends at Benchrates. Created by a retired hockey player, Benchrates has created an algorithm that computes values in real time. The value you see is the cap hit value they’ve earned this season to date. Give them a look and check out their site.

Coming up this week:

Chris Nosek and myself will be on the Dom-Hockey Podcast discussing all the Bruins prospects live every Monday night at 6:30 PM ET on X and on YouTube (except on Bruins game nights). If you enjoy the show, please give us a like and subscribe so you never miss an episode.