Prospect Report: Goalies Backstop Providence to Two Wins

BostonBruins.com – Take a look at how the Boston Bruins’ prospects are performing through Providence, the NCAA, and junior hockey leagues.

Providence

Goaltending was the story of the weekend in the Providence Bruins’ two-game weekend series at home against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Brandon Bussi recorded a 30-save shutout on Friday night, bolstering the P-Bruins to a 3-0 victory over the Phantoms. The Sound Beach, New York, native earned his first shutout of the season and the fourth of his career.

Bussi was thrilled with his overall game in the team’s victory.

“I just competed really hard,” Bussi said immediately following Friday’s win. “These kinds of games, you have to bring your lunchbox and get to work. They [Lehigh Valley] are a good team, and they make it hard on you. You’ve got to compete.”

Michael DiPietro got the start between the pipes on Saturday and backboned the P-Bruins to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Phantoms. The Windsor, Ontario, native stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced to earn his sixth win of the season. The netminder improved his numbers to a 2.08 goals against average and a .924 save percentage to start the season.

Georgii Merkulov, fresh off a three-game stretch with Boston, returned to Providence in style over the weekend, netting the winning goal in Saturday’s overtime victory over the Phantoms.

The Ryazan, Russia, native caught a stretch pass from Ian Mitchell to send him on a breakaway, where he deked and flipped the puck past the Phantoms netminder to win the game for Providence. With 13 points early in the season, the forward has at least one point in his last seven AHL games, with nine total in that span.

Merkulov believes the key to keep the team’s momentum going starts with how the team practices.

“We have to be good in practice,” said Merkulov following Saturday’s win. “It starts with practice. We have to chip away every day. I’m looking forward to next week.”

NCAA

• Oskar Jellvik recorded two points last weekend as the No. 2 ranked Boston College Eagles split their weekend series with Northeastern University. The Täby, Sweden, native recorded an assist in the team’s 3-0 victory over the Huskies at home on Friday night and posted a goal in their loss on the road Saturday. The forward now has two goals and four assists through the first 10 games of the season. Jellvik was originally selected by Boston in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
• Ryan Walsh led the No. 6 ranked Cornell Big Red to a 5-0 victory over Princeton University at home last Saturday. The Rochester, New York, native notched a goal and an assist in the team’s fourth win of the season. The forward leads the team with eight points and is tied for the team lead with four goals and four assists. Walsh was originally selected by Boston in the sixth round (188th overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Juniors

• Loke Johansson is off to an impressive start with the Moncton Wildcats in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League this season. The Stockholm, Sweden, native recorded an assist on Saturday in a 5-3 win over the Barie-Comeau Drakkar. The defenseman has two goals and six assists in 22 games to start the year. Johansson was originally selected by Boston in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
• Jonathan Morello has made an impact in his first United States Hockey League season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The Toronto, Ontario, native recorded an assist in the team’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders last Friday. The forward has a goal and seven assists through 20 games to start the season. The Boston University commit was originally selected by Boston in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.