(Photo Credit: www.hockeyjournal.com)
By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty
As one of the newer additions to the Bruins organization, Karson Kuhlman brings competitiveness and much more to the fold. Kuhlman officially signed with the Bruins back on April 10. He will be one of many attending Bruins rookie camp starting tomorrow.
Keeping with his Minnesota roots, Kuhlman eventually found himself playing hockey at the University of Minnesota-Duluth –– the school at which he spent four years. It only took him a year to earn a letter on his sweater as a UMD Bulldog, as he had an ‘A’ sewn on his sweater for his sophomore and junior years before earning the “C” as a senior. He did a damn good job as senior captain, leading the Bulldogs to the national title game where they took down the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish with a 2-1 win. He collected a goal, an assist, and Frozen Four MVP honors in the win. Not a bad way to go out for Kuhlman and his Bulldog teammates.
Despite having a letter on his chest for three seasons, it wasn’t his point production that shined through in Karson’s game. Kuhlman is known for his impressive work ethic, speed, and competitiveness. He possesses the tools to be an NHL player, likely in the bottom six forward pairings, and gave those in attendance a look at what he can do at development camp in June.
Karson will most definitely see some time in Providence this season with the P-Bruins, but that doesn’t mean NHL time is out of the question. He will be competing with guys like Noel Acciari, Chris Wagner, and Martin Bakos for NHL ice time. Unfortunately, there are always injuries throughout the regular season, so if he doesn’t make the team out of camp, he could surely be used for injury reinforcement and depth. Otherwise, his extensive background as a leader and competitor will serve him well as a 22-year-old joining an exciting bunch in Providence. The ability to play center and wing will only benefit him as well.
The ability to be a Swiss-army knife is a beautiful sight to coaches. Kuhlman was actually invited to Bruins development camp in the summer of 2017 before signing with the team. Clearly, he did enough then and throughout his career at Minnesota-Duluth to catch the attention of the Bruins’ brass, thus earning himself his first professional contract.
Watch below as Kuhlman comes in as the second layer on the forecheck. He further flusters Fighting Irish defenseman Andrew Peeke, leading to his teammate Jared Thomas scoring the second and deciding goal of the game for UMD.
Wherever he spends his time this season within the Bruins’ organization, there’s a good chance we see a lot of what we see in the video above. A player with the willingness to get in on the offensive attack and forecheck hard, creating opportunities for himself and his teammates. The Providence Bruins and Boston Bruins alike are going to have guys that can pounce on loose pucks up and down the lineup, and Kuhlman will be there when he isn’t lighting the lamp every now and again.
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