By: Jack Gotsell | Follow Me On Twitter @jackgotsell
Hockey is a tough sport, and there is nobody who knows that more than Bruins young defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. Jeremy is not the only second-round draft pick (52nd overall) in his family. His younger brother Zachary (51st overall), who has since retired from Hockey citing multiple concussions, was a 2017 draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jeremy helped his brother a lot and supported his decision to put his health first and retire from the sport of Hockey.
Like his brother, Jeremy had also dealt with many of his own injury issues, such as multiple concussions and a horrific skate laceration to his neck when he was skating for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Jeremy has not let these injuries impact his compete level and the toughness he brings to the game. He dropped the gloves for his first NHL fight when Mathew Tkachuk challenged him in the faceoff circle after being kicked out of a draw in Boston. Following the fight, in a post-game press conference, Jeremy said, “I’m a physical player, so those games are right in my element. I’m just trying to help the team win.”
Great play by Jeremy Lauzon to tie up Coleman and negate a prime scoring chance for Tampa. pic.twitter.com/RRXyGpfDRd
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 4, 2020
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Jeremy has since signed an extension with Boston Bruins for two years with a cap hit of $850,000. He’s a tough player that brings a physicality that fills a void left with the injury to Kevan Miller. Lauzon clears out the front of the net and is not afraid to go to the dirty areas and engage in the one on one battles that influence puck control and pace of play. He is often the first one to the scrum after the whistle and thrives on playing the policeman to protect his more finesse teammates on the ice. His propensity to drop the gloves will endear him to the Garden faithful, and he is destined to be a fan favorite here if he plays out his contract.
Lauzon is the perfect bridge between the media in Boston and the faithful fan base that cheered on the likes of Milan Lucic, Terry O’Reilly, and Eddie Shore, satisfying the fan’s thirst for fisticuffs without sacrificing the need to skate five skilled players at all times. Jeremy’s resume includes a silver medal at the 2017 world junior championships and 15 goals, 21 assists, and 88 penalty minutes in the 2014-2015 season, which he followed up with a QMJHL championship title run the following season.
👊FIGHT NIGHT👊
— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) September 26, 2019
Jeremy Lauzon throws some haymakers with Nathan Bastian pic.twitter.com/ehn36J4Owo
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Lauzon is far from a goon, he was a second-round pick in 2015 and has a considerable amount of skills in his bag. In 19 Games with the Boston Bruins this season, he has 1 goal, 1 assist and is a plus 5 on the season. He is a stay at home defenseman that is not flashy like some of the stars in the league. His toughness and ability to take the body have earned him the respect and confidence of his coach along with some well deserved minutes in critical points of the game. He is not flashy, but to the knowledgeable hockey fan, It is hard not to notice the 6 foot 2, 205lb defenseman who always finishes his checks and makes each shift tough for opposing NHL stars.
The future is bright for the 23-year-old defenseman, and he fits in well after the loss of stay at home defenseman Kevin Miller who looks as if his run in Boston is coming to a tough injury-plagued end. With a well rounded Charlie McAvoy, offensive defensemen Torey Krug, Conor Clifton, and prospect Urho Vaakanainen in the pipeline, much of the defensive zone responsibilities will fall on Zdeno Chara, Brandon Carlo, and Jeremy Lauzon. There is a good chance the Bruins say goodbye to Krug this offseason because the salary cap will stay where it is, and there is a good chance we lose one of these defensemen to Seattle as they stock their backline for their inaugural NHL season.
The Bruins announced that the team signed D Jeremy Lauzon to a two-year extension. More in my latest for @BlackNGoldPod: https://t.co/X79VO6cIT5 #NHLBruins #Bruins #NHL #BruinsFam #BruinsUpdate #HockeyTwitter
— Patrick Donnelly (@PatDonn12) February 14, 2020
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Lauzon’s tough defensive play will be vital in the Bruins quest to conquer Lord Stanley’s cup in this year’s playoffs. Bruce Cassidy loves the consistency of Lauzon and that has kept him in the lineup and barring injury he will be following Captain Zdeno Chara into battle when play resumes. He will most likely be slotted next to offensive-minded defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, picking up more of the defensive responsibilities. It’s a big summer for the Lauzon family as Jeremy continues his quests for the cup and youngest brother Emile looks to embark on his quest to enter the NHL draft which launches later this summer. So while Jeremy looks to hoist the cup over his head, brother Emile looks to throw a jersey over his.
🚨GOAL🚨
— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) January 22, 2020
Jeremy Lauzon scores a rocket in his first game back with the Bruins #NHLBruins– 1#VegasBorn– 1 pic.twitter.com/mTBXJYfj7z
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Definitely a kid to keep your eye on! I appreciate the background on him, I didn’t know all of that about his family. You guys are getting me excited for August!!