By: Karoline Sears | Follow me on Mastodon: @spelled_with_a_k and Substack
The Boston Bruins continue to invest in the future with the most recent signing of forward 23-year-old Jakub Lauko. The Restricted Free Agent signed a two-year, two-way contract worth $1,575,000 per CapFriendly.com. The agreement adds $787,500 to the cap hit, leaving just over $6,000,000 in the bank for other pending signings (e.g., Swayman, Frederic) and potential signings (e.g., Bergeron, Krejči).
Making His Mark
Jakub Lauko signed with the Boston Bruins in 2018 but has spent much of his career since then playing internationally and for the AHL affiliate, Providence Bruins. In 2022-2023, the 6-foot, 196-pound Czechia native played 35 games for the P-Bruins last season. He netted ten goals and seven assists while racking up 58 penalty minutes.
Prior to his arrival in the United States in the 2018-2019 season, Lauko played 44 games in the QMJHL for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, where he scored 21 goals and 20 assists. Following his time in Canada, he split his time between Providence and Czechia, where he played for Karlovy-Vary HC. During this time, his goal production dropped from his career-high 21 while playing in the QMJHL.
The 2022-2023 season saw Lauko’s first NHL action, as well, playing in 23 regular season games. He exceeded expectations immediately and became a go-to call-up when the Bruins experienced injuries or benched players for rest ahead of the playoffs. Lauko’s expected goal count of 2.6 was surpassed with a total of four goals from 33 shot attempts. Since Lauko didn’t play the full complement of games, looking at his points and goals per 60 minutes can indicate his ability to convert on the ice. Last season, his points/60 production was a decent 2.06, and his goals/60 production was just over one.
If you recall from a previous Bruins Stats Corner, IPP measures the percentage of goals scored by a team in which a skater earns a point. It reflects a skater’s involvement and impact on the team’s scoring. Higher IPP indicates a greater contribution to the team’s overall success. Lauko’s IPP of 70 at all strengths indicates that his time in Boston, while limited, was impactful.
This young Bruin has a lot ahead of him; if he continues to have solid development in the AHL and regular appearances in Boston, the future looks bright for the Bs with this young winger.
Great move by the Bruins! Jakub Lauko is a great player and will add some much needed depth to their forward lineup.