By: Matthew Lemear | Follow Me on X @Mlemear331
Boston Bruins defensive prospect, Jonathan Myrenberg, could join the Providence Bruins organization after completing his 2024-25 season in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Myrenberg remains unsigned by the Bruins; however, he was seen in the building and on the ice in Providence this morning.
According to Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal, the young European blueliner was seen practicing. Many fans may not be familiar with Myrenberg, but he was one of the prospects acquired in the 2022 trade with the Vancouver Canucks that senf former Bruins forward Jack Studnicka to Western Canada. The other prospect acquired in the trade was current Providence Bruins standout goalie Michael DiPietro, who’s set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Myrenberg is a 21-year-old Swedish defenseman who stands 6’3″and weighs 196 pounds. The right-shot blueliner recently played for Linkoping HC of the SHL. In 18 games played for the Linkoping club this season, Jonathan registered zero points and a -2 rating. However, according to Divver, Myrenberg reportedly missed time due to injury.
Due to playing in the SHL and not currently having a contract with the Bruins organization, Myrenberg is relatively unknown to Bruins fans. What we do know is that he was initially drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round (140th overall), in the 2021 National Hockey League Entry Draft. On the surface, Myrenberg may not appear to be an offensive-gifted defenseman. However, he is only 21 years old and has plenty of time to continue developing.
If Myrenberg does indeed sign a contract and play in the organization, another situation worth watching is how he will adapt to the North American style of play. As you can see in the graphic above, Myrenberg has shown the ability to produce points from the defensive end of the ice, mainly when he was playing in the Swedish junior leagues. One thing that could also be hindering Myrenberg’s offensive production is his being on the bottom defensive pairing for Linkoping. According to a scouting report from dobberprospects.com, Myrenberg also jumped from the junior ranks to the professional-level SHL much earlier than most players typically would.
Last summer, Myrenberg participated in the Bruins’ annual summer development camp. Scott McLaughlin, who covers the Bruins extensively for WEEI, reported that Myrenberg looked “more poised” during that camp than some of the other prospects. McLaughlin attributed this to Myrenberg playing in the professional levels of the Swedish leagues at such a young age, much earlier than many other prospects would face professional-level talent.
While in development camp last summer, Myrenberg was asked about his goals for the upcoming season. He mentioned wanting to add some weight to help with his strength and that he needed to develop into more of a scoring threat on the ice. Unfortunately, Myrenberg missed 30+ games due to injury this season, making it difficult to judge and determine his development progress.
Hopefully, we will see an announcement of a contract signing for the Bruins and Myrenberg in the next couple of days. As Mark Divver alluded to in his post, it is believed that Myrenberg will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) if he and the organization cannot come to a contract agreement by June 1st. Despite some injury concerns this season, Myrenberg is a big, young, mobile, puck-moving defenseman, the type of player the Bruins could use in their organization. Finding a player the size and build of Myrenberg who can also move and provide offensive support is a rarity in today’s game.
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