By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
On a Franchise-altering Friday afternoon, the Boston Bruins shipped out several key pieces, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Captain Brad Marchand. While the trade of Carlo, a steady top-four Defensive Defenseman to the arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs may have been a shock, the Bruins secured valuable future pieces in return. One of those assets was young forward Fraser Minten.
A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Minten is in his first full season of professional hockey. So far this year, he has split time between the Leafs, and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. In 15 National Hockey League games this year, Minten has two goals and two assists and did not take a penalty.
Minten was selected 38th overall in the 2022 National Hockey League Entry Draft, 16 picks ahead of Bruins forward Matthew Poitras. The two players have already been teammates, having played together for Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Sweden, where Minten was the Teams Captain. He played his Junior Hockey in the Western Hockey League, spending the majority of his time with the Kamloops Blazers, a team with a long history of producing NHL stars, such as Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan, and Mark Recchi. He was traded mid-season last year to the Saskatoon Blades, where he helped them go on a long playoff run, that unfortunately ended at the hands of the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
In terms of what Minten may project as at the NHL level, his ceiling is likely that of a middle-six forward. While he has scored at a point-per-game level in the WHL, offense has not come as easily for Minten in the AHL. Before the trade, Minten had 13 points in 26 games with the Marlies. While his numbers might not pop out at you per say, he has drawn praise from Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube.
“If he can help us, I want him here.“, Said Berube when asked about Minten. “He’s a type of player that we like. A lot.“. Minten earned some ice time with the Leafs at his natural position, Center, but he also played a bit on the wing, including some time spent on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander. In addition to his fifteen games in the NHL this season, Minten also made the Leafs out of training camp last year as a teenager, appearing in four games before being sent back to junior hockey.
Minten has gained a reputation for having a very strong work ethic, an asset that should serve him well as he enters a new organization. With both Boston and Providence having to adjust their rosters post-trade deadline, the opportunity to climb up the lineup with strong play is there for him to take advantage of. Minten will begin his Bruins career in Providence, as the P-Bruins will take on his former team, the Marlies in Toronto on Wednesday night.
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