(Photo Credit:

By: Tom Calautti | @TCalauttis

If the Boston Bruins want to be successful this season, they’re going to need to win games through goaltending and defense. For Boston’s defensive corps to be at the top of its game, it needs a big season from Andrew Peeke. 

One of the most significant developments this training camp has seen is the health and production of Hampus Lindholm. Through the team’s first several preseason games, the Swedish defender has displayed his trademark quickness, mobility, and explosiveness with the puck on his stick. His health is paramount to Boston’s success, but so is his potential defense partner.

Enter Andrew Peeke, the Parkland, FL native who (despite the team’s wretched finish) set career-highs in assists (16) and points (17) while maintaining a steady defensive presence on the team’s back end.

With Don Sweeney shipping Brandon Carlo out the door, and Mason Lohrei taking reps with Charlie McAvoy this preseason, the stars are seemingly aligning for a Lindholm-Peeke duo for Boston’s second defensive pairing. The question is, can he handle that responsibility?

If you look at his coaches from last year’s World Championships, the answer is a resounding yes.

At the international tournament last summer, Peeke played an essential role on Team USA’s blue line. According to American Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky, the Notre Dame alum was a key piece of the gold medal-winning puzzle. 

“I think Andrew Peeke was an important piece,” said Warsofsky. “In this tournament, you need to have some guys that can play the heavy minutes, that can shut down a top line, that can block shots, and be really good on the penalty kill. He really surprised me, just how heavy he was.”

Peeke’s stat line from the tournament doesn’t jump off the page, but it tells the tale of a steady, stay-at-home defenseman whose usage and deployment were crucial to the team’s success.

The Columbus draft pick posted 1-2-3 through 10 games, averaging 18:12 per game (third on the team behind only Zach Werenski and Jackson LaCombe) and was tied for 20th in the tournament with a plus-8.

The role he played for Team USA is precisely the role he may find himself in this season. Although the late-season success of the Nikita Zadorov-Henri Jokiharju pairing last season may lessen the defensive burden, Lindholm will undoubtedly be option 1A or 1B for Sturm in ‘gotta have it situations.’ If Peeke can slot in and perform as well as Carlo did in years past, the pairing could be something special.

The regular season is exactly one week away, and a lot can change in that amount of time. But no matter how you slice it, a heavy, rugged, and shutdown version of Andrew Peeke is crucial to the success of the Boston Bruins.