By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
Hockey is here at last. After a long off-season, the Boston Bruins will return to the ice, at least in some capacity, when they travel to Buffalo, New York, for the annual Prospects Challenge. Teams have to invite several young players to help fill out a roster for the tournament, and the Bruins are no different. So, in addition to those who are either already drafted by or under contract with the team, who else will don the spoked-B this weekend?
#61, Ty Cheveldayoff: LW/RW
A native of Stony Plain, Alberta, Cheveldayoff will represent the Bruins this weekend in Buffalo, having signed a one-year American Hockey League contract with the P-Bruins earlier this summer. Standing at 6’3″, 225 pounds, Cheveldayoff is a big winger who spent last season in the ECHL with the Jacksonville Icemen. The former Spokane Chief had six goals in 66 regular-season games last year, adding 175 penalty minutes.
#68, Robert Cronin: C/RW
Like Cheveldayoff, Cronin is also under contract with a minor-league affiliate of the Bruins, having signed an ECHL contract with the Maine Mariners this summer. The Plymouth, Massachusetts, native turned pro this spring after a four-year college career at the University of New Hampshire. He posted eight points in 13 games with the Mariners last season, as well as 28 points in 35 games during his Senior season with UNH.
#76, Dylan Edwards: Forward
At only 5’8″, 170 pounds, Edwards will be one of the smaller players on the ice this weekend in Buffalo. However, don’t think that he isn’t deserving of an invite. The Toronto native may have gotten off to a slow start points-wise in the early days of his Ontario Hockey League career, but after a brief stint in the OJHL, where he scored at a 1.67 point-per-game pace, he has found his groove. Edwards had 56 points in 66 regular season games for the Otters last season, with an additional 15 points in nine postseason contests.
#54, Mavrick Lachance: Center
The first QMJHL player on this list, Lachance, put up 34 goals in 52 regular-season games this past year with Sherbrooke. The nineteen-year-old will return to Quebec this season, but will be heading to Massachusetts eventually, as he’s committed to play for Merrimack College.
#83, Emmanuel Vermette: Left-Wing
Vermette has shown steady improvement throughout his time in the QMJHL, most recently reaching the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career this past season. At 6’1″, 198 pounds, the Quebec native has decent size, and should be an interesting player to watch this weekend.
#74, Grayson Burzynski: Defenseman
At 6’4″, 212 pounds, Burzynski has NHL size and enjoyed a breakout offensive year in the Western Hockey League with the Swift Current Broncos, with 47 points in 62 games, after only 13 in 58 the year prior. The Iowa City, Iowa, native is heading back to the WHL this year, this time as a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings.
#94, Dylan MacKinnon: Defenseman
A native of Moncton, New Brunswick, MacKinnon was initially drafted in the third round of the 2023 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. The team did not sign him, and he is now a free agent. The Right-hand shot defenseman played last season for his hometown Wildcats, where he was teammates with Bruins prospect Loke Johansson.
#64, Oliver Turner: Defenseman
The second Erie Otter on this list, Turner, is a tall right-handed defenseman who is committed to Colgate University. The Toronto native spent the majority of last season at St. Andrew’s College, where he had 38 points in 70 games on the blue line, also appearing in two OHL games with Erie. He is the nephew of former Bruins forward Glen Murray, and was teammates with Bruins prospect Dean Letourneau at St. Andrew’s College.
#75, Mitch Young: Defenseman
Young has put up respectable point totals in the OHL the past two seasons, having worked his way up the Ontario Junior Hockey ladder, starting in the GOJHL, before making his way to Sarnia. He has good size for a defenseman, at 6’2″, 190 pounds, and was teammates with former Bruins prospect Ryan Mast during the 2022-2023 season.
#60, Ben Hrebik: Goaltender
One of two Goaltenders on the roster, along with Bruins prospect Simon Zajicek, Hrebik had a fantastic year in the OHL, putting up a .920 save percentage, with a 2.87 goals against average, and a record of 21-9-2 for the Colts last season. Despite this, he went undrafted this summer and will get the chance to further prove himself this weekend in Buffalo.
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