By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter / X @Jainchill_Ryan
Boston Bruins forward Fraser Minten has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January, the league announced today. In January, the 21-year-old notched 8-6-14 in 14 games and was a +12. His month included a two-goal performance, including the overtime winner, against his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks and two separate three-point games.
The Vancouver, B.C. native is the first Bruin to win Rookie of the Month honors since goaltender Jeremy Swayman in February of 2022. He is the first Bruins’ rookie forward to win the award since Sergei Samsonov in 1998. His eight goals in the month are the most by a Bruins rookie since Brad Marchand in January of 2011.
Minten entered January with 6-9-15 in 41 games and had been held scoreless for nine games leading into the calendar year of 2026. In the Bruins’ first game of the month, a 3-2 overtime win in Vancouver, Minten had the first marker and the overtime winner, scoring both in front of family and friends in the arena he grew up attending.
Three games later, Minten contributed three points in the Bruins 10-2 victory over the New York Rangers, coming up one goal short of his first career hat-trick. Over the next six games, Minten notched 2-1-3, including scoring in the third against the Detroit Red Wings to give the Bruins a two-goal cushion.
On January 24, while late in an important game for the standings with the Montreal Canadiens, Minten corralled his own pass and shoveled a backhand home to tie the game at three late in the third in a game that the Bruins would end up winning 4-3 in regulation. That victory marked the Bruins’ first victory while trailing after two periods.
To end the month, Minten recorded 1-3-4 in the Bruins’ victories over the Nashville Predators and the Philadelphia Flyers. In the Flyers game, Minten, who was promoted to the second line with the injury to Elias Lindholm, had 1-2-3 for his second three-point game of the month.
Minten, in his first year with the Bruins, has been relied on heavily for third-line minutes and has excelled, earning more opportunities in the top six and on special teams. He is averaging 1:47 of shorthanded ice time and in the victory over the Canucks, he notched his first career power-play goal.
In fellow colleague Chad Jones’ article on Minten’s rise, he highlighted Head Coach Marco Sturm’s increasing trust in the young centerman. After coming over from Toronto at the deadline last year, Minten earned a spot out of training camp and has continued to develop. Many thought Minten’s ceiling as an NHL player was in the middle-six, but as of late, he has shown that his offensive upside is on the rise.
Minten and the Bruins will finish the pre-Olympic break stretch of play with the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series tonight at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, against the Lightning and a visit to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
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