By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter/X @TCalauttis
Frederic Brunet came to training camp this season with one objective: to make the Boston Bruins. It’s been exactly one week since the Black and Gold hit the ice for the first day of on-ice camp, and it’s safe to say he is well on his way to achieving that goal.
The 23-year-old came into camp this season as one of Boston’s most exciting defensive prospects. After three full seasons in the AHL, and coming off a year where he posted career-highs in goals (12), assists (24), and points (36), the young defenseman believes he’s finally ready to earn a spot with the varsity club
“Last year was a really good year for me. I was playing some big minutes, and I was trying to improve my defense a lot, and I think it worked out in a good way,” said Brunet on the August 31st episode of NESN’s The Hockey Hub. “Last year was probably the biggest year for me as a pro hockey player; that was the biggest step I took in my career… I’m feeling confident, I’m feeling great… I definitely feel more ready than ever, and I’m ready to make a push.”
It’s normal for any young player to be excited about the potential to make their first-ever NHL roster, but when the organization shares that sentiment, it raises eyebrows for the fanbase. General Manager Don Sweeney made a point to mention Brunet by name earlier this summer when discussing potential blue line options for this upcoming season, and one week into training camp, that praise has continued.
With training camp condensed due to a new collective bargaining agreement, Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm and his staff have less time than in years past to formulate opinions on their roster and make decisions on bubble players. Because of that, it’s been somewhat of a trial by fire for Brunet, who, to this point, has continually answered the bell.
It all started on day one of training camp at 10 am when Boston’s first official skate of camp took place. Brunet skated the entirety of that session and the majority of camp with star defenseman Charlie McAvoy. That pairing, and how frequently they were skated together, piqued some interest.
“I found out (about skating with McAvoy) like, probably 30 minutes before practice,” said the Quebec native following the first day of camp. “It was a pretty good feeling, honestly. I mean, especially on the first day, you’re pretty nervous, and then you see you’re playing with McAvoy, one of the top three defensemen in the NHL, and I think he makes your life a lot easier. So hopefully it was looking good out there, and probably because of him a lot.”
Brunet and McAvoy skated together for the first four days of training camp, culminating in the team’s first preseason game last Sunday against the Washington Capitals. McAvoy got to see plenty of the youngster over that span and was excited about his potential.
“Yeah, he’s a great kid. He’s got a really good skill set, I mean, he can skate, and he can make plays,” said McAvoy following day two of camp. “From what I heard, he made a lot of plays down in (Providence), so I think he’s a really exciting prospect, and I’m trying my best to help him out.
He continued, “I thought we complemented each other well the last two days, and, you know, whatever I can do to help him I’m gonna do. I’m excited to be playing with him right now.”
McAvoy has had his fair share of defensive partners over his nine-year career, so he has run the gamut on all types of skaters. When asked about who Brunet reminds him of, the Olympic gold Medalist brought up one of the longest tenured partners of his career.
“A leftie with some skill, so maybe it could be [Matt Grzelcyk]. I think he’s a little taller than Grizzy, but he can move well,” said McAvoy. “And from what I’ve seen these first couple of days, he’s good with the puck, he can make plays… I think he thinks the game at a really high level, and offensively, I know he had some good performances down in Prov, so I think he has an offensive side.”
Grzelcyk may not be the name Bruins fans were hoping to hear, but you can’t argue the fact that he and McAvoy had an undeniable chemistry. According to Natural Stat Trick, from 2021-22 to 2023-24, Grzelcyk and McAvoy skated over 1630 minutes together. In that time, they posted impressive metrics in the following categories: Corsi (52.7 percent), shot differential (54.7 percent), goal differential (95-40), scoring chance differential (53.6 percent), and high-danger chance differential (54.1 percent). If the Bruins could wring that kind of production out of a potential Brunet-McAvoy pairing, it’d be a match made in heaven.
Brunet suited up alongside McAvoy in Boston’s first preseason game at TD Garden against the Washington Capitals. In that contest, the fifth-round pick took a period to settle in, but when he did, the results were encouraging. He logged a team-high 3:27 on the penalty and was a key cog in killing off two Capital power plays at the end of regulation and overtime.
Brunet flexed his defensive acumen late in that game when he sacrificed his body to block a one-timer and dove to clear a loose puck with just seconds remaining in the third to secure overtime. It wasn’t perfect, but when the team needed him most, the QMJHL alum stepped up to the plate and delivered the kind of steady, reliable defensive play that this organization has prided itself on for years.
It wasn’t until the second preseason game that Brunet truly got to put the entirety of his skillset on display. In Tuesday night’s contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, the 6’3″ defenseman notched two primary assists and helped propel the Bruins to a 5-1 victory.
Brunet made the first goal of the game happen, taking a pass at the point from Tanner Jeannot and one-timing it towards the net for a Mikey Eyssiont redirection. The second goal came off a faceoff play where Brunet once again moved a puck quickly from the point towards the net. Brendan Gaunce won the faceoff cleanly back to him in the middle of the blueline, and he was quickly able to snap a wrister that handcuffed Philly’s goaltender and left a juicy rebound in the crease for Brian Halonen to smack home.
He may not be the flashiest on the blueline, but one of the most important skills a defenseman can have is the ability to filter pucks quickly and accurately through traffic to get them to high-danger areas. Brunet proved in preseason game two that he doesn’t just have defensive acumen, but that he can also contribute on offense when called upon.
As things currently stand, the Boston Bruins still have ten NHL-caliber defensemen in training camp, including Brunet. McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Will Borgen are locks to make the team, and Connor Clifton was re-signed in the offseason, making him a pretty sure bet to start the season in Boston. That leaves two up for grabs between Brunet, Jonathan Aspirot, Mason Lohrei, Henri Jokiharju, and Jordan Harris.
The Bruins have yet to tip their hand on who has the inside track in this race, but there have been a few interesting breadcrumbs. One of the biggest feathers in Brunet’s cap is the praise he’s received from his potential head coach so far this camp.
“(Brunet) had another good night,” said Sturm following the team’s 5-1 victory over the Flyers. “He’s been rock solid. There are still little details in his game we have to clean up, but overall, having his first few games here this year under his belt, I think he looks very comfortable. So that’s a good thing.”
I wouldn’t say the praise has been effusive, but every chance Sturm has had to compliment the young defenseman, he’s taken it. He’s talked up both Brunet’s skating ability (he grew up speed skating) and defensive positioning on multiple occasions, giving some insight into just how highly he thinks of the defender.
“He has the ability to skate and close, so he has a lot of good things, that’s why we really, really like him,” said Sturm before Sunday’s game. “He’s been progressing really, really well over the years in Providence, but now we feel like this is the right time for him to step up his game and be around us and be around the NHL.”
Brunet will be suiting up for his third preseason game in a row tonight as the team heads down to Philadelphia for a rematch with the Flyers. He’s the only skater who’s gotten that many looks during this exhibition schedule, and he’s done everything he can to put his best foot forward.
There are always things we can read into when it comes to preseason deployment. Are the Bruins giving Brunet an extended tryout? Do they already have him pencilled in and just want to give him as much NHL experience as they can before the season starts? Do they want to see more, so they’re giving him more opportunities?
There’s no way to know exactly what’s going on in the minds of Boston’s management group, but eight days into training camp, Frederic Brunet has been one of the biggest stories in Boston. So far, he’s passed every test, cleared every hurdle, and navigated every speed bump. From my point of view, he’s done everything the organization has asked of him thus far, and if he keeps up his play, he should be a lock for this roster come opening night.
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