Dans Locmelis needs shoulder surgery, and the Boston Bruins just lost a real Providence Bruins spark.

The rising Bruins prospect hasn't played since he got back from the Olympics, and now we know why.

Jimmy Murphy reported Saturday that Locmelis is scheduled for shoulder surgery next week.

The expected recovery time is six months, with Locmelis aiming to be ready for training camp in the fall.

The word around the team is he's been gutting it out with this injury for a while, which makes the production feel even louder.

For the P-Bruins, it's a gut punch. He was tied for third on the team with 15 goals, and he was playing like a legit top call-up option.

He's also been one of those prospects who pops on the man advantage, especially when the puck starts moving east-west.

Locmelis is 22, drafted in 2022, a fourth-round pick, 119th overall, by the Boston Bruins.

This season in Providence, he's sitting at 15-13-28 in 43 games, the kind of line that forces coaches to find him extra touches.

He was also building real momentum on the international stage, scoring twice at the Olympics and looking like he belonged in that pace.

Dans Locmelis injury stings the Boston Bruins pipeline

Bruins fans are allowed to be frustrated here, because this was the rare prospect who felt “close,” not “someday.”

Providence now has to replace more than goals. They have to replace his constant motion through the middle of the ice.

For Boston, the timing hurts too, because call-ups down the stretch are often about who is already playing confident hockey.

Locmelis was trending toward that exact role, the kind of forward who can give you honest minutes without hiding.

The silver lining is the calendar. A six-month window lines up with a clean summer, and a full ramp into camp if rehab goes well.

Still, shoulder stuff is never casual for a shooter, and it can change how a player wins pucks along the wall.

Now the next milestone is simple: get the surgery done, get the shoulder right, and come into fall looking like the same attacker Providence fell in love with.