Frederic Brunet is learning the NHL on the fly, and Patrice Bergeron likes what he sees as the Bruins visit St. Louis tonight.
The rookie defenseman has played 10 games this season for Boston, and the early returns are better than a typical fifth-round pick has any right to expect.
He has 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points, and he sits at +4. That's a solid number for a young blueliner still finding his footing.
The Bruins are 9-3-1 and lead the Atlantic Division. They lost 2-1 at Carolina on Tuesday night, and Brunet is part of a group trying to bounce back on the road.
Brunet's name came up on Thursday because of who is talking about him. Conor Ryan reports that the 23-year-old has a fan in a former Bruin he used to train with.
That former Bruin is Patrice Bergeron, who played 1294 NHL games over 19 seasons, all with Boston. When a franchise icon vouches for a kid, it carries weight in that building.
According to Ryan, Bergeron said he saw a kid who was committed and wanted to go the extra mile. Coming from that voice, it's hard to ask for a better character reference.
Brunet's power-play role and the road ahead
The production isn't empty either. Two of Brunet's four points came with the man advantage, one goal and one assist, which tells you Marco Sturm is willing to trust him in offensive situations.
Brunet was drafted in the fifth round, 132nd overall in 2022, so nothing was handed to him. He was born in Gatineau, stands 6'2 and weighs 175 lb.
That frame is worth watching. A 175-pound defenseman will be tested along the boards every night, and the ups and downs of a rookie season often show up in those battles.
Here is how Ryan framed the story and what Bergeron said about the work ethic behind it.
The Bruins have allowed 28 goals through 13 games and own a +21 goal differential, so the margin for error on the back end is slim. Brunet doesn't have to be perfect, but he does have to be reliable.
Boston is 4-2-1 on the road, and tonight's game in St. Louis is another test for a young defenseman. Can he keep stacking steady nights once the league starts to figure him out?
