Providence To Boston Bruins: Centre Looks For Another Opportunity In NHL
The Boston Bruins 23-year-old prospect Georgii Merkulov is looking for another chance with the organization’s NHL team this upcoming season. Merkulov had a small stint with the B’s this past season and hopes to earn a bigger role next season. Defensive play will be the main focus of improvement entering this next season. With a spot open in the Bruins’ forward core, Merkulov joins Fabian Lysell as another young forward option who could crack the roster on opening night.
Boston Bruins Prospect Georgii Merkulov and His Shot With the Big Club in 2024-25
The Russian native had an impressive season in Providence last year. It was enough to earn him a couple of games with Boston last season. With Providence, Merkulov displayed consistency and major growth in his game from when he first joined the organization. This caught the eye of Bruins management and allowed him an opportunity in the NHL this past season. He hopes for another chance with the club at the start of next season.
Bruins’ prospect, centre Georgii Merkulov, was able to catch a glimpse of the NHL level last season. Moreover, he hopes to earn another opportunity as the 2024-2025 season approaches. Merkulov came over from Russia in 2019 and joined the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. He played for the Phantoms for two total seasons. In Merkulov’s first season with Youngstown he was able to put up six goals and 27 assists, for 33 points in 36 total games. In his second season he was able to improve his all-around play and was a point-per-game producer. He put up a total of 40 points in 38 games played. He was more productive with goal-scoring pitching in 14 goals, and also 26 assists to go along with it.
Summarizing His Career Stats and Path Until Now
After his two seasons in the USHL, Merkulov decided to go to the NCAA’s Big Ten Conference. He decided to join the Ohio State Buckeyes for the 2021-2022 season. Merkulov had a very impressive freshman season with the Buckeyes. This gained him a lot of attention from NHL scouts around the league. The 5’11″ forward tallied 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points in 36 games during his time at Ohio State. Merkulov exhibited tremendous speed and acceleration which he demonstrated on transition plays. This allowed him to create more space for himself and teammates.
After his freshman year at Ohio State, Merkulov gave up the rest of his NCAA eligibility. Merkulov joined the Bruins organization on a three-year entry level deal. He had a tryout for the organization at the end of his freshman season, then finished the rest of the year with Providence. He played in eight games with Providence at the end of that season, finishing with five total points with one goal and four assists.
During the 2022-2023, Merkulov showed a significant jump in his game, putting up 24 goals and 31 assists. His consistent play led into last season where he displayed 65 points in 67 games played for Providence. This earned him four games with Boston during the regular season where he put up zero points. The promising young forward demonstrated versatile play with the Providence Bruins making him a top candidate to earn another opportunity with the Bruins.
The Opportunity
The Bruins lost a lot of depth pieces to free agency. With the loss of players like Jake Debrusk, Pat Maroon, and Danton Heinen, the door is open for young prospects in their system to earn a chance at the NHL level. Merkulov is a versatile player who is listed as a centre but is also able to play the wing. With Merkulov’s exceptional speed and impressive edges, playing on the wing for the Bruins would allow him to be more contributing at the NHL level.
Merkulov would most likely slide into a middle-six roll in the teams forward core. He’d provide the offence with more depth scoring, and much-needed speed in the bottom of the lineup. The 23-year-old forward would have the opportunity to play with a veteran presence such as Charlie Coyle. Coyle would help Merkulov adapt to the professional level and provide experience for the young prospect to grow his game. Merkulov’s strong defensive positioning and offensive presence, gives the talented prospect a strong chance to earn another opportunity in the Bruins lineup at the start of next season.
