With Bruins camp nearly wrapped, the picture around the organization is starting to come into focus - and it stretches well beyond Boston. A few prospects are still in the mix for NHL jobs, Providence is about to open its season, and the early returns are already rolling in from Europe and the CHL.
At the top of the Boston bubble are Frederic Brunet, Matthew Poitras, and Dans Locmelis. All three remain candidates to land on the main roster.
Poitras is dealing with an injury, which could send him to IR to open a spot for Locmelis. Brunet, meanwhile, is expected to at least hold down the seventh defenseman role while Charlie McAvoy serves his six-game suspension.
Providence has already gotten a taste of preseason action with a home-and-home set against Springfield this weekend, and the AHL club opens its season on October 2 against the Utica Comets. The NCAA calendar is right behind it, with most college seasons set to begin the weekend of October 2-4. There are also some exhibition games worth tracking for Bruins prospects, including Boston College at Michigan State and the US Under-18 Team, plus North Dakota hosting Augustana and Manitoba (CAN-USports).
The college ranks should be a major watch point this year. Boston has 12 skaters and a goalie currently on NCAA rosters, and Dean Letourneau and Will Zellers are expected to be among the top players in the country. Cooper Simpson’s freshman season also stands out after his strong USHL year, especially with Zellers as his teammate at North Dakota.
Elsewhere, the Bruins’ prospects are already in season form overseas and in major junior.
Oscar Olsson has opened with a solid push at Örebro HK U20, putting up six points in seven games, including two goals and four assists, along with a plus-1 rating and 12 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-4 forward built on a 30-point season in 2025-26, and Boston will be watching to see whether the fourth-round pick can keep stacking production at the junior level.
Matvei Kotkov has jumped straight into the KHL and made it count. The 2026 fourth-round pick has two goals in nine games for defending champion Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, following a dominant MHL season that saw him post 31 points in 36 games and another 15 points in 18 playoff games.
Nils Bartholdsson has also started fast, recording a goal and an assist in his first game with Rögle BK U20. After leading Rögle U20 in goals last season and earning five SHL appearances as a 17-year-old, the third-round pick is continuing to build momentum with his offensive instincts and relentless pace.
Kirill Yemelyanov has already gotten a look with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s KHL side, dressing as the 13th forward for a September 23 game against Admiral Vladivostok. He also scored the deciding goal in Lokomotiv’s preseason shootout win at the Blinov Cup, while beginning the regular season mostly in the MHL.
On defense, Roman Bychkov has chipped in offense for Khimik Voskresensk in the VHL, collecting four points in nine games. The 25-year-old has already scored this season, including a goal against Yuzhny Ural on September 20.
Liam Pettersson is settling in with Djurgårdens IF after signing a two-year junior contract in May. The 19-year-old defenseman arrived from Växjö’s organization after an injury-shortened 2025-26 season, and he has already earned a spot alongside Calle Odelius in training camp.
Vashek Blanár is back for a second year with HV71 U20 after posting 15 points in 30 games last season and adding three SHL appearances. The 6-foot-5 defenseman also spent the year representing Czechia internationally, including at the U20 level.
In goal, Yuri Ivanov has started his first season since Boston drafted him 56th overall with strong numbers for Spartak Moscow’s MHL club. Through four games, the 18-year-old owns a 2.28 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage, one shutout, and a 2-2-0 record. That follows a 2025-26 season in which he went 13-3-1 with a .924 save percentage.
The CHL side of the ledger is moving too. Cole Chandler has quickly become a key offensive piece for Cape Breton after an offseason trade from Shawinigan, piling up six points in four games with one goal and five assists. The fifth-round pick is in his fourth full QMJHL season.
Cullen McCrate has made a smooth jump to the OHL with Brantford after spending last season with the Fargo Force in the USHL. The seventh-round pick has two assists and a plus-three rating in three games.
Jacob Vandeven has also stepped into the OHL and made an immediate impact in London. The 6-foot-6 defenseman has a plus-six rating through three games and eight penalty minutes, bringing a physical edge while Boston waits to see how quickly his offense translates after a 32-point season in 47 GOJHL games.
In Other News...
Bruins Fans Are Suddenly Watching A Strange Marchenko Trade Rumor
A stray bit of social media sleuthing has Bruins fans doing a double take, with Kirill Marchenko suddenly entering the conversation around Boston. The wingers name popped up after an online observation noticed mutual Instagram follows between Marchenko and a pair of Bruins players, enough to send speculation spinning even though there is no hockey-related evidence behind it.
For a fan base that is always alert to possible roster upgrades, the temptation to connect dots is obvious, especially when a player profile like Marchenkos gets dragged into the mix. Still, the buzz appears to be little more than the kind of coincidence the internet loves to turn into a rumor, leaving Boston supporters with a fresh topic to watch but no real sign that anything is actually brewing. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Need JJ Peterka To Fix One Offensive Problem Fast
The trade market is starting to move again as the league heads toward its cap-compliant roster deadline, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that a deal involving Kirill Marchenko between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs could be close. For Boston, the ripple effect matters because the Bruins have already made their big swing, bringing in winger JJ Peterka to help address an offense that has lacked enough punch for too long.
Peterka arrives with real expectations attached, and the Bruins will need him to translate that upside quickly once the season opens against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. The fit is obvious enough: Boston wants more speed, more finishing and more reliable scoring depth, and Peterka is the kind of addition that can change the look of a forward group if he settles in right away. The only question is how fast that impact shows up, because for a team trying to reestablish itself, offensive fixes have a way of becoming urgent the moment the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Finally Found A Backup Goalie Worth Watching
After Bostons first-round playoff exit, the Bruins moved on from Joonas Korpisalo by sending him to the New York Rangers, a change that opened a cleaner runway behind Jeremy Swayman. It also created a real opportunity for Michael DiPietro, whose path to the NHL roster had been less about hype than about timing and steady work.
DiPietro took advantage of it in camp and preseason, where he put together the kind of showing that made the backup picture more interesting than it has been in a while. For a Bruins team looking to sort out the goal crease after last springs disappointment, having a second goaltender who earned the job on merit gives the season a little more stability, even if the long-term questions around the position are still very much part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]