Bruins Assign Frederic, Cehlarik To Providence: Here’s How The Lines Look Right Now
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Trent Frederic will spend more time in Providence before officially jumping to the NHL. The Boston Bruins officially announced on Monday that they’ve assigned Frederic to the AHL club, along with winger Peter Cehlarik.
Boston originally drafted Frederic, 20, with the 29th overall pick in 2016. He played two seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, scoring 65 points in 66 games, before signing a three-year entry-level deal with the Bruins in March. He scored five goals and three assists in 13 games with Providence last season.
Cehlarik, a third-round pick in 2013, continues to make strong pushes for a spot on the Bruins roster. It’s likely that, when injuries pop up, you’ll see Cehlarik as one of the first wingers the Bruins call up. He’s played in 17 games over the past two seasons as a reserve forward for the B’s.
With the regular season opener coming Wednesday night, the Bruins have begun working with the regular line groupings that they expect to start 2018-19. Here’s how it shook out during Wednesday’s practice:
#NHLBruins practice lines:
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 1, 2018
Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak
DeBrusk - Krejci - Heinen
Donato - Kuraly - Backes
Nordstrom/Bjork - Acciari - Wagner
Chara - McAvoy
Moore - Carlo
Vaakanainen - Miller
Grzelcyk - Kampfer
Rask
Halak
Torey Krug didn’t practice after leaving the Bruins’ preseason finale with a lower body injury. It’s likely that if he can’t go in the season opener, the Bruins will turn to Matt Grzelcyk or Urho Vaakanainen to take his spot in the lineup. It appears that Bruce Cassidy is also still deciding whether to give Anders Bjork a shot on the third line, or to stick with free-agent acquisition Joakim Nordstrom.
Also notable is that key forward spots appear settled, for now. David Pastrnak will stay with the top line, with Danton Heinen soaking up the right wing spot on David Krejci’s line. Ryan Donato will move into Heinen’s old spot on the left side of the third line, while Sean Kuraly will center him and David Backes.
Frederic, however, is as close as any Bruins prospect to cracking the NHL lineup sooner rather than later.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].
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