AHL: Rask and Reward

With AHL All-Star Tuukka Rask in goal and several other promising prospects, Providence has mirrored the Boston Bruins success this year by riding the wave of young talent to first place in the AHL. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese has notes on several "baby Bruins" that are making an impact this season.

Tuukka Rask (Bos), G, Providence Bruins

Franchise goaltender in the making with elite athleticism and ideal mental makeup .. a god-given talent in goal with the cat-like reflexes and Gumby-like agility to make highlight-reel saves .. confident goaltender that displays great patience by always making the shooter make the first move .. mechanically, rock solid with proper pad level, which aides in his superb rebound control .. utilizes his glove to support his stick, which allows to suck up any rebounds he cannot direct to the corners .. plays very low to the ice giving the shooter nothing to look at low and his big frame allows him to still cover the upper portion of the net well .. his big frame gives him outstanding net coverage and his airtight butterfly assists in his ability to minimize the weak goals against .. like a short stop in baseball, Rask has one of the fastest glove hands out there .. decision-making playing the puck is suspect at times .. great skater with phenomenal lateral movement .. recovers from his butterfly back to his stance instantly and remains calm with heavy traffic and scrums surrounding him .. it is not a matter of if but when Rask will be the guy in Boston.

Matt Lashoff (Bos), D, Providence Bruins

Big and skilled offensive defenseman that struggles defensively .. prodigious skater with a strong stride, fluid pivots, and the ability to accelerate briskly .. thanks to his good on-ice vision, he can stretch the ice with a home-run pass out of his own end .. works the point well and is creatively generating offense while quarterbacking the Providence powerplay where his booming slapshot is also an asset .. likes to jump and rush the puck up ice where his soft hands and ability to skate with the puck is displayed .. willing to pinch deep into the offensive zone .. his ability to rush the puck is like a double-edged sword, as it also leads him to being caught up the ice with scary regularity and forces him into taking bad penalties .. loses his man while covering his crease area and can be lackadaisical when defending one-on-one .. despite his big frame, Lashoff is often guilty of playing the puck and not the man .. needs to play with a more consistent edge, as he can get aggressive if provoked and this is when he is most effective .. big and skilled, but will need to improve defensively to become a regular in Boston's lineup.

Matt Hunwick (Bos), D, Providence Bruins

Hard-working and reliable defensive defenseman .. wins most foot races thanks to his sharp acceleration, which is stimulated by his long stride with a crisp burst of speed .. makes a good first pass while under duress and disguises his intentions discretely while moving the puck on the point .. not a powerplay-quarterback type, but he will pinch down low appropriately to aide in holding the zone .. small, but he is a spirited worker with some grit, evidenced by being placed in front of the opponent's net while on the powerplay .. defensive-first-type defenseman that is very aware and never allows anyone to get behind him .. properly plays two-on-one's by taking away the pass and giving the shooter to the goalie .. character defenseman that is a tough kid and will fight .. deserved the cup of tea in the NHL he received earlier in the year and projects as a dependable third-pairing type down the road.

Martins Karsums (Bos), RW, Providence Bruins

Nothing flashy, Karsums is a deceptively skilled and methodical two-way winger .. fluent skater with nifty in-close mobility and a lengthy glide in the open ice .. attacks the net with regularity and generates many scoring opportunities to unleash his accurate wristshot .. effectively skates the puck with a few open-ice moves in his arsenal to get by the opposition and gain the offensive zone .. processes the game quickly when the puck is on his stick and he makes instinctive passes in all three zones .. utilized on the penalty kill, Karsums is often the first forward back to aide in defensive coverage .. committed defender that effectively clogs lanes with his active stick .. competitive winger with a short but stocky frame that makes him a deceptively strong hitter .. skilled enough and good enough defensively to play on Boston's third line down the road.

Jonathan Sigalet (Bos), D, Providence Bruins

Finesse defender that does an adequate job distributing the puck .. gets around the ice well, despite his skinny legs thanks to proper knee bend and an adequate explosion to his stride .. poised with the puck on his stick in all three-zones and contributes offensively by jumping into the rush if the opportunity presents itself .. sees the ice well enough to hit the open man with a pass .. while defending, Sigalet relies on his fluid mobility and proper positioning to mask his frail frame, which is exposed by larger opponents in one-on-one situations .. if his partner gets run, he will stick up for him by dropping the gloves .. has not progressed much since his impressive rookie year and is beginning to be surpassed on the depth chart by other defensemen in the system.

Jordan Sigalet (Bos), G, Providence Bruins

A great story and the type of player you root for, as he has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, yet continues perform well in the AHL .. a small goaltender that struggles to find the puck through traffic and his diminutive size leaves him highly susceptible to tips .. guilty of going down to early, which leaves him prone to giving up weak goals when the shooter can get the puck up high from in tight .. rebound control is suspect, as he can kick out some juicy ones .. does not always find his post when moving laterally and can lose his angle .. reads the game well, as he will freeze the puck when his team is in need of a whistle .. patient with the shooter in odd-man rushes .. lack of size will prevent him from having an NHL career.

Nate Thompson (Bos), C, Providence Bruins

Providence's captain is a mature two-way center with good mobility .. has a good first step and accelerates to his okay top gear in just a few strides .. seems to be more of a set-up man than a finisher, as he always looks to pass first when gaining the offensive zone .. plays on the penalty kill and his relentless forecheck forces the opposition into committing turnovers .. comes down deep to aide in defensive coverage and effectively neutralizes his man one-on-one by sticking to him like glue .. drives his feet hard through checks and oozes character, as he will instantly come to his teammates defense and fight .. still in the mix as a potential checking-line center in the NHL.

Chris Collins (Bos), LW, Providence Bruins

Former runner up for the Hobey Baker Award that is beginning to show signs of becoming the productive two-way winger that he was at Boston College .. the type of skater that will not burn anyone but he's a shifty skater that is slippery to contain one-on-one .. playing on the penalty kill, but he is also guilty of committing careless turnovers up the middle in his own end .. the most impressive aspect of Collin's development this season is the fire in his belly that he is now playing with .. with a low center of gravity, Collins battles very hard for loose pucks in the offensive zone .. team-first player that has even fought this year .. beginning to show signs of life in his sophomore season and has re-established himself as a legitimate prospect.

Wacey Rabbit (Bos), C, Providence Bruins

Pint-sized sparkplug that plays a fearless brand of hockey .. agile skater with nimble and quick feet that allow him to accelerate quickly and turn on a dime .. can finish in close with his quick shot but it lacks velocity making him an ineffective scorer from the outside .. anticipates the game soundly and always seems to be buzzing around the puck .. small, but he utilizes his wide base to be effective in the corners and emerge as a surprisingly powerful hitter .. in-your-face-type-of player that likes to get his nose dirty with his non-stop motor and is even willing to fight against much larger opponents .. could possibly bring his energetic game to the fourth line in the NHL.

Byron Bitz (Bos), RW, Providence Bruins

Hulking and aggressive winger with extraordinary size standing (6-5, 215) .. he is a good skater for a player of his size that can cover a lot of ice once he gains some momentum .. almost impossible to knock off his feet and is difficult to contain around the net where he is willing to get his nose dirty to bang away for a garbage goal .. plays on the powerplay where he likes to attack the net with the puck and carry the opposition with him .. utilizes his phenomenal strength to win one-on-one battles on the wall .. a prized physical presence that plays with an edge every shift .. a prized physical presence that works hard away from the puck and plays with an edge every shift .. with his size, physicality, and deceiving mobility, expect Bitz to get a shot in the NHL down the road.

Adam McQuaid (Bos), D, Providence Bruins

The former Columbus second rounder is a big stay-at-home defenseman with limited puck skills .. overall, an okay skater for his size and he effectively keeps his the play in front of him for the most part .. does have a hitch in his pivots and his sloppy acceleration could be exploited at the next level .. possesses a healthy-sized frame, which allows him to be effective playing the body in the corners .. takes care of his own end well and utilizes his long reach well .. attempts to front the puck but he often makes a better door than window for his goaltender and would be better served to just move bodies out from the front of the net .. solid depth defenseman that can fill a roster spot in the AHL but he's not close to making the NHL.