From now until the beginning of training camp, Bruins Insider Joe Haggerty is profiling players who will be on, or have a chance to be on, the 2015-16 Bruins. Today's player: Brian Ferlin.
Brian Ferlin isn’t the most skilled hockey player in the world, and he might not even amount to a 20-goal scorer at the AHL level when all is said and done. But the 23-year-old brings size, strength, decent speed and a good touch of offense to a potential role on Boston’s fourth line, and looked very much in place last season when he got his shot in the NHL. He also showed enough in just his first pro hockey season to make you believe there's room for growth with the young winger, and that the Bruins might have something in the 121st overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
What Happened Last Year: Ferlin signed with the Bruins after three solid seasons at Cornell University, and managed 11 goals and 20 points in 53 games in Providence. In seven pretty good games at the NHL level. the 6-foot-2, 201-pounder managed just one assist but showed a willingness to throw around his body, get to the front of the net and also exhibit some confidence with the puck on his stick in a fourth-line role. The 11 goals and 20 points for the P-Bruins were solid for a first pro season, and Providence missed Ferlin’s size and strength badly when he was injured for their playoff series against Hartford. While Ferlin doesn’t really rank as Boston’s best prospect in any particular category, he’s a young, affordable player who profiles nicely for the fourth-line competition about to take place in training camp.
Questions to be Answered this Season: The 23-year-old missed the most important games of the season for Providence at the end of the year due to injury, and will need to prove he’s durable enough to take the pounding that a fourth-line player endures. Ferlin will also need to regularly show the toughness and edge needed to play in a fourth-line role, and will have to fend off veteran competition like Zac Rinaldo. Beyond that, Ferlin just needs to show consistency and prove that he’s more than just a depth player. That will require him to stick out during training camp for all the right reasons, and perhaps show a little more offense than he was able to display in his first stint with Boston. The size, strength, speed and offensive upside are all there for Ferlin, but he’ll need to us them regularly if he wants to stick around.
In Their Words: “It definitely was an adjustment. You can’t get away with the things that you were able to get away with at the college level. You need to be fairly detailed in the really important areas along the boards, and get pucks deep in deep and not create turnovers. At the college level you could get away with some of that stuff, but not here. I think my game can translate well into different situations: being a big body I can play a physical style and control the puck down low, and that can bode well for [a bottom six] role.” -- Brian Ferlin, on his adjustment last season and what he could bring to a fourth line role.
Overall Outlook: Ferlin has the physical attributes and the right attitude to play in a fourth-line role, and most important of all he’s got the hunger to break into the NHL by any means necessary. Those ingredients usually translate well into success on the fourth line when it comes to young players. This will be Ferlin's first training camp where a potential job role is on the line and it will be telling to see how he comes out of the gate while competing with grizzled, veteran players like Rinaldo, Chris Kelly and Max Talbot. He’s got the size and strength that those players don’t necessarily have, and also has as much offensive upside as a guy like Kelly. Now he must show he can do all of the little things, and show the kind of physical urgency and contagious energy that’s necessary if he’s going to win a job on the fourth line. If he can stay healthy and confident, Ferlin has a decent shot.