Boston Bruins Snipers Zach Senyshyn, Frank Vatrano Pace Award Lists Among B's Prospects; Austin Czarnik Topped AHL Rookies in Scoring

While the Bruins sputtered out of the playoffs, several Boston prospects captured honors in their respective leagues - shedding further light on the promise of the B’s future.

A couple of pure goal-scorers in particular paced the award lists among Bruins-to be.

The Bruins’ 15^th overall pick in last June’s draft, Zach Senyshyn capped a high-flying 45-goal, 65-point season in 66 games for the Sault Ste Marie Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League in just his second year of juniors by being named a Red Tilson Trophy finalist as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year. He was also voted the Western Conference’s ‘Best Skater’ and finished third as ‘Most Dangerous in the Goal Area’ in the OHL Coaches Poll. Senyshyn, 6'2", 195 lbs, who only turned 19 March 30, further brought home three Soo team awards - including the Three Star Award and a share of both the club MVP and humanitarian awards.

“This is a huge honor,” Senyshyn told the Sault Star. “I had a lot of fun this year and it's really nice to be recognized.”

Bruins fans hope the big, speedy right wing will soon be racing with the puck up ice, driving the net and scoring goals in Boston.

Meanwhile University of Massachusetts-Amherst free agent pickup Frank Vatrano went out and scored a league-best 36 goals along with 55 points in a monstrous season as a first-year pro for the Providence Bruins. He finished six goals ahead of the second place AHL scorer and tied for 19th in points despite only playing 36 games. 

"He's got a shooter's mentality. With his release, he catches a lot of goalies late before they get set."  - Providence coach Bruce Cassidy on Vatrano

Vatrano was recognized for his work with a plethora of hardware, including the AHL’s Co-Rookie of the Year, and being named to the league’s First All-Star and All-Rookie Teams.

The 5’9”, 201-pound 22-year old winger also notched 8 goals and 3 assists in 39 games with Boston and showed the lightning release, quickness and relentlessness to his game that makes him another top prospect for the B’s.

“The guy wants to score and he’s got a shooter’s mentality. With his release, he catches a lot of goalies late before they get set,” Providence coach Bruce Cassidy told the Boston Globe in late February. “His eyes light up when he has the chance to get to a scoring area and a puck’s gonna show up. Now it’s a matter of him building his overall game.’’

Along with Vatrano, Providence teammate Austin Czarnik, 23, made the AHL All-Rookie Team with a great year in which he tallied 20 goals in 68 games and 61 points – tops among rookies and tied for 7^th overall in the league. The 5’9”, 161-pounder is a quick, shifty playmaking center who was also an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami (Ohio) and gives the Bruins good skill depth up the middle and potentially a challenge for a 4th line role if the B's want a little more scoring throughout the lineup next year. He also brings a lot of battle to the ice despite his size, and led a valiant Providence comeback with two goals and three points in their season-ending 5-4 double-overtime loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after they were down 4-1 entering the third period and 2-0 in the series. Cassidy challenged Czarnik and others to rise to the occasion between periods, saying this is the time of year when you need your best players to be your best and the young centerman's high compete level gave the team the push they needed to nearly pull off an unbelievable comeback. 

"It was awesome," Vatrano said on WEEI's website. "It was a fun ride. We had a really great group down here and I enjoyed coming to the rink every day with these guys."

Providence veteran Seth Griffith, 23, joined Vatrano on the First All-Star team with 24 goals and 77 points in 57 games – good for second in the AHL, while Alexander Khokhlachev, 22, finished tied for third with 68 points as Providence skated four top-20 scorers to surge from way back into the playoffs with the league's best powerplay.

In the meantime, Bruins 2015 second rounder Jeremy Lauzon was named to the Second All-Star Team of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League after an excellent season for the dominant Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in which he put up 10 goals, 50 points and a whopping +40 in 46 games. The big mobile D-man suffered a scary neck laceration after getting cut with a skate in the QMJHL playoffs April 15 and was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery, but was reported afterward to be out of danger and recovered over the ensuing few weeks in time for a return to play in the Memorial Cup in May where he notched a pair of assists in five games. He has quietly become one of the Bruins better defense prospects headed into the offseason.

Furthermore several other Bruins prospects, including Matt Grzelcyk, Danton Heinen, Ryan Fitzgerald and Anders Bjork, were earlier named to NCAA All-Star teams for their respective conferences, while Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson made All-Rookie. Heinen, a center who tallied 20 goals and 48 points in 41 games for the University of Denver, was signed to an entry level contract by Boston at the end of the year and added two assists in two games for the Baby B's. Grzelcyk was also signed by Boston after completing his senior year at BU after putting up 20 goals, 61 points and a +49 in 68 games from the blueline over his final two seasons as captain.