Vesey Would be Major Coup for Boston Bruins, Could Play with Heinen and Other Top Prospects

As the Bruins try to stem a free fall that may land them out of the playoffs for the second straight year, they have a bright side potentially emerging on the near horizon in the form of A-list college prospects Danton Heinen and Jimmy Vesey.

While the Bruins drafted Heinen in the 4^th round of the 2014 draft and are waiting to see whether he opts to stay at the University of Denver at the conclusion of the NCAA Frozen Four tournament or go pro, Vesey is another story.

Originally drafted in the third round in 2012 by Nashville, Vesey finished his college hockey career this week at Harvard but opted to forgo signing with the Predators so he can become an unrestricted free agent on August 15. The Boston Herald has reported that his team of choice will then be the Bruins.

“According to an extremely well-placed source within the Boston-area college hockey community, the forward will opt for free agency and sign with the B’s,” the Herald reported today. “The 6-foot-3, 205-pound North Reading native is widely regarded as a can’t-miss, NHL-ready prospect. The last two seasons, especially, the speedy left-shot center/left winger emerged as an NCAA star and posted 56 goals, 48 assists (104 points) and a plus-33 in 70 games for the Crimson.”

Vesey, 22, is a Hobey Baker finalist and one of the top NHL prospects in the country, so this would be an absolute coup for the Bruins. Faced with the likely loss of decent and reliable, if not electric, two-way winger Loui Ericksson to free agency in the offseason and still wincing from the dulling painful after-effects of the blunderous mistake to trade budding superstar Tyler Seguin a few short seasons ago, securing Vesey would bring some excitement to the bleachers of TD Garden again.

In addition to having Boston area roots, Vesey has other connections to the Bruins. Bruins GM Don Sweeney is also a Harvard alum and Vesey grew up with B’s offensive defenseman prospect Matt Grzelcyk, a 3^rd round Bruins pick in 2012 who just finished a stellar career at BU where he served as captain the last two seasons, was selected as a Hockey East first team all-star twice and racked up 26 goals and 95 points in 125 games.

“His good friend Matt Grzelcyk is expected to ink a deal with Boston shortly. The Bruins are at 49 contracts after signing college prospects Rob O'Gara and Sean Kuraly on Tuesday, leaving them with one open slot,” according to Sports Illustrated. “With a chance to feather the nest as comfortably as possible for Vesey, they may just go ahead and get something done with Grzelcyk.”

Envisioning Vesey and Heinen in the Bruins' fold, along with current young speedy, skilled and creative Bruins like Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak and others on the way such as Zach Senyshyn, would change the future complexion of the team into a potentially dynamic offensive force. Vesey and Heinen were ranked 2nd and 5th respectively on CBS Sports’ list of top 10 players to watch going into the Frozen Four tournament last week. CBS Sports called Vesey one of the nation’s best goal scorers, and said Heinen’s “speed and offensive skill allows him to control games when he’s on the ice, making many wonder if he’s ready to make the jump to the pros.”

On the way to 20 goals and 48 points in 40 games this season, including six points over the last two games to get Denver into the Frozen Four for the first time in 11 years, Heinen is actually topping his surprise brilliant campaign last season when he put up 45 points in 40 games -- which was second among rookies to Jack Eichel. Heinen, 20, has great puck skills that allow him to slow the game down and act like a point guard on the ice. The only question is whether the British Columbia center and the Bruins determine if there is a spot for him at the pro level next season, or if he’s better off returning to Denver for his junior year and continuing to work toward a degree while gaining more experience on the ice with the Pioneers.

There is also still no guarantee that Vesey signs with Boston, either, since once he hits the open market he’s free to sign with any team. Given his skillset and lofty accomplishments to date he will have plenty of top NHL suitors after him.

But for now, it’s okay to dream of a potential game-breaking sniper in Boston again. It felt like the last one left well before he had a chance to really get things going.

[News Update: Vesey went on to win the Hobey Baker award in April, and the Bruins signed Grzelcyk on April 1st to a two-year deal starting next year. In the meantime he'll finish out the season with the Providence Bruins, which should be a powerhouse on D now with prospects O'Gara, Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo in the fold for their stretch run. Later in April the B's also signed Heinen to a three-year entry level deal beginning next year and he'll also play in Providence to finish out this season after Denver lost in the Frozen Four.]