The week following Christmas has been a busy time for the Boston Bruins prospects. The World Junior Championships are headed into the playoff rounds, and the Spengler Cup in Switzerland has wrapped up.

A few Boston Bruins prospects were involved this season. Two saw action in the group stage at the World Juniors, and two skated for the US Collegiate Selects over in Davos, Switzerland. 

World Juniors
James Hagens – Team USA

Stats: four games; two goals, three assists, five points, plus-three, average ice time: 19:49

Hagens centered the top line for the United States in all four games of the tournament. Hagens had an assist in each of the first two games, picking up 18:04 and 20:17 of ice time, respectively. It took him a little bit of time to get into rhythm; he tallied three shots in the first game and had none against the Swiss.

He was named the USA’s Player of the Game after his two-goal performance to beat Slovakia on Monday night. Hagens tallied the fourth and fifth goals for the USA, helping them take down the Slovaks by a score of 6-5.

In the fourth and final game of the group stage, Sweden would defeat the United States 6-3. To the pleasure of Bruins fans, James Hagens assisted on Will Zellers’ goal.

Will Zellers – Team USA, World Juniors

Stats: four games; five goals, two assists, seven points, plus-six, average time on ice: 14:16

Will Zellers was a late invite to the USA training camp; he impressed during the pre-tournament games and earned a spot on the roster. Zellers would go on to show that he deserved a place on the roster the whole time.

In the first game, Zellers was all over the scoresheet. He picked up two goals and an assist during the USA’s 6-3 win over Germany. He would follow that up with a goal against Switzerland, giving him his third of the tournament. Zellers played on the power play, as well as the fourth line, for game three. He had a goal and an assist in the US’s 6-5 win over Slovakia.

Zellers would remain on the fourth line for the US’s game against Sweden. As the Swedes gained a 5-1 lead, Zellers would score his fifth of the tournament. He leads the United States in points at the conclusion of the group stage.

Three of Zellers’ five goals would be game-winning goals.

The United States will play in its first playoff game on January 2 at 6:00 PM ET.

Vashek Blanár – Team Czechia, World Juniors

Vashek Blanár did not suit up for any of Czechia’s four games during the group stage. However, he is practicing with the team in case of a lineup change.

In an interview (translated) with the Czech coach, Patrik Augusta, he said that Czechia is thinking about some changes to the lineup. He noted that they want to try more players in the quarterfinal.

Spengler Cup
Ryan Walsh – US Collegiate Selects, Spengler Cup

Stats: three games; one goal, one assist, two points, plus-one, average time on ice: 12:20

Ryan Walsh suited up for three games in the Spengler Cup. He played on the third line for the first game against Team Canada; he skated for 12:58 and had a plus-one rating. Head Coach Guy Gadowsky (Penn State) moved Walsh down to the fourth line for the second game against HC Davos. He did not play as much (11:15) and finished with a minus-one.

Walsh was a scratch for the third game; the first one of the knockout tournament. He came back to the lineup, as the fourth-line left winger, for the championship game against HC Davos. The US Collegiate Selects lost in the finals, 6-3, but Walsh appeared on the score sheet more than once. Walsh would find the back of the net and record an assist, finishing with two points on the tournament.

Chris Pelosi – US Collegiate Selects, Spengler Cup

Stats: two games; zero goals, zero assists, zero points, even rating, average time on ice: 12:00

Chris Pelosi dressed for two Spengler Cup games as a member of the US Collegiate Selects. The Sewell, New Jersey native skated as the fourth line left wing in both of the games he played. He finished with a minus-one in the USCS’s win over HC Davos, and then climbed back to even with a plus-one rating against Sparta Praha.

In the second game, the two Bruins’ prospects skated together on the fourth line.