B’s prospects had quite the weekend in the goal scoring department as the calendar entered our final month of 2016.

Friday night was for hat tricks as Zach Senyshyn (4 goals), Jesse Gabrielle (3 goals) and Joona Koppanen (3 goals) all brought the head covers raining down.

Harvard’s Ryan Donato also had multiple goals, while another Ryan- Minnesota freshman defenseman Ryan Lindgren, tallied his first career NCAA goal, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Rem Pitlick in a loss to Ohio State Saturday night.

Additionally, Anders Bjork and Danton Heinen had a two-goal games for Notre Dame and the Providence Bruins (respectively) Friday night, and Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson added a goal in BU’s win over Providence College that same evening.

Senyshyn’s Texas hat trick (if “everything” is bigger in the Lone Star State and 4 > 3, ergo- a four-goal game is Texas-sized) came against the Barrie Colts one year to the day that he performed the same feat- December 2, 2015 against the Sudbury Wolves. In this one, Senyshyn accounted for all of the Soo Greyhounds’ goals, tallying in overtime on a nice spin-around to protect the puck, shake the defender and drive right to the net for his 13th marker of the season in 22 games. He’s ba-a-a-a-ck!

***

Going on a bit of a rant, here- so bear with us.

It can be grating that whenever we post a positive update on either one of Anders Bjork or Jesse Gabrielle on Twitter, people seem to constantly respond with concerns about their signing status. Here’s the TSP take: we fail to see what the big que pasa is right now. Yes, we’re going to use that analogy again- FAST FOOD mentality- to describe fans who can’t ever seem to be happy with what is going on and want to overly dissect and analyze everything down to the gnat’s ass, including wanting every contract move and decision resolved in the immediate. Look, we get it- if we weren’t stressing over what the Bruins might or might not do with their sizable stable of futures on Twitter or elsewhere, whatever would we do with ourselves? At some point, you just have to enjoy what is happening and let the pieces fall when the time comes.

Bjork is well on his way to his best season in college? No, we’re afraid he’s going to “pull a Vesey” even though he’s still some 20 months away from August 15, 2018- the absolute earliest date that he could walk away from the Bruins and become a free agent. Gabrielle on another 40+ goal pace for the second consecutive season in the WHL? Dammit, Bruins- why haven’t you signed him already??? Never mind the fact that the B’s drafted six major junior players in 2015 and have successfully signed the first five…Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, Zach Senyshyn, Brandon Carlo and Jeremy Lauzon. Gabrielle is next, and they have until June 1 to make him a “bona fide” offer to retain his rights. It’s going to get done, folks- he grew up cheering for the Bruins and they’re the team that put their faith in him when everyone else passed until the mid fourth round. If it doesn’t happen and the B’s lose one or the other somehow, then we’ll be totally wrong and you can remind us of this post all you want. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Look- there’s no guarantee that the Bruins will sign both of Bjork and Gabrielle, but there are no indications that it won’t happen either. They’ve got 27 goals between them with room for a lot more, so for now, our advice is to enjoy the fireworks and don’t sweat the small stuff. Rookie salary caps and the like have put an end to the days when Hall of Fame-caliber junior players like Kyle Wanvig could just refuse a team’s offer and fax machine jams could result in them going back into the draft. Yes, the CBA allows for players like Jimmy Vesey and Matt Benning to name a few to become free agents and sign elsewhere, but those experiences are making teams like Boston wise to playing the longer game so that they don’t lose the assets. Again- there is no reason to assume that Bjork is in the same place Vesey was in terms of how he approaches his pro hockey future, so until he actually turns down an offer from the B’s, we should just let it play out for now. There is such a thing as paralysis by analysis, after all.

Or, to coin a popular phrase from the 1980’s, “Frankie says…relax.”

Amateur Prospects as of 12/05/16

Name/Team League GP G A PTS PIM Jesse Gabrielle, Prince George WHL 23 16 11 27 32 Anders Bjork, Notre Dame HE-NCAA 16 11 15 26 8 Zach Senyshyn, SSM OHL 22 13 8 21 15 Jakub Zboril, Saint John QMJHL 17 6 10 16 10 Ryan Fitzgerald, BC HE-NCAA 16 5 11 16 22 Ryan Donato, Harvard ECAC- NCAA 11 7 7 14 8 Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, BU HE- NCAA 14 3 10 13 14 Cameron Hughes, Wisconsin Big10- NCAA 14 2 10 12 6 Charlie McAvoy, BU HE-NCAA 14 1 11 12 14 Jeremy Lauzon, Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL 12 2 9 11 6 Trent Frederic, Wisconsin* Big10- NCAA 8 4 6 10 8 Jack Becker, Sioux Falls** USHL 17 2 3 5 28 Cameron Clarke, Ferris St. WCHA- NCAA 16 0 4 4 16 Wiley Sherman, Harvard ECAC-NCAA 11 0 4 4 8 Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota Big10- NCAA 14 1 2 3 47

* Injured

Pro and European Prospects

Name/Team League GP G A PTS PIM Joona Koppanen, Ilves Jr. U20- Finland 20 12 17 29 2 Peter Cehlarik, Providence AHL 16 8 5 13 6 Danton Heinen, Providence AHL 12 7 5 12 0 Matt Grzelcyk, Providence AHL 22 1 10 11 6 Anton Blidh, Providence# AHL 19 5 4 9 22 Colby Cave, Providence AHL 22 3 6 9 11 Jake DeBrusk, Providence AHL 22 3 6 9 11 Colton Hargrove, Providence AHL 19 3 5 8 22 Emil Johansson, Djurgarden IF Sweden- Elite 18 3 4 7 6 Austin Czarnik, Providence# AHL 2 1 2 3 0 Sean Kuraly, Providence AHL 13 1 2 3 11 Rob O’Gara, Providence AHL 17 0 2 2 2 Chris Casto, Providence AHL 19 0 2 2 20 Oskar Steen, Farjestad Sweden- Elite 19 1 1 2 2 Linus Arnesson, Providence AHL 18 0 1 1 4 Brian Ferlin, Providence AHL 1 0 0 0 0 Justin Hickman, Providence AHL 7 0 0 0 7 Zane McIntyre, Providence AHL 5 3 0 0.93 .965 Dan Vladar, Providence AHL 6 3 0 (3) 2.84 .914 Malcolm Subban, Providence AHL 11 1 6 (5) 3.12 .897

# Czarnik, Blidh recalled to Boston

Tyler Randell, Tommy Cross, Alex Grant > age 25- not listed