Froden Scores Two in Bruins Win Over Buffalo at Prospects Challenge

BUFFALO - The Boston Bruins opened the 2021 Prospects Challenge with a win, defeating the Buffalo Sabres, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at Harborcenter. Jesper Froden and Samuel Asselin led the charge for Boston with three points each. Jack Ahcan and Jakub Lauko both picked up two assists of their own, while Brett Harrison and Fabian Lysell each scored a goal.

Froden, who was signed by the Bruins this summer, helped Boston claim the victory with two goals and an assist. The Stockholm, Sweden, native opened the scoring on the power play and added his second goal of the game with a one-timer while Boston had a 5-on-3 advantage. Froden recorded 40 points (22 goals, 18 assists) in 52 games last season with the SHL's Skellefteå AIK.
"I spent some time with him and he is super committed to being a better player and getting into the National Hockey League," said Providence Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel, who is serving as bench boss for the Prospects Challenge. "He's a guy whose game is going to translate very well over here. He's one of those players that when he plays with really good players, I think you're going to see how good he really is. He's a good player. He's a real good player."

After leading all Providence defensemen last season with nine assists, Ahcan picked up right where he left off, notching two helpers in the win. Ahcan made his NHL debut with Boston last season and went on to appear in three games for the B's.
"I think you see how smart he is," said Mougenel. "We were just talking about it. Everything he does has a plan. He's just a different, special player. [The media] may have asked me the other day, 'Do I talk to him differently on how to defend?' I don't. He's strong. He's inside. He's a hockey player. He's just a really good hockey player.
"Sometimes I get caught kind of watching him a lot out there just because he's actually fun to watch. I think he's where the game is today. He's a guy that we can celebrate for his offense and we can celebrate him for how he defends. He's a special player."

Asselin, whose eight goals in 25 games ranked second on the Providence Bruins last season, scored a goal and had two assists on Saturday. A Memorial Cup winner in junior, Asselin's career in the Bruins organization started in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators where he appeared in 53 games, scoring 26 goals and adding 26 assists for 52 points.
He followed that season up with 16 points in 25 games for the Providence Bruins, ranking third on the team. As a result, Asselin earned and signed an NHL contract with Boston over the summer as he looks to propel himself towards the next steps of his career.
Three selections from the 2021 NHL Draft donned the Spoked-B for the first time on Saturday afternoon, including Fabian Lysell and Brett Harrison, who each scored a goal. Lysell was selected in the first round (21st overall), while Harrison was Boston's third-round selection (85th overall) at the draft. Harrison netted the game-winning goal for the Bruins and Lysell added an insurance empty net goal to seal the win.
"One of my closest friends is the general manager in Ottawa for the Ottawa 67's, James Boyd," said Mougenel. "Not that I don't pay close attention to the draft, but I'm obviously from Ontario and played in that league, so I'm familiar with some of the players and I didn't know Harrison at all. The second we made that pick I got a text from Boyder and he said, 'That's an amazing pick.' I trust his opinion a lot. James is a fantastic evaluator of talent.
"[Harrison's] a hockey rat. He just has a great sense to him. He's still young. He's got a lot of time to grow and develop and get stronger. All those things for junior players to go back and work on. The only difference with junior players is their runway's a little bit shorter to get there. He's impressed me with his intellect for sure. I think he thinks the game really well. There's a lot of good things in his game as well."

Kyle Keyser got the start in goal for Boston and recorded 32 saves. The Coral Springs, Florida, native appeared in five games with Providence last season, recording a .913 save percentage paired with a 2.56 goals against average.
"Like most players, even goal scorers, it's important to see the puck go in the net," said Mougenel. "I think it's the same for goalies to feel the puck and see the puck. I thought he did an excellent job.
"We talked about in the second period how Kyle's doing his job to clean up a lot of our mistakes and we knew there were going to be a lot of mistakes. That's something we talked about - if we're going to make a mistake, let's make an aggressive one and there were definitely a lot of aggressive mistakes. It's good to have Kyle back there to look after us. I'm happy for him. I hope he can build on it translating to the big camp."
The Bruins will conclude the Prospects Challenge on Sunday afternoon with a matchup against the New Jersey Devils. Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. ET.