Boston Bruins
“We’re going to lean on him a lot. He’s a great two-way player, and he’s a big part of what we’re trying to build here.”
Fraser Minten kept his responses short on Tuesday night in San Jose.
Perhaps it was a result of a heavy workload against the Sharks, with only David Pastrnak logging more ice time among Bruins forwards at the SAP Center. Or maybe it was because his mother, Chantal, made the trek to California and was ready to meet him after his scrum wrapped up.
But the fresh-faced Bruins forward remained candid with his brief retorts when asked about the challenges that come with finding consistency in the NHL ranks.
“It’s difficult,” the 22-year-old forward said. “Work in progress.”
His immediate results might say otherwise.
Minten was already one of the top surprises drawn from Boston’s overachieving 2025-26 campaign — offering plenty of promise as a middle-six stalwart who could serve as a reliable Swiss Army Knife on Marco Sturm’s forward corps.
But those expectations might be shifting in short order — with Minten looking more and more like a legitimate top-six stalwart on an evolving Bruins roster.
“He’s definitely on his way,” Sturm said of Minten after Tuesday’s 6-3 win over San Jose. “The way he plays and thinks the game is very impressive at his age. We try to push him every day, not just being a [No. 2] or No. 1 [center]. Just try to be the best he can. Right now, he’s pretty fun to watch.”
Minten has arguably been Boston’s most impactful forward so far this season — scoring four goals and seven points in seven games, all of which have come at even-strength play.
After recording three points in Saturday’s lopsided win over the Flyers, the young pivot stuffed the stat sheet in San Jose — scoring a pair of goals while posting a plus-4 rating over 18:41 of ice time.
Even in just his second full season in the NHL, Minten is quickly earning Sturm’s trust as a 200-foot forward who can anchor his own line and chip in on both the penalty kill and power play when needed.
Minten’s poised hockey IQ and defensive talents were already established when he initially arrived in Boston. The real question was whether or not his offensive tools would continue to sharpen — raising his overall stock as a potential star pivot.
The early returns have been promising this year, with Minten showcasing a heavier wrist shot and adding more muscle to his 6-foot-2, 207-pound frame.
That improved wrister helped him beat San Jose netminder Yaroslav Askarov from the high slot on Tuesday — cashing in after an extended offensive-zone shift from Elias Lindholm’s line.
“Shot from the slot,” Minten said of what he saw developing as he hopped over the boards. “Traffic and coming off the bench, you kind of get lost. Just tried to get it on and off the stick as quick as I could.”
Minten’s ramped-up pace has also been a welcome sight, as put on display during a counter-rush in the third period where the young center teamed up on a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with linemates Marat Khusnutdinov and JJ Peterka.
The end result? Minten tapping a feed from Khusnutdinov home for his second tally of the evening.
“It always goes back [to] being at the right spot at the right time,” Sturm said of Minten. “I think that’s it. And again, playing so smart — I think he’s going to get the opportunities. And right now, they go in. It’s just the complete game he plays right now. That’s the most important thing.”
So far, Minten is making the most of the extra responsibilities his bench boss has handed him — especially after getting promoted to the second line.
Sturm’s extensive lineup reshuffle put Minten and Khusnutdinov in a top-six role alongside the fleet-footed Peterka — with Boston banking on that trio’s speed and upside tilting the ice in the club’s favor.
The results have been impressive.
Since Minten slotted up as Boston’s 2C, the Bruins have outscored opponents, 5-1,in the 28:30 of 5-on-5 ice time that the Khusnutdinov-Minten-Peterka line has logged together.
The Bruins — sitting at 5-2-0 on the season — already look like a solid squad under Sturm’s watch, especially with stars entrenched at critical segments of the depth chart like Pastrnak up front, Charlie McAvoy on the blue line, and Jeremy Swayman in net.
But if the Bruins want to take that next step and start asserting themselves as an ascending contender in the Eastern Conference, new blood like Minten, James Hagens, and others will need to develop into franchise fixtures as well.
So far, Minten seems to be well ahead of schedule.
“Night and day,” McAvoy said of Minten’s development so far this season. “I mean, honestly, he was already amazing last year, and we saw glimpses of what he could be in the future. But I think the biggest thing is one — him finding his voice, which is amazing. We wanted to bring him into the leadership group and see him flourish because he has that personality.
“But I think the way that he plays is just so mature — that’s a way in which he can lead. … We’re going to lean on him a lot. He’s a great two-way player, and he’s a big part of what we’re trying to build here.”
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