Bruins Prospect Frederic Brunet Made Strides In First AHL Season

BOSTON — Frederic Brunet played his first full professional season with the Bruins AHL affiliate in Providence last season.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound left defenseman tallied two goals and 10 assists in 48 games for Providence and skated in four Calder Cup playoff games.

Providence coach Ryan Mougenel described Brunet’s strides in his game last season after Day 3 of Bruins development camp on Wednesday.

“Freddy’s another guy that got a lot of minutes because a lot of guys were (called up to the Bruins),” Mougenel said. “He played a lot of minutes for us, important minutes. … He probably played a little more than we thought or had mapped out for him, and he did a real good job with that.”

Mougenel was impressed with how Brunet handled the uptake in minutes but pointed out the areas he needed to continue growing this season.

“Defending is always going to be something that he’s got to work on, and the mechanics of defending in his feet and defending on one foot and put value his stick. … He’s a young pro, he’s learning it. His offensive game is great. I think he’s going to flourish this year offensively in Providence most likely. He’s still got things in his game to round out, but his growth has been amazing.”

Brunet was selected by the Bruins in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He amassed 19 goals and 71 assists in 133 games with the Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Brunet split the 2022-23 season with Rimouski and the Victoriaville Tigers. He registered more than a point per game with the Tigers, tallying 38 points in 30 games.