Georgii Merkulov on Friday was called up from Providence by the Boston Bruins, and the 23-year-old arrives much more confident than in offseason camps.
Boston signed Merkulov out of Ohio State last year, and he has been one the best goal scorers in the AHL this month, and he potentially could debut during the Bruins’ weekend back-to-back set.
“It’s super exciting,” Merkulov told reporters, per team-provided video. “My dad told me to play every game like it’s my last game and just enjoy it.”
The forward prospect flashed his potential in offseason camp but didn’t do enough at the time to crack the opening night roster. But he responded well with a highlight run in the AHL.
“I feel confident about my game,” Merkulov said. “In the summer, you don’t play for four months. You come, and it’s training camp so all NHL players here, so it’s hard. But since we’ve been playing for three months now, I feel good about my game. So, try to do my best to translate it to the NHL.”
Head coach Jim Montgomery praised Merkulov’s development on the defensive side of his game, and while Boston’s offense could use a spark, it’s not the only reason why he called up.
“Probably a combination of those both,” Montgomery told reporters, per team-provided video. “We want to score more, but we don’t want to score more sacrificing our team defense and that message has been made clear to Merk. The reason he got called up is because of his 200-foot game, not because he’s scoring a lot, because on our team we have guys that are paid a lot of money to score goals, right? And he’s got to come in and support that and be part of what we’re trying to build as a team.
“But it’s exciting for him, because here he gets the opportunity to play his first NHL game (Saturday) night. That’s exciting, and that’s good energy to bring to the group as well.”
Merkulov practiced on the third line with James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic at Warrior Ice Arena, and it appears he’s on track to make his Boston debut Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.
