Boston Bruins Prospect Continues to Shine in AHL, But Will He Finally Get His Chance in NHL

Georgii Merkulov is getting to a point where he has done all he can in the American Hockey League. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound center has been close to a point-per-game player for the Providence Bruins over three-plus seasons and has a 30-goal season on his resume. However, the undrafted free agent from Ohio State University just turned 25 years old and has only had two small cups of coffee at the NHL with the Bruins. In ten total games, Merkulov has one assist and did not see much ice time. This season, Merkulov is off to another hot start with two goals and five assists. His seven points lead the league. But will Merkulov’s consistent production in the AHL finally pay off with a legitmate chance in the NHL?

In his first two short stints with Boston, the critique of Merkulov involved his defensive game and his skating ability. Being able to play 82-game seasons at the NHL level can be taxing and the Russian forward’s game has some holes in it. In Providence, Merkulov is an All-Star level player. But is his career path destined for a brilliant AHL career and nothing else? In Boston, the Bruins signed a plethora of veteran forwards and obtained two young forwards in Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov via trade. Former second-round draft pick Matt Poitras is also fighting for a spot in Boston. It has become a numbers game with the Bruins and Merkulov’s number seems to never come up.

After signing a one-year deal last offseason as a restricted free agent, the organization seems to be giving Merkulov one last shot. In the meantime, the skillful center is climbing the ranks of all-time Providence Bruins as he is now tied for second in points and just 24 points from catching Andy Hilbert for most points in team history. Reaching 211 career points is a record Merkulov should achieve this season. But the forward would love nothing more than play in the NHL with Boston. There isn’t much room however and time is ticking away.

The questions become, will Merkulov get his third chance, will it be a charm, or will Merkulov eventually go back to Russia and play out the rest of his hockey career in the KHL? There is a chance that Merkulov gets one more shot at the NHL, but it becomes slimmer by the day.