Fraser Minten

Last Season

Seventeen goals and 18 assists in all 82 games — 35 points, plus-21, at 15:33 a night. It was his first full NHL season and his 107th career game.

The Finesse Game

Nothing flashy and everything in the right place. He shoots from inside: 45 per cent of his attempts from within twenty feet, median 23, and 19 goals out of 168 unblocked tries. That is a young centre who understands where goals come from, which is not a given.

The hands are ordinary. The decisions are not — he plays a simple, quick game and rarely holds the puck a beat too long, which is why a 21-year-old could be trusted with 82 games.

The Physical Game

Six foot two, 204, and he finishes his checks without looking for trouble. Twenty penalty minutes. He is strong enough on his stick to hold the wall against men five years older, which is the part that surprised people.

The Intangibles

He led the club in plus-minus and, unusually for a Bruin last season, the underlying numbers agree with it: 51.2 per cent of the expected goals, 65th percentile, the best figure of any Boston forward. The goals went 56-36 in his favour.

There is still a caution attached. The expected goals were only 44.7 to 42.6 — comfortably positive, not dominant — so a good deal of that plus-21 is the same shooting and goaltending that flattered everybody here.

But a 38th overall pick playing every game at 21 and coming out ahead on both the scoreboard and the process is the most encouraging thing in this section. He is the one to watch.