Bruins Top 25 Under 25: #10 Matt Grzelcyk

Matt Grzelcyk

Defense

#88 (Camp Number)

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 171

Born: 1/5/94

2012-2013 Stats: 38 GP 3-20-23

2012-2013 NHLe: 0.2 PPG

I normally hate writers calling a player by a nickname, but I've seen Matt Grzelcyk's name spelled incorrectly too many times so I'm just gonna call him Grz.

And here he is:

In spite of all the hoopla surrounding BU hockey, the team finished the regular season third in Hockey East and upset rival BC en route to a runner up finish in the Hockey East Tournament thanks, in no small part, to the freshman from Charlestown. Grz played in all but one of BU's games this season, scoring in 21 of his 38 appearances.

The one game he missed? Grz was the final cut from the 2013 Team USA World Juniors roster and was unable to travel from Ufa, Russia to Denver in time. And you can count on him making this year's team (go America).

He picked up multiple accolades in his freshman campaign including, Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star (the only freshman skater), Hockey East All-Rookie Team, Hockey East Rookie of the Week of November 12 and Hockey East Rook of the Month for November.

Something to note with Grz - in four games against BC he had three points (2-1-3) including a game winning goal. That's how to win over the DogPound.

Our Rankings:

Grzelcyk is an elite offensive talent. He can pass, skate and score - exactly what you want from a puck moving defenseman. His top notch vision makes him a tremendous asset on the power play, as well.

Here's what he's capable of:

Bare in mind that Northeastern's defensive situation was hardly elite, but you get the idea.

On defense, Grz is a hard worker who does not give up on the play or his man which allows him to make up for his relative height deficiency. Boston loves hustle so there's plenty of reason to believe he'll be a fan favorite. And have you heard he grew up in Charlestown and that his dad worked at the Garden?

Seriously - LOOK HOW EXCITED HE IS:

Stylistically, he looks like a Torey Krug-type player, which is a nice compliment to the bruisers that fill out the Bruins' D-corps.

We're still quite a few years away from this possibility, but a Matt Grzelcyk-Rob O'Gara pairing would be a nice combo for the Bruins.

— Kirk Luedeke (@kluedeke29) August 10, 2013

Further reading:

Kirk Leudeke's draft profile from New England Hockey Journal