Ryan Fitzgerald quietly having a good start in Providence

It may sound repetitive at this point, but the Providence Bruins have a lot of good, young prospects on their roster.

One player in Providence who is often lost in the fold but has been good so far this season is Ryan Fitzgerald. His name isn’t always mentioned because of all the more known prospects in the Bruins’ system, but the Boston College alum is off to a good start in his first full professional season.

After signing his entry-level contract with the Bruins, Fitzgerald joined Providence last spring. He tallied two assists in eight regular season games and had a goal and four assists in 13 playoff games. For a guy who was essentially brand new to the professional game, five points in the postseason was definitely a positive sign.

In training camp, Fitzgerald played really well and was a pleasant surprise for the Bruins. In three preseason games, he tallied a goal and logged some big minutes in several situations.

Most Bruins fans were keeping their eyes on guys like Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk (who both made the NHL roster), but Fitzgerald put himself out there in a good way with his solid performances.

Despite his preseason success, Fitzgerald was assigned to Providence and has carried his fine play into the regular season. Through thirteen games, the forward has four goals, three assists, and a plus-3 rating. However, it’s away from the puck where the forward has been impressive.

Fitzgerald, who is a left-handed shot, has played all three forward positions at some point in the young season and has spent considerable time in the top-six. His crafty passing ability has been useful to the P-Bruins as well, especially on the power-play.

Also, for a smaller player, speed and grit has always been a question in his game, but Fitzgerald’s compete level is very high.

Fitzgerald jumped right into Providence’s schedule last April and carried himself well throughout the playoffs. He continued to impress during training camp and is quietly having a good season thus far down in Providence.

Overall, his play (very) early in his professional career has been encouraging. He’s making himself more known, and one thing’s for sure: if he keeps it up, the “big name” prospects in the system will have some more competition.