With a bang, Jake DeBrusk established himself as a mainstay in Boston’s lineup.

Jake DeBrusk - LW

Just days ago, my colleague Haley wrote about Danton Heinen’s emergence last season; today’s missive will read pretty much the same. While Heinen and DeBrusk play very

different games - Danton a more measured and deliberate game, Jake a hard-charging energized one - the immediate impact of these two rookie forwards was more than the Bruins could ever have hoped for. DeBrusk missed some time with an upper-body injury in March and a shoulder injury against Tampa Bay in the second round of the playoffs, but he should be good to go for the start of camp LATER THIS MONTH!!!

DeBrusk scored in his first game, and continued to play like he didn’t want to go back to the AHL.

That feels like it was years ago, if you consider the season that DeBrusk submitted. He was put into a wide variety of situations, and his game never waned, making contributions in every situation.

His nose for the net was obvious all season, right on through the playoffs when he was instrumental in eliminating Toronto in the first round.

SCoC Average Grade: B+

This author’s grade: A

Without a doubt, DeBrusk showed an immediate return on the investment that Boston has made in his development. Whether his ceiling goes higher or not, he will only continue to become comfortable in an NHL role and (we hope) will be contributing more and more. I only graded him higher because my expectations were tempered going into the season and he exceeded what nearly everyone was expecting out of him. I certainly didn’t expect him to solidify a second-line spot, and he complements center David Krejci’s methodical approach well. If Anders Bjork takes shifts in David Pastrnak’s spot on the top line, that scoring line of 74-46-88 will be the frightening second punch for Boston.

Relive some more of Jake’s Magic, and get pumped for hockey season!