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Off the ice, Boston Bruins prospect Alexander Khokhlachev’s training camp began with a roar.
After a couple of seasons as the Providence Bruins’ top scorer in the American Hockey League, a visibly angry (and unprompted) Khokhlachev told reporters that he wanted a legitimate (read as: anything besides a three-minute night spent on the fourth line) chance to earn a spot and stick with the big club. That rage, undoubtedly fueled even further by the 22-year-old’s eventual demotion back down to the AHL late in training camp, has been on display in Khokhlachev’s start to the year, which has included four goals and 13 points (tied for the most in the AHL) in just 10 games with the P-Bruins.
Now, with David Pastrnak nursing a foot injury, Khokhlachev is getting his shot.
Recalled from Providence early this morning, the Russian winger spent the morning skate skating on the left-wing of Boston’s first line with David Krejci at center and Loui Eriksson shifting back over the right side, and looks like a go for tonight’s tilt against the Dallas Stars.
“I think he’s a good playmaker, he’s a smart, heady player and you know, he’s leading the league right now in American League so certainly deserves an opportunity to come up here and help us out,… B’s coach Claude Julien said of Khokhlachev’s recall. “And he has been playing the wing for the most part in Providence this year so he’ll get a chance to do that with us as well.…
In Providence, Khokhlachev has been a man possessed, with points in six of Providence’s 10 games to date, along with four multi-point efforts, the best coming via a four-assist night on Oct. 11 vs. Portland.
The biggest change through all of this has been the 5-foot-11’s shift from center to the wing, something that simply had to happen (at least to start) if Khokhlachev was ever cracking the Big B’s lineup.
“I think he’s a smart player and knows that he looks at our team up the middle and he wants to play here and he wants to play in the NHL,… Julien noted. “He was willingly asked if he could play the wing so we know if he does that he’s a versatile player, can still play center. And so the more you can get out of those guys the better it is and I think he’s caught onto that as well.…
With this shot, the B’s are hoping to simply plug Khokhlachev onto the left side of the Krejci line with a seamless transition into top-line NHL minutes, even for a night, for the former 40th overall pick (2011).
“What you saw again this morning doesn’t mean it’s going to end that way tonight. Hopefully it does. That means, if it does, that everything’s going well,… Julien admitted. “If not, then I’ll adjust to that. But those are things that you just do between the coaching staff and upper management who’ve seen those players play. I can’t stand here and say I’ve seen Koko play and all the other players - you’ve got to rely on the people that have seen them and they recommended that he come up.…
Khokhlachev appeared in three NHL games for the Black and Gold last season, and has skated in four NHL games in total, with two minutes in penalties and three shots on net over that stretch.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.