You can be forgiven if Justin Brazeau was not on your radar at this time last year. He didn’t even seem to register prominently on the Bruins’ radar.
But while the 26-year-old Ontario native started last season on an American Hockey League contract, the dogged drive that has come to define his quest to become an NHL player eventually led to a big league contract and promotion to Boston last February, when he scored a goal in his first NHL game. He also contributed to Hampus Lindholm’s tying goal in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs that allowed the B’s to escape the ignominy of blowing another 3-1 series lead
But now that Brazeau has announced himself to the best league in the world, the question of where he most fits on the Bruins remains.
A conservative guess would have him plugged in as the fourth-line right wing with the newly acquired Mark Kastelic in the middle and John Beecher on the left wing. But the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Brazeau did play up in the lineup at times last season, and in important situations. And with the second-line right wing spot apparently up for grabs in the upcoming training camp, Brazeau is not about to sell himself short.
“I have little goals going into camp,” said Brazeau earlier this week before a workout in Brighton. “Obviously, goal one is to make the team. But I definitely see the opportunity to slide up. I know the type of player I am. I’ve always been the type of player who can complement people well. I’m not the fastest guy but I’ll do the parts of the game that a lot of people aren’t willing to do. I’ll get to the net and do that stuff. I definitely see the opportunity to slide up and fill a role. That’s what I’m hoping to do.”
There was once an adage in hockey that a small player has to prove he can play while a big player has to prove he can’t. As the game became more focused on speed, Brazeau never benefited from that old mindset.
He was all but ignored in the Ontario Hockey League draft as a teenager, but in his last year with the North Bay Battalion he had an astounding 61-52-113 in 68 games. He’d been bypassed in the NHL draft, but he thought he’d at least get an NHL free agent offer with that kind of season. That hope went up in smoke when he had a so-so first playoff game for the Battalion that year. It was a lesson learned.
“I was told by my agent (John Walters) at Game 1 of my playoffs that every NHL team had a representative at the game. He was told after the game that I wasn’t going to get one, so it was a little bit surprising. But that’s basically how my whole career has gone,” said Brazeau. “To me, I worked so hard all year and I put up 60 goals in 68 games and for my whole year to be judged by one game was a little tough… You’ve got to be ready to go every single game. It was definitely kind of an eye-opening thing for me.”
He eventually hooked on with the Leafs’ organization, playing his first year primarily in the ECHL. His second year was all but wasted amid the Covid pandemic when he was limited to just 21 games with the AHL Marlies. In 2021-22, he signed on with the Providence Bruins, though he played another 18 games in ECHL with the Maine Mariners. He played the next full season in Providence, posting respectable 16-29-45 totals in 65 games before showing enough last season in Providence to finally land his first NHL deal in February.
It’s been a journey that’s placed a useful chip on Brazeau’s broad shoulder.
“I feel like my whole career’s been like that, where people have always doubted me and no one ever thought (I’d play),” he said. “I was a 13th-round pick in the OHL and no one ever thought I’d make that. I think that stuck with me my whole OHL career. Then no one ever thought I’d ever go pro and now here I am. So I think that’s something that will stick with me forever and I’ll always have the mindset of always being the underdog.”
The knock on Brazeau has always been subpar foot speed. He’s been working out in Boston for over a month and believes that skating with NHL players at an increased pace should work well for him. But another way to combat a lack of speed is the ability to anticipate the play. In his 19 NHL games last year (5-2-7), Brazeau did not look out of place.
“I think that’s always been a strong part of my game, my hockey IQ, being able – no matter what pace I’m playing at – to read the play and be able to make my play and to blend myself in even if I’m a step behind some guys,” said Brazeau.
Another thing that may have slowed his NHL arrival is that, despite his size, he’s not a fearsome hitter. But when it comes to taking a beating to protect the puck or stand at the top of the crease, Brazeau’s your man.
“I know I’m not the most physical guy in terms of putting people through the boards but I would say I’m one of the more physical guys in accepting contact and going to the net,” said Brazeau. “I’ve never had a problem going to the net and initiating contact and trying to get in front of the goalie’s eyes and get rebounds.”
So Brazeau has shown a skill set that should have him in the NHL again. How far up in the lineup he can play is up to him. The highly skilled Fabian Lysell, the B’s first-round pick in 2021 (21st overall), is expected to get a look there, as are a few other hopefuls.
But if there’s one thing that his climb to the NHL has shown, Brazeau is not a player to be overlooked – no matter how much he has been in the past.
