The Boston Bruins have been blessed with an extremely talented and reliable young core. The team has the tenth youngest average player age in the league, coming in at 27.17 years old. For reference, the Montreal Canadiens come in first at 25.92 years old and the Los Angeles Kings come in last at 30.5 years old.
In particular, the five “bear cubs” have proven themselves as important members of the team. For the purposes of this post, the “young core” – or “bear cubs,” as they’re affectionately called – will include James Hagens (19), Fraser Minten (22), Frederic Brunet (23), Marat Khusnutdinov (24), JJ Peterka (24) and Mason Lohrei (25).
Out of the 55 goals scored so far this season by the Bruins, 25 of them have been scored by a member of the 25-or-under group. Out of the 139 points scored by Bruins players, 55 of them are by a member of the same group.
For this post, we’re going to do a breakdown of each player in the young core and how they’ve become an instrumental part of the team.
James Hagens – C/RW – 19 y.o.
By the grace of God, Hagens was drafted seventh overall in the 2025 NHL draft by Boston. Hagens was expected to be drafted far further up the draft order, originally projected around the top three. Somehow, he managed to fall down the seventh, when the Bruins finally snapped him up. In a June 2025 article, ESPN writer Rachel Doerrie said, “The Bruins were the beneficiaries of some interesting decisions at the top of the draft, and managed to secure their top-line center for the future — and the third best player in the draft — in James Hagens.”
Hagens has recorded six goals and six assists in 16 games with the Bruins this season. Hagens played two games last season, where he recorded his first NHL point, and played three games in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Hagens has become an extremely important part of the Bruins this season. He’s produced in nearly every game this season, whether it’s a game, an assist or off the board.
Fraser Minten – C – 22 y.o.
Minten was traded to the Boston Bruins along with a 2025 fourth-round pick (top-five protected) and a 2026 first-round pick in exchange for Toronto receiving defenseman Brandon Carlo. In his time with the Bruins, Minten has proved himself to be an instrumental player on the team. He has five goals and five assists in 16 games and has already matched his penalty minutes for last season. Minten has become a great second line center for the team and is often swapped to play first line with David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka; no matter where he is, Minten seems to produce, follow through and continue to be a dependable player for the Bruins.
Frederic Brunet – D – 22 y.o.
Brunet was drafted 132nd overall by the Bruins in 2022. While Brunet has only played 10 games this season, he has four points in those games. Brunet has proved to be an important part of the Bruins on the ice this season. He has spent most games this season on the second or third defense pairing with Mason Lohrei, a pairing that seems to be producing far better than it was last year. The addition of Brunet seems to have kicked something into gear, both for him and for Lohrei, and the two have produced a total of ten points this season.
Marat Khusnutdinov – LW – 24 y.o.
Khustnutdinov makes up the final of the original “bear cub” forwards, along with Hagens and Minten. The three spent a lot of the end of last season on a line together, and though Hagens has been moved to the third line now, Khusnutdinov is still producing on the second line with Minten. Khusnutdinov has six points – three goals and three assists – through 16 games. While he may not be on the scoreboard every game, Khusnutdinov has been a nonstop help for other players on the team. His actions have gotten other players into the position to create chances and score, an underrated and incredibly important aspect of players in the NHL.
JJ Peterka – LW – 24 y.o.
Peterka was picked up in a trade by the Bruins on June 26, 2026, after being drafted by the Buffalo Sabres 34th overall in 2020 and traded to the Utah Mammoth in 2025. Peterka now plays left wing for the Bruins on the first line with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. In 16 games this season, Peterka has 11 points. He plays nearly an entire period a night, clocking an average of 17:36 TOI, and his impact on the Bruins has been incredible. His career 208 points in 336 games gives him the most of the “bear cubs,” and he certainly keeps up with that pace. Peterka is fast, slick and talented; he’s made a perfect first line winger.
Mason Lohrei – D – 25 y.o.
Lohrei has proved to be a bit of a funky player for the Bruins. In my opinion, he’s one of those players who’s good when he’s good, but when he’s not…
Yikes.
Personally, I love Lohrei. The guy’s got six points in 16 games this season, and he’s stepped up his game since last season. I truly do think a large part of that comes down to being paired with Brunet; the two have formed a solid, dedicated defensive pair that seem to work together well. I understand the criticism towards Lohrei, but I also do – and I know this is controversial – consider him a clutch player. When we’re in trouble, Lohrei almost always has a way to save us.
Part of our assignment this week is an embedded infographic; here’s one I made last season for Minten!
Weekly Recap
Bruins @ Blues – 10/29
> Final score: 1-4 L
Blackhawks @ Bruins – 10/31
> Final score: 5-4 OT W
Golden Knights @ Bruins – 11/02
> Final score: 3-2 SO W
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