The scene takes place in the summer of 2022. It features, on one side, Frédéric Brunet, a young defender who turns 19 that summer, and who has just been drafted by the Boston Bruins at 132e rank.
On the other side, Patrice Bergeron, who celebrates his 37th birthday that summer, and who is buoyed by the reputation he has, a reputation which will open the doors to the Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible. . You will have read this bold prediction here first.
What unites the two players, apart from the Bruins? They train together in the summer in Quebec. At the 2022 draft, Brunet told us about his first meeting with Bergeron.
Brunet and Bergeron therefore meet again at the gym later, as the summer goes on. Including one time when Brunet asks the veteran what to expect from physical exams at training camp. Bergeron then mentioned to him the test of the Airbike, a training bike with an oversized front wheel, a bit like those large bis which were trendy in the summer of 1872.
Brunet then noticed that he did not have access to such equipment at his gym. Bergeron’s response: “Come to my house, I have one in the garage!” »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Patrice Bergeron
“I was there just once, to train before camp,” recalls Brunet, on the line. I was surprised he offered it to me. I had just moved to Quebec, we barely knew each other. He told me: “You will come to our house, we will do this together.” »
And did the test go well? ” Really ! I met him in a corridor afterwards. He said to me: “I heard it went well. Good job!” »
I said to myself: this is how I want to be when I grow up.
Frédéric Brunet, about Patrice Bergeron
A year after these attentions from Bergeron, Brunet took another step towards his dream by signing his three-year entry contract with the Bruins. He will start the season in Providence, in the American League. It was precisely from the capital of Rhode Island that the 20-year-old athlete answered our call.
Carlo and Marchand
After his 2022 camp, Brunet returned to junior, where he dominated. In 66 games, in Rimouski then in Victoriaville, he amassed 73 points, the second total among QMJHL defensemen, and was a finalist for the Émile-Bouchard trophy (defender par excellence).
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Brad Marchand
Returning to the Bruins environment this summer, he got a glimpse of life without Patrice Bergeron, only to see that leadership remained in good hands. Starting with the new captain, Brad Marchand.
When I was younger, when I was a fan of the Canadian, I thought like everyone else that there was no chance that he would be captain one day. But when you arrive, you immediately understand that it is 200% certain that he will be captain. From the inside, it really changes the vision we have of him, by the way he works and takes care of the team.
Frédéric Brunet, about Brad Marchand
Brunet didn’t interact much with number 63, since he wasn’t in the same group as him at camp. So, is there a veteran who pampered him?
“Brandon Carlo,” he responds instantly. We were divided into two groups. Brandon was always in my group, I would ask him questions and he was so happy to answer me, I never felt like I was bothering him. »
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Carlo
The Gatineau took advantage of this camp to play his very first preparatory game in the NHL. It was September 26 in Buffalo, against the Sabers who notably sent Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner into the fray. “In the locker room, I was sitting next to Carlo and he reassured me,” recalls Brunet.
A match that started abruptly, that said. His very first presence: shorthanded, against the Sabres’ first unit.
“I was on the side where Thompson takes one-timers. I found it incredible to be there! But they scored, a nasty passing play, their first choice [Zach Benson] made the pass from behind, without looking. Skinner pulled on the bar and it went in.
“At the start of the match I was a little impressed and stressed. But the more it progressed, the more I made good decisions. It was an incredible experience. Last year, I had my first camp, and there, my first game. »
The Bruins cut him a few days later. They haven’t closed the door on his return to the junior ranks as a 20-year-old, but for now, they want to see him at work in the American League. Their message? “That I continue to play to my strengths, be my attack. But my decisions with the puck and my defensive play have to take a tick. »
During this same meeting, they also told him that his contract would “be resolved” shortly. On October 4, the document became official. An interesting decision by the Bruins, who could have simply offered him a one-year contract from the American League, since they had until 1er June 2024 to offer him one from the NHL.
“It’s a great mark of respect and recognition for what he did in junior,” noted his agent, Paul Corbeil.
A popular strategy in Montreal
This strategy of the one-year American League contract has often been used in recent years by the Canadian, with players drafted at 19 or 20 years old, like Brunet. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Xavier Simoneau, requested at 20 years old, have had to accept this compromise in recent years. The advantage for the teams: American League contracts do not count towards the limit of 50 to which the teams are entitled, who thus give themselves an additional year before committing to the player for three years. The CH used the same mechanism last spring with Jared Davidson, an attacker drafted at 130e rank in 2022, two ranks ahead of Brunet. Like everything is in everything, as the wisest say.
Who is Frédéric Brunet?
- 20-year-old defenseman, drafted by the Boston Bruins at 5e tower (132e in total) in 2022, from Gatineau
- Finalist for the Émile-Bouchard Trophy (defender of the year in the QMJHL) in 2022-2023
- Record of 16 goals and 57 assists, or 73 points, in 66 games last season, in Rimouski and Victoriaville
- His father, Michel Brunet, and his uncle, Dominick Gauthier, participated in the Olympic Games, in figure skating and mogul skiing respectively. His mother, Brigitte Gauthier, was a physiotherapist for the Canadian freestyle ski team.