20 Under 25 Rankings: #8 – Brandon Carlo

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TURNS 25: NOVEMBER 26, 2021
FINAL RATING: 6.7

It happened a bit sooner than expected, but 20-year-old Brandon Carlo is beginning to realize a bright future on the back end for the Bruins.

Instead of needing multiple years of AHL development, the 6-foot-5 blueliner was able to jump into the mix as a shutdown defenseman right from the start of preseason while showing strength, poise and plenty of upside. It’s perhaps a little bit of a surprise that Carlo was the first member of the vaunted 2015 Bruins draft class to establish himself at the NHL level, but he was also the closest to physical readiness for the NHL when he was picked at the top of the second round.

Interestingly for the Bruins, Carlo was selected with one of the second-round picks they acquired from the New York Islanders in the Johnny Boychuk trade and has essentially replaced No. 55 on Boston’s back end a couple of years later.

There is still plenty of development time coming for Carlo at the NHL level, and he’s just begun to scratch the surface offensively with a strong point shot and an innate ability to make good decisions with the puck coming out of the breakout. But the size, the wing span, the good stick in the D-zone and a frame that’s going to put on size and strength scream out defensive stopper for the Bruins for years to come, with Zdeno Chara as the perfect veteran to apprentice Carlo.

Carlo might never be an NHL All-Star or become a very flashy player, but he's strong, tough and smart, and exactly the kind of blueliner a hockey club needs.

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