Matt Bartkowski’s Strong Play in Providence Leading to Ascent up Bruins Top Prospects List

While the big club in Boston has been scuffling of late, there might finally be some signs of life down on the farm.

It didn't appear that last weekend would be the start of a turnaround for the Bruins' American Hockey League affiliate when Providence was routed 6-2 by Charlotte last Friday. But the P-Bruins responded to that thrashing by coming back with an impressive 2-1 win at Hersey the next night, then closed out the week with a 3-1 victory against Springfield.

The modest two-game win streak only brings Providence back to .500 at 13-13-2-1, and the P-Bruins remain in last place in the AHL's Atlantic Division. But there's finally a little reason for optimism, as the club has been strengthened by the return of Max Sauve from a wrist injury, the loan of Jordan Caron from Boston and the acquisition of defenseman Sean Zimmerman and forward Juraj Simek in a pair of trades earlier this month.

With the bulk of the organization's top prospects in Providence, having that talent develop in a winning environment is important, so any progress on that front is welcome news. With Providence finally heading in the right direction, here's how the Top 10 Prospects in the Bruins' system shape up this week.

• 1.
  Jordan Caron, LW/RW
  Last week: 1
  Current club: Providence (AHL)
  Caron's second week in the AHL wasn't quite as productive as his first. He didn't have a point and was a minus-1 in three games, though he did fire seven shots on goal. After scoring his first NHL goal in his second game, he remains searching for his first AHL tally after six games in Providence, where he has 0-2-2 totals with 13 shots and a minus-2 rating.

• 2.
  Ryan Spooner, C
  Last week: No. 2
  Current club: Kingston (OHL)
  It was another productive week for Spooner, who had a goal and an assist against Belleville and an assist against Mississauga in two games. Spooner opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal against Belleville, and now has 19-17-36 totals in 29 games this season.

• 3.
  Joe Colborne, C
  Last week: No. 3
  Current club: Providence (AHL)
  Colborne picked up points in two of three games over the weekend, chipping in with an assist against Charlotte and another against Springfield. He now has 7-10-17 totals and is a minus-6 with 55 shots in 29 games in his first pro season.

• 4.
  Jared Knight, C/RW
  Last week: No. 4
  Current club: London (OHL)
  Knight and the London Knights had a light week with just one game, but Knight made the most of it with assists on the each of the first two goals as London jumped out to a 4-0 lead en route to a 4-1 win over Owen Sound. Knight now has 13-19-32 totals with a plus-2 rating and 25 penalty minutes in 32 games this season.

• 5.
  Max Sauve, C/LW
  Last week: No. 5
  Current club: Providence (AHL)
  Sauve continues to shine since his return from a wrist injury, as he had points in all three Providence games this week. He chipped in assists against both Charlotte and Hershey, helping set up Jamie Arniel's game-winner against the Bears, then scored two goals himself, including the game-winner, against Springfield. Sauve now has 6-3-9 totals and is a plus-2 with 29 shots in 10 games.

• 6
  Jamie Arniel, C
  Last week: No. 6
  Current club: Providence (AHL)
  Arniel bounced back from a pointless night against Charlotte when he was minus-2 in a 6-2 loss, as he scored the game-winner goal at 8:09 of the third in Hershey and contributed an assist in a 3-1 win over Springfield. He was plus-3 in those two games with 15 shots for the week. His team-leading totals are now at 12-9-21 with 103 shots in 28 games.

• 7.
  Matt Bartkowski, D
  Last week: No. 6
  Current club: Providence (AHL)
  Bartkowski had assists against both Hershey and Springfield this week, picking up a helper on the winning goal against the Bears. He has 3-8-11 totals and is a minus-7 with 69 shots in 27 games as the first-year pro out of Ohio State is starting to show some signs of regaining the offensive touch he showed in camp with the big club.

• 8.
  Ryan Button, D
  Last week: No. 9
  Current club: Prince Albert (WHL)
  Button continues to put up points, with a power-play goal in a 6-4 loss at Regina and an assist as Prince Albert turned the tables with a 6-4 win in the back end of a home-and-home series with Regina. For the season, Button now has 3-17-19 totals with 25 PIMs and a minus-3 rating through 37 games.

• 9.
  Yury Alexandrov, D
  Last week: No. 7
  Current club: Providence (AHL)
  Alexandrov has struggled a bit in December, with no goals, just one assist and a minus-5 in eight games this month. He had a very rough night against Charlotte, when he was a minus-4 with no points. He didn't play the following night in Hersey, and was pointless again against Springfield, but was a plus-1 that night. He now has 4-6-10 totals and is a minus-6 in 28 games.

• 10.
  Craig Cunningham, C
  Last week: No. 10
  Current club: Vancouver (WHL)
  After a brilliant start to the season, Cunningham has gone cold in December with just 1-2-3 totals and a minus-7 in eight games this month. He had no points and was a minus-5 in two games this week, as Vancouver was routed 9-1 by Tri-City and lost 4-0 at Spokane. Cunningham's frustration showed in the Tri-City game as he picked up two roughing minors and a fighting major against Tyler Schmidt. Cunningham is now in a five-way tie for sixth in WHL scoring race with 10-35-45 totals and a plus-6 rating through 35 games.