Max Sauve Moves Back Into Top Five List of Bruins Prospects After Returning From Injury

There hasn’t been a lot of good news in Providence this season, where the Baby B’s are sitting in last place in the American Hockey League’s seven-team Atlantic Division.

Boston’s top affiliate dropped two of three games this past week to fall under .500 at 11-12-2-1. But there was one positive development for the P-Bruins, as talented forward Max Sauve finally returned to the lineup.

Sauve had been sidelined since Oct. 16 with a wrist injury, but finally made it back into action Dec. 10 when Providence hosted Portland. Sauve wasn’t able to turn things around that night as the Bruins dropped a 5-1 decision, but he did make his mark the following night.

He scored the game-winning goal on the power play at 19:57 of the third period to lift Providence to a 3-2 win at Springfield. With Sauve back, Jordan Caron now down on the farm and a pair of recent trades adding some help in the form of forward Juraj Simek and defenseman Sean Zimmerman, Providence’s prospects should improve in the coming weeks.

That could shake up our prospect rankings, but for now, there’s not a lot of movement. Here’s how the Top 10 Prospects in the Bruins’ system shape up this week.

• 1
  Last week: 1 1. Jordan Caron, LW/RW
  Caron wasted little time in making an impact in Providence, registering an assist in his AHL debut Dec. 10, then adding another helper the following night the P-Bruins’ only win of the weekend. Caron finished with two assists and six shots in three games in his first week of AHL action. After already proving capable of contributing at the NHL level, the 2009 first-rounder remains in position to be the first forward called up if the Bruins summon help from the farm.

• 2
  Last week: No. 2 2. Ryan Spooner, C
  Spooner continues to put up points, but his trade to Kingston earlier this season hasn’t quite worked out as well as hoped. The Frontenacs continue to scuffle, dropping all three games they played this week. Spooner did score a pair of goals, though, and now has 18-15-33 totals in just 27 games this season.

• 3
  Last week: No. 3 3. Joe Colborne, C
  Colborne had just one assist in three games in another quiet week in Providence. He was even in those three games despite Providence getting outscored 11-5, but managed just three shots. He now has 7-8-15 totals and is a minus-5 in 26 games.

• 4
  Last week: No. 4 4. Jared Knight, C/RW
  London split a pair of games this week, getting routed 9-4 by Erie before bouncing back with a 4-2 win over Sault Ste. Marie. Knight had a goal and an assist in that victory and now has 13-17-30 totals with a plus-1 rating and 25 penalty minutes in 31 games this season.

• 5
  Last week: No. 7 5. Max Sauve, C/LW
  Sauve moves into the top five after finally returning to action after missing nearly two months with a wrist injury. He had just one point in his first three games back, but he made it count as he scored the game-winner with three seconds left in regulation in Providence’s lone win of the week, a 3-2 victory at Springfield on Saturday. Sauve now has 4-1-5 totals and is a plus-1 in seven games.

• 6
  Last week: No. 5 6. Jamie Arniel, C
  Arniel continues to collect points and pile up shots, as he had another goal and an assist and 13 shots in three games this week. His team-leading totals are now at 11-8-19 with 88 shots in 25 games. He is a minus-2, but that’s hardly an indictment on a last-place squad in Providence.

• 7
  Last week: No. 6 7. Yury Alexandrov, D
  Alexandrov had one assist and managed to finish even for the week, despite Providence’s struggles as a team. That assist came on Dec. 12 for his first point in eight games. He now has 4-6-10 totals and is a minus-3 in 26 games in his first season in North America.

• 8
  Last week: No. 9 8. Ryan Button, D
  Button continues to put up points, and struggling Prince Albert even managed to win two of its three games this week, sandwiching a 5-1 victory over Everett and a 6-3 win against Regina around a 6-2 setback at Brandon. Button had his second goal of the season in that loss and added an assist against Everett while finishing with a plus-4 in that contest. For the season, Button now has 2-16-18 totals with 25 PIMs and a minus-4 rating through 35 games.

• 9
  Last week: No. 8 9. Matt Bartkowski, D
  Bartkowski picked up his third goal of the season in Saturday’s win. It was one of five shots he had on the night. He also was a plus-2 that evening, but still finished a minus-1 for the week with no other points. He has 3-6-9 totals and is a minus-8 with 62 shots in 24 games in his first pro season out of Ohio State.

• 10
  Last week: No. 10 10. Craig Cunningham, C
  Cunningham reached double figures in goals with his 10th tally of the season, a power-play strike in a 3-0 win at Everett on Wednesday. But he had no other points in three games this week and fell into a tie for sixth in the WHL scoring race with 10-35-45 totals and a plus-11 rating through 33 games.