Bruins
Final season in Ottawa, Kastelic ranked third on the Senators in penalty minutes (63) and fourth in hits (126).
Whereas many of the headlines surrounding the Bruins’ blockbuster deal on Monday revolve round Linus Ullmark, Joonas Korpisalo, and Boston’s re-acquired 2024 first-round choose, the Bruins additionally bolstered their bottom-six unit of their commerce with the Senators.
Past Korpisalo and that 2024 first-rounder, the Senators additionally despatched Boston 25-year-old ahead Mark Kastelic — giving the Bruins one other pugnacious presence additional down on the depth chart.
Listed below are 4 issues to find out about Kastelic:
Kastelic ought to present some snarl and pace on Boston’s fourth line.
Kastelic isn’t precisely a needle-mover for the Bruins by way of their efforts of injecting extra scoring punch into their ahead corps. In 144 profession video games with Ottawa, Kastelic scored 14 targets and recorded 25 complete factors.
However Kastelic does give Boston a few of the coveted mix of pace and measurement that Cam Neely recognized as a lacking aspect on the Bruins’ roster throughout his final media availability in Could.
“Clearly, this sport is quick and we’re not as quick as we’d prefer to be,” Neely acknowledged final month, including: “Perhaps slightly quicker and we’d prefer to see slightly bit extra 50/50 puck battle wins. That’s an space the place it’s a must to need the puck greater than the opposite group.”
Kastelic is an enormous physique at 6-foot-4 and 226 kilos, but additionally has the wheels to land some welts on the forecheck. Final season in Ottawa, Kastelic ranked third on the group in penalty minutes (63) and fourth in hits (126).
If the Bruins need to craft a checking unit that includes younger, cost-controlled expertise, placing a bodily ahead like Kastelic on the identical line as Johnny Beecher and Justin Brazeau provides up loads of intrigue.
Add in Kastelic’s willingness to drop the gloves, and the 25-year-old ahead has the entire instruments in place to turn into a fan favourite in Boston.
He’s a stable defensive ahead.
Although Kastelic isn’t precisely a fourth-line ahead that one ought to pencil in for 10-plus tallies this season, he ought to have the option shore up some vital areas in Boston’s D-zone in 2024-25.
With Boston’s fourth-line forwards routinely handed loads of taxing minutes within the Bruins’ personal finish of the ice, having a gifted faceoff choice in Kastelic ought to come in useful. Kastelic sports activities a 56.3 faceoff share in his profession, together with a 54.4 % displaying through the 2023-24 season.
The one Bruins who boasted greater faceoff numbers than Kastelic final season have been Pavel Zacha (54.8 %) and fellow fourth-liner Beecher (54.6 %).
Although Ottawa was removed from a defensive powerhouse final season, Kastelic ranked fourth amongst Senators regulars (min. 400 minutes) in targets in opposition to per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 play (2.4).
With Jeremy Swayman anchoring Boston’s protection in 2024-25, Kastelic’s defensive numbers ought to proceed to enhance in his new environment.
Kastelic has some household ties to the Bruins
The Kastelic household already boasts loads of NHL ties past Mark’s ongoing profession.
Mark’s father, Ed, performed 220 profession NHL video games for the Washington Capitals and Hartford Whalers from 1985-92 — racking up 719 penalty minutes over these seven seasons.
Mark Kastelic already has a connection to Boston, as his grandfather, Pat Stapleton, performed two seasons for the Bruins from 1961-63. Stapleton went on to play 635 video games within the NHL, together with one other 5 seasons within the WHL.
“My grandpa taught me loads concerning the psychological facet of the sport,” Mark Kastelic stated in a profile from The Athletic in 2023. “He was at all times giving me texts of encouragement. There have been lots of optimistic affirmations with my grandpa and pop.”
Pat Stapleton’s son — and Mark’s uncle — Mike Stapleton additionally had a 14-year profession within the NHL, recording 182 factors over 697 profession video games. Mike Stapleton performed for seven totally different franchises over his 14 years within the NHL ranks.
Kastelic hails from an unconventional hockey market.
Although he has loads of hyperlinks to the NHL along with his household, Kastelic developed right into a promising hockey prospect whereas rising up in Phoenix — spending his youth hockey years with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes groups from 2013-15.
The Kastelic household settled within the Phoenix space after Ed Kastelic performed the 1992-93 season with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Worldwide Hockey League.
Whereas Arizona isn’t precisely a hotbed for NHL expertise, Kastelic expressed disapointment to the Ottawa Solar in April that the Arizona Coyotes have been relocating to Utah for subsequent season and past.
“For myself, personally, it’s unhappy. That’s a group I grew up watching and I’ve lots of attachment to it,” Kastelic stated. “They’re not going to be round anymore. After watching them my complete life and getting the possibility to play in opposition to them within the NHL, it’s unhappy.
“These are a few of my favorite video games of the 12 months, getting the possibility to play in entrance of family and friends. That’s one thing the folks there are going to overlook, for certain. I simply really feel for lots of the youthful technology. I had the Coyotes to look as much as once I was rising up.
“That’s what acquired me concerned within the sport. A few of my favourite gamers have been on that group. Now younger children received’t be capable to have that and that’s going to be slightly bit disappointing.”
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