Apr 27, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) and center John Beecher (19) celebrate the win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of the third period in game four of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY
We’re back for the final edition of what has turned into a fun summer series here at Daily Faceoff. For those uninitiated, we’ve been spending the last three weeks looking at one under-the-radar prospect from each team with a chance to make some noise at the NHL level in the upcoming season.
One last time, a player must have appeared in fewer than five NHL games in his career through the end of the 2023-24 season to qualify for our list. Also, all first-round picks are ineligible for this exercise, since they hardly qualify as “under-the-radar” prospects.
For posterity, here are the links to our lists covering the Pacific Division, Central Division, and Metropolitan Division. Now, let’s finish things off with a look at the Atlantic!
Boston Bruins: John Farinacci, C
A third-round selection of the Arizona Coyotes back in 2019, John Farinacci fell victim to the numbers game in the desert and ultimately signed with the Bruins last summer after wrapping up a solid NCAA career at Harvard University. The Red Bank, New Jersey product might not project to be a top-six center at the top level, but he does offer upside at the position for a Bruins team that has dealt with well-documented issues down the middle since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired from the NHL.
Farinacci, 23, spent most of his first pro season playing in a middle-six role with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, collecting 12 goals and 38 points in 71 games during the 2023-24 regular season and tacking on a goal and an assist in four playoff contests. The 6′, 185-pound right-handed center is a natural distributor who managed 15 helpers in just 20 games in his final year at Harvard, but he’ll need to add a few more dimensions to his game if he wants to stand out from the pack in Providence and earn call-up consideration at some point down the line.
