Jessica Belmosto

Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo has completely won over the fanbase this season. With his 116 goalless game streak snapped, and improvement in his overall performance, it’s been hard not to like him. The 6`5“ defenceman often looked like Bambi out there on the ice last season. After a gruesome ankle injury that ended his 2017-2018 season, Carlo came back with a point to prove. He might’ve missed that open netter goal early on in the season but I think anyone can look past that now. Carlo stepped up when Rask was struggling. It appeared that he knew he had to play harder while his goalie was shaking off the rust. On multiple occasions, we saw Carlo actually step in as the goalie. Okay, it was twice but it was still entertaining.

It was clear from early on this season, that his skating had improved. His speed had increased along with his ability to play a stronger game. In previous seasons it appeared that his head got caught in the clouds in the defensive zone. Sometimes it looked like he wasn’t there. There’s a noticeable difference in how he plays in front of the net. Something clicked for him this season and it’s been fun to watch.

Carlo is a young guy who has faced injuries that could’ve set back his development. We’ve seen it happen with plenty of guys. He returned in the preseason after recovering from a late season ankle fracture.  At the start of November, he was paired with Chara, as McAvoy was out with a concussion. This was the start of the blue line beat down. Carlo was out for a bit of time with an upper-body injury. It seemed like once he was gaining momentum, he hit a roadblock. You hate to see that happen to anyone, especially a player who has shown improvement.

The 22 year old is playing the best hockey of his career. He’s averaging 21 minutes a night which is up 3 minutes from last season. The Bruins have a young core and plenty of defensive depth. It’d be a pleasure to see Brandon Carlo spend his career with them.