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 Five Austin Bruins players will be attending the North American Hockey League’s Top Prospects Tournament in February.

Ludvig Mellgren, Luc Malkhassian, Evan Malkhassian, Carl Axelsson, and Bruins captain Jackson Rilei were selected to represent the Bruins at the annual event, as announced on the league’s official roster reveal show on Thursday.

Bruins head coach Steve Howard was also announced as an assistant coach for the Central Division. 

Mellgren brings a veteran presence to the Bruins after playing several seasons in Sweden’s J20 Nationell. The Vandelso, Sweden native provided an immediate impact to the Black and Gold, providing the assist on the team’s first goal of the season against North lowa. Mellgren built off that performance with six helpers in his first eight starts of the year including two multi-point performances. The first year Bruin currently boasts one goal and 19 assists, with a plus/minus of +20. 

Luc Malkhassian has been one of the anchors of the Bruins offense since day one. With nine points through two games (two goals and seven assists) Malkhassian’s ability to find his teammates on the ice and create scoring opportunities has been his strongest attribute. With 37 assists, he has led the Black and Gold all year in helpers and constantly seen himself in the top three in the NAHL in the same category. The Toronto product’s consistency has also made him a threat against Central Division foes, scoring in 29 of the team’s 36 games and never going scoreless in back to back games all year. Malkhassian is fresh off of a five point weekend against Aberdeen that earned him NAHL Central Division Second Star of the Week honors. 

A late preseason edition, Evan Malkhassian joined the Bruins already committed to play Division I hockey at Harvard University. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team, that doesn’t discredit the impact he’s made on the team. The younger Malkhassian recorded an assist in his first three games as a Bruin. With four goals and 12 assists on the year, Evan ranks in the top ten on the Bruins in both assists and points. 

Carl Axelsson was brought in midseason from the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede to provide a strong one-two punch with then Bruins goaltender Jack Solomon. Already on the NHL’s Central Scouting list and with a commitment to University of Minnesota-Duluth, Axelsson was ready to contribute. Now the team’s primary starter, Axelsson has been a strong presence in net. With a 1.99 goals against average, Axelsson has allowed two or less goals in five of his eight starts including back to back Saturday shutouts. Axelsson was recently listed 13th on the NHL’s Central Scouting Mid-Term rankings among North American goaltenders, the top ranked goaltender from the NAHL. 

Jackson Rilei joined elite company in Bruins history when the veteran returned for the 2024-2025 season. Not only was the Calumet, Michigan native named team captain, he is one of just 32 players in the team’s 15 year history to play three seasons for the Black and Gold. Rilei’s 125 games played ranks him 18th all-time, just three games behind former teammate and current Robert Morris sophomore Walter Zacher. The captain is posting the best numbers of his career, with seven goals and eleven assists for 18 points. In his last ten games, Rilei has scored one goal and posted six assists and a six game point streak from December 13th to January 4th. 

The NAHL Top Prospects Tournament will be held February 17-18, 2025 at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, MI. Per the league’s website, Top Prospects provides “NHL and NCAA scouts in attendance with a look at the best uncommitted players the NAHL has to offer, as well as some potential NHL Draft picks.”