This Boston Bruins prospect should not be overlooked.

The Boston Bruins are an exciting team heading into the 2024-25 season. They landed some big-name free agents in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov and added some gritty depth forwards in Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, and Riley Tufte. They also have some prospects like Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov, who should compete for NHL jobs at training camp.

Yet, the Bruins also have an under-the-radar prospect who their fans should keep a closer eye on during the 2024-25 season: defenseman Alec Regula.

Regula, 23, was acquired by the Bruins as a piece in last summer’s Taylor Hall cap dump trade. While the West Bloomfield, Michigan native did not generate much buzz amongst fans following the move, he quietly had a strong season with the Providence Bruins in 2023-24.

In 55 games this past season with Providence, Regula had four goals, 26 points, and an AHL-best plus-36 rating. Overall, the 6-foot-4 defender provided decent offense from the point and had a strong season defensively in a shutdown role. Thus, if he carries this kind of play over to next season, he could make a case for himself to see NHL time.

Regula has not played an NHL game since being acquired by the Bruins, but he did play in 22 games for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2020-21 to 2022-23, recording one goal, 28 hits, and 32 blocks. With a strong training camp, the potential for him to make the Bruins’ NHL roster as an extra defender could be there.

It will be very intriguing to see what Regula does for an encore after his impressive 2023-24 AHL season from here.