DeBrusk Credits Career Turnaround to Specific Teammates

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Dorin Canaday
April 6, 2023 (12:22)

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Since requesting a trade, Jake DeBrusk has turned his career around in a significant way, and he recently credited his success to two special teammates.

A Career Turnaround

Many fans conspired that DeBrusk's breakout was thanks to the departure of Bruce Cassidy, and the hiring of Jim Montgomery. However, his turnaround started a while before that, as it was actually the promotion by Cassidy that saw DeBrusk moved to the Bruins' top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.

While recently on the WEEI Skate Podcast with Scott McLaughlin, the forward shared how Bergeron and Marchand �'saved his career'' in a way:

''Honestly, it takes a lot of things to get out of that. It's one of those things where, weirdly enough, I think I put myself, my back against the wall, and realized I had to play a certain type of way. I wasn't necessarily with Marchy and Bergy right away after that but those guys helped me out a ton. They pretty much redeemed my career and made me find the joy in the game again. Marchy's pretty hard on me, but it's one of those things where they push me just to be better. Any time that someone's trying to help you, it's dumb not to listen.''

During the 2021-22 season, DeBrusk had just 15 points through Boston's first 43 games (14 points in 41 games in 2020-21). He would go on to finish with 18 goals and 27 points over his final 34 games after the promotion.

The 26-year-old has continued his success into this season with 25 goals and 23 assists in 59 games. The only career-high he's yet to break with 5 games remaining, is his 27 goals from the 2018-19 campaign.

That's with missing 17 games after breaking his fibula and winning the Winter Classic with 2 goals - basically on one leg - in the third period.