Jackson Edward Compares His Style To This Bruins Defenseman

BOSTON — Boston Bruins prospect Jackson Edward spent the last three seasons playing for the London Knights in the OHL.

Edwards tallied 11 points in 15 games for the Knights during their 2024 OHL championship run. The 20-year-old defenseman scored seven goals and added 23 helpers in 59 regular season games.

“I think it’s something I’ve always kind of had,” Edwards told reporters after Day 2 of Bruins development camp at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday. “I just haven’t tapped into it too much.

“I think toward the end of the year, I was given more freedom and kind of opened myself up to offensive opportunities. It’s something that I’ve implemented as of recently.”

The Ontario native recorded one less point (30) last season than he did in his first two (31) with the Knights. Edward said the increase in his offensive output was a combination of being more confident and inserting himself into the play.

“I think it’s kind of a mix of both,” he said. “the confidence part is something everyone needs to work on. I think it’s something that I gained over the course of the year. But, at the same time, having said that I think finding those right spots, watching a lot of video on where to approach the game offensively is effective too.”

Even though Brad Marchand was his favorite player growing up, Edward has started paying close attention to the play of Utah Hockey Club’s Mikhail Sergachev and New York Rangers’ Jacob Trouba. Regarding Bruins players, Edward compares his style of play to Brandon Carlo.

“I’m going to watch a lot of defensive stuff for Carlo,” he said. “I think that he’s kind of a rangy defenseman like myself. I can take a lot of his technical defensive stuff and implement that (into my game).”

Edward signed a three-year, entry-level contract while he was still with the Knights through the end of the 2025-26 season when he becomes a restricted free agent. He will begin his pro career this fall when he joins the Providence Bruins.