When you’re a 6’7 defenseman in the Ontario Hockey League, you would think you’d have the more than the ideal size to get some looks from pro scouts. For Providence’s Chris Breen, that, unfortunately, was not the case.

Having gone undrafted, the Calgary Flames took a flyer on the hulking Breen, signing him to a contract after his final season in the OHL with the Erie Otters and the Peterborough Petes in 2010. Despite only playing one game with the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat during the 2009-2010 season, Calgary decided to bring Breen back. Following four solid seasons with the Heat, Breen finally received his first call-up to the National Hockey League, appearing in nine games during the 2013-2014 season and registering two assists with the Flames.

The following summer, Breen signed on with the Boston Bruins and appeared in 52 games with Providence with a 2-8-10 stat line. On July 2, the Bruins re-signed Breen to a one-year two-way contract.

Now with a new team and a new season, Breen is hoping his imposing figure and his improving skill can land him a spot as a regular on Boston’s back end.

“I’ve got to play consistent, play hard and be a competitor every night,” Breen said. “I just have to play good defensive hockey and show some offensive skill as well. [I have to] move pucks and get some pucks towards the net and create chances.”

Thus far, Breen has shown some promise in the defensive zone. With Tommy Cross and Chris Castro out of the lineup in Sunday afternoon’s game at home, a 4-2 win over the Hartford Wolfpack, Breen saw some significant action on the penalty-kill unit when the P-Bruins went down 5-on-3 on two separate occasions in the game. Hartford was only able to convert on one of those opportunities, at the end of the second.

On each of the Wolfpack’s five power-play opportunities, Breen was on the ice for the kill.

“I think his penalty kill is a little underrated with all the shot blocks he’s had for us,” head coach Bruce Cassidy stated after the game. “This past weekend, I think he did a good job in all those areas (along the boards, skating, blocking shots) and he’s been playing big minutes against some of the other teams’ bigger players. That could be kind of an unsung hero type of role and he’s doing a real good job for us… That’s going to be his bread and butter, to be a shutdown kind of player.”

Breen certainly has been a force on the ice, especially in the defensive zone. His efforts have garnered him a plus-4 rating on the year, far and away the highest amongst P-Bruins defensemen and second highest on the team behind Austin Czarnik’s plus-5. However, the offensive production could very much improve, as Breen has registered only three points, all assists, this season.

“He’s starting to assert himself in the battles along the walls,” Cassidy said, “He’s not a dynamic sort of skater, but he’s efficient with the puck.”

“There’s always stuff you can work on,” Breen said, “I just have to work on consistency night in and night out, being hard to play against and always playing with an edge.”

Of course, with a player with great size comes high expectations of physicality, especially amongst fans of a team that identifies itself with those types of players. So far, Breen has shown some flashes taking over that enforcers role.

“Obviously [fans, teammates, coaches, etc.] want me to play that protector’s role on the ice to an extent and talk to some of the other players [on the other team] if they’re getting out of hand and fight if I have to and make our team a bit more comfortable on the ice,” Breen said.

In 20 games so far this season, Breen has 17 penalty minutes to his credit. He has 20 career fighting majors in his AHL career, including his only one this season, a short scrap against the Portland Pirates’ Garrett Wilson on December 4, and one career NHL fight, as member of the Calgary Flames against then-Dallas Stars (and former Providence and Boston) forward Lane MacDermid in early 2013.

Breen certainly is not hesitant to give the Bruins management, as well as the fans, exactly what they want, but can he improve his offensive production? That seems to be the biggest hurdle between spending time in Providence and having a Bruins blue line with not one, but two monsters on the back end.