Bruins Development Camp Day Three 2016 Edition
The 2016 edition of Boston Bruins Development Camp is cruising along and Day Three saw brought with it a plethora of skating drills. While this was certainly not the creation of a certain power skating coach from days of yore when none were able to master his drills, yesterday’s drills required some effort and concentration on the part of the boys. A couple of the participants were even seen coming off their skates during one drill in particular. It seemed that this drill was designed to humble even the best of the skaters and put them all on an even playing surface, but it was entertaining. The crowd on hand has collectively been clamoring for a scrimmage, and while they might get a full one today (the last day), there have been mini scrimmages which have allowed this year’s attendees to show off their wares in a competitive light.
There have been a few of the campers that I haven’t said much about to this point, and with good reason. There really hasn’t been much to say when it comes to most of them, and others I haven’t really seen them while trying to focus on one area of the ice while three separate drills are going on. But in the interest of equal and fair play, here are a few of the campers that haven’t been mentioned yet…
Jack Becker has good size. He has appeared to struggle with some of the skating drills, but has handled himself well. He hasn’t done much to stand out but doesn’t appear to shy away from contact, just doesn’t appear to initiate it either. Having spoken to others in the crowd I’ve heard everything from “he looks really good” to wow, he’s really struggling out there”. I will reserve judgement until after today when he will hopefully get to show something before the end.
Cameron Hughes i owe an apology to for not mentioning him sooner but I haven’t seen that moment that makes one stand up and take notice. On day three he fared very well in the skate drills and he showed up to play during the mini scrimmage. Good speed, nice shot. There’s something to like here and I will hopefully see more today.
Joona Koppanen was a late round draft pick and that may be appropriate. He has struggled with skating and positioning but he does appear to have a nice shot with a not so quick release. He seems to be a little more physical than your typical Fin but it serves him well considering his size. At 6’5″ (listed), Joona tipped the scales at 194 pounds. A little more weight and some skate work could turn him into a third line center and a nice defensive forward.
And now for a few (and I mean a few) quick notes regarding some previously mentioned campers…
This should be Matt Grzelcyk’s last camp. He is really standing out as the best in camp, but this being his fourth one i guess that is to be expected. He is smooth skating, properly positioned, and apparently becoming a sniper. Three rush drills in a row he was able to pick the top corners on both Malcolm Subban and Stephen Dhillon. I wouldn’t pencil him in for 50 goals, and the top notch goalies in the NHL will surely shut him down most nights, but it was a nice little added wrinkle to his game. Time will tell if it’s just a camp thing or he can bring that to the next level.
Brandon Carlo appeared to be relying on his size and strength a little too much during one on one drills. There were, by my count, four possible penalties that could have been called on two separate attempts. I want to see him paste guys to the boards, but if he is going to follow the forwards behind the net, then he needs to come away with the puck or he will be beaten.
Wiley Sherman was the only defender during one on one drills that did not follow the forward against him behind the net. Wiley let his man go and just met him out front. Result…no goals or shot attempts from his foe. Sherman may be onto something here.
I’m sure I’ve still not mentioned one or two of the boys, and I will rectify this oversight with my next edition, but for now, enjoy the hockey.
Welcome to Another Year of Boston Bruins Hockey
Hello all, and welcome to another year of Boston Bruins Hockey. There are those of you that may feel that Mr. Sweeney and company have not done much to improve our beloved hockey team here in Boston, and you may be correct. Just look at some of the moves the leadership made in last year’s off season. The Bruins drafted three youngsters in a row at 13, 14 and 15. All three managed to fail their conditioning stints prior to the beginning of the season and the best of the bunch appears to be the young man selected at 15 (Zachary Senyshyn). They sent away Dougie Hamilton (so everyone in Calgary can now share in the knowledge of how to Dougie), as well as fan favorite Milan Lucic in an effort to change the dynamic of the team. However they brought in Zac Rinaldo because they wanted to still be tough, but at a lower cost (and talent level apparently). The one player that seemed to be worth keeping was traded away for a first round pick in this year’s draft and a prospect we’ll be seeing at this year’s development camp…Sean Kuraly.
Now at the end of the GM’s rookie campaign Don Sweeney has done a little house cleaning. Seidenberg has been culled from the herd, Brett Connolly was not sent a qualifying offer (how can that be possible?), and neither was Landon Ferraro. There are other moves that were and were not made, but this is about the future. All of these moves and signings can take up a whole piece by themselves, but the future was on display today at Ristuccia arena as the Bruins settled in for another development camp.
So Development Camp 2016 edition started yesterday about half an hour later than the posted time of 11:00am. The arena was only a third to half full and 25 young men are present to put themselves through four days of drills and scrimmages (the on-ice experience) as well as enjoying community time. Here are just a few quick comments about what this writer saw at the rink.
Two of last year’s first round picks, Jakub Zboril and Jake DeBrusk didn’t really do anything to stand out on the first day. Some would say this isn’t a bad thing, but I believe that if you aren’t doing anything to get yourself noticed in a positive way then you could be spending the bulk of your time in Providence.
Sean Kuraly, with his time in Ohio behind him, has shown up to earn himself a spot. I like his size, and he does have a heavy shot, but he comes across as a big loping winger who will take up space in front of the net, and could be a help with going into the corners to fight for pucks. Looking forward to seeing what he brings to camp going forward.
Brandon Carlo didn’t appear strong on his edges during drills, but he does look solid during the defensive spots and doesn’t shy away from the contact…even if it was with a player a foot shorter than himself.
Danton Heinen looks polished with soft hands and a ninja-like release on his shots.
Charlie McAvoy looked as a first round pick should, solid without overwhelming everyone, but I want to see more.
My favorite on day one has to be Oskar Steen. He reminds me of Anton Blidh. Another youngster that appears to face every drill with the mentality that if he doesn’t get it just right then the Bruins are going to send him home. He is small in stature but not in effort. And he can shoot.
I make this next statement with the caveat that development camp is only one day old…Most improved player from last year has to be Daniel Vladar. The sith lord just came out and looked like he belonged. He showed the confidence of a player that had been working on his fundamentals and it came through. Post to post tracking and his ability to track the puck when it was in close to him were so much better. He stopped all but a few of the pucks that he saw during multiple drills. I look forward to seeing more of him.