By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis
The first week of Boston Bruins training camp is in the books following two days of practice, an intrasquad scrimmage, and the first preseason game of the year last night against the New York Rangers. We’ve seen 45 skaters and five goalies suit up throughout camp, and there are plenty of storylines to discuss. Here are my biggest takeaways from week one:
Poitras Pushing the Pace
The biggest story coming out of last year’s training camp was whether or not then-19-year-old Matt Poitras would crack the opening night roster. Poitras beat the odds, earned a spot with the team, and went on to post 5-10-15 in 33 games before being shut down due to a shoulder injury. I’m happy to report that Poitras has been a full participant at training camp and looks better than ever.
The 20-year-old forward was one of the most noticeable players through the first two days of camp, showcasing the playmaking ability, scoring touch, and competitiveness that made him such an intriguing prospect last season. Poitras spent most of the offseason trying to bulk up and adapt his body to the NHL game. The early results were more than promising.
“I definitely feel stronger,” said Poitras when he talked to reporters after Thursday’s skate. “And it’s not to the point where I added weight and slowed down. I feel kind of the same speed, if not a bit faster.”
His improved physicality was prevalent enough to catch the eye of Head Coach Jim Montgomery on the first day of on-ice activities. “The added muscle, the strength, you can see on pucks now that he had more separation from people and won more battles just even today,” said Montgomery when meeting with the media.
From everything I saw in the first two practices, Poitras is priming himself for a significant second-year jump. He spent the bulk of Thursday’s practice on Trent Frederic’s right-wing and centered Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak on Friday after Elias Lindholm missed the skate due to injury.
What stands out to me is the confidence and swagger Poitras has played with through four days of camp. Last year, he played a simple, straightforward, and somewhat reserved game alongside David Pastrnak during training camp. He deferred to the star, made the smart play, and focused on not making any mistakes. In this camp, it looks like he’s out to prove a point.
Instead of deferring to teammates and allowing higher-profile players to shine, Poitras has been driving the play and putting the onus on himself to generate offense. He’s making more skilled plays, winning more battles along the boards, and proving with every shift that he belongs in Boston.
In my opinion, Poitras has put to bed any notion that he needs ‘seasoning’ in Providence. The question will be whether he starts the year as a center or on the wing. That will crystalize as camp continues, but as for a first-week takeaway, he’s ready to make a leap.
Mixed Bag for Lysell
When watching Fabian Lysell skate, it becomes obvious why the Boston Bruins selected him in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He has elite speed, quickness, and mobility that would make talent evaluators everywhere raise their eyebrows. That skill has been displayed through the first four days of camp, making him an exciting player to watch and think about in a top-six role.
During transition and rush drills, Lysell has the rare ability to dictate the pace of play and control the speed of the game. He can grab breakout passes and burst through the neutral zone, blowing by defensemen and putting his opponents on their heels whenever he has the puck in stride. Simply put, the kid can absolutely fly.
The question for Lysell has always been whether or not he can win along the boards and maintain his speed in a more physical setting. Don Sweeney discussed this during his press conference on the opening day of camp, saying, “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re a puck possession team, and we’re a team that wants to win one-on-one battles. Those are areas that every young player… I don’t want to use the word struggle… but that’s an area where they always show the most growth.”
Sweeney continued, “For offensive players like [Georgii] Merkulov and [Fabian] Lysell, they need to have the puck on their stick. To get the puck on their stick, they’ve got to support pucks really well, and they’ve got to win battles. That’s how they increase their puck possession numbers.”
Watching Lysell skate this week and in Sunday’s preseason game, I still feel like ‘puck battles’ are an area he needs to work on. Whenever the team sets up in-zone coverage drills or works on a forecheck, the Swedish wing can sometimes get lost in the shuffle and get swallowed up by physically imposing players. Too frequently, he’ll get outmuscled behind the net or on the boards, leading to a breakout going the other way or a lost offensive possession.
Before fans panic, I want to make one thing abundantly clear: Fabian Lysell has made significant strides since last season’s camp. He looks more assertive and confident with the puck on his stick, maybe the fastest skater in the organization, and still has the high-end speed and skill that qualify him for top-six time.
We still have a long way to go, and the organization seems committed to giving Lysell every opportunity to succeed. He’ll earn a spot on this team if he can improve his competitive factor and make more waves on the forecheck.
Bottom-Six Battle
At the end of last season, Don Sweeney and Cam Neely discussed the organizational need to make a concerted effort to get bigger, stronger, and more physical. That effort was perhaps no more evident than in the type of players they acquired to make up their bottom six. In addition to returning players like Johnny Beecher (6’3″, 216lbs), Trent Frederic (6’3″, 220lbs), Morgan Geekie (6’3″, 202lbs), and Justin Brazeau (6’5″, 220lbs), Sweeney went out of his way to acquire Mark Kastelic (6’4″, 226lbs), Max Jones (6’3″, 216lbs), Cole Koepke (6’1″, 202lbs), and Riley Tufte (6’6″, 230lbs). Add in rookie Riley Duran (6’1″, 174lbs) and second-year AHL agitator Trevor Kuntar (6′, 205lbs), and you will have a robust group battling for a minimal number of spots.
On the first day of camp, Sweeney identified his team’s forechecking as an area he wants to improve this season, saying outright, “I believe that we can forecheck a little bit better.” When you put together a bottom six with the players mentioned above, it should (on paper) lead to a combination of speed and size that creates problems for opposing defensemen.
Two lines of the bottom six candidates have caught my eye during camp. The first is the trio of Riley Duran, Mark Kastelic, and Johnny Beecher. Kastelic is a massive, punishing forward with a mean streak and surprisingly soft hands. He and Beecher have displayed excellent chemistry thus far, which has caught Jim Montgomery’s eye. After Friday’s practice, he chuckled and said the duo reminded him of Marchand and Bergeron or Krejci and Pastrnak with how they set up and scored goals.
Montgomery highlighted Beecher as one of the standouts on day one, lauding his ability to hold onto pucks and his strength along the boards. Kastelic showed an impressive set of hands and a Charlie Coyle-esque ability to protect the puck and maintain possession while under pressure. Duran will probably need some time in Providence, but he’s well on his way to establishing himself as a bottom-six staple in Boston.
The other trio involved Morgan Geekie, Max Jones, and Justin Brazeau. I am continually impressed with just how polished Brazeau is in the offensive zone. He seems to have improved his finishing ability and looks more refined with the puck on his stick. Geekie has a quiet confidence that oozes out in how he carries himself. He knows he can make a mark this season and is ready to show it. Jones is a forechecking fiend who plays smashmouth hockey and wreaks absolute havoc on the forecheck.
Tufte, Koepke, Kuntar, and trade acquisition Vinni Lettieri may be on the outside looking in as camp gets underway, but each of them had moments where one could argue they belong on the roster. Koepke and Kuntar scored goals on Sunday night, and Lettieri and Tufte scored goals during Saturday’s scrimmage. If there’s one ‘position battle’ to watch, it’s the bottom-six forwards.
Other Observations
- Bruins fans are going to love Nikita Zadorov. He’s better offensively than fans may know, and he is every bib of 6’6″. He and McAvoy look like an excellent pair early on.
- Hampus Lindholm looks rejuvenated and eager to prove what he can do offensively. With Zadorov added into the fold, Lindholm’s defensive responsibilities tend to lessen, giving him more opportunities to show off the skating and shooting flair that garnered Norris votes in 2022-23.
- Jim Montgomery called Mason Lohrei ‘dominant’ after Thursday’s session. He’s shown good chemistry with Peeke and looks more confident than ever. He could be in for a big boost in offensive production this year.
- I know we’re going into the third straight season of seeing them together, but the chemistry between David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha is so crisp and clean when watching it up close.
- Speaking of Pastrnak and Zacha, they welcomed newcomer Elias Lindholm to the fold and had a solid day of camp on Thursday. It took a couple of shifts, but it looked special when those three clicked.
- In my eyes, Georgii Merkulov is in the same camp as Lysell. He has obvious talent and is a gifted passer, but some issues in his game still need to be rectified before he earns a spot.
- Tyler Johnson has an incredible story and still has something left in the tank. Don’t be surprised if he makes it late into camp and pushes for a roster spot.
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