New Draft Picks Get Firsthand Look at Bruins Hockey

BOSTON - Nearly two dozen Bruins prospects gathered at Warrior Ice Arena on Thursday morning for the team's Development Camp with the seemingly universal goal of making a strong impression on the organization's decision makers.
The four-day showcase is a chance for each of them to put on display the progress they have made both on and off the ice over the last year. And for the six teenagers drafted by the Black & Gold at last month's NHL Draft, it's an opportunity to gain a better understanding of what it means to be a member of the Boston Bruins organization.

Through on-ice practices, off-ice workouts, nutrition seminars, and staff introductions, the draftees quickly gather a grasp of what the franchise stands for.
But it was an unexpected moment during the group's fitness testing that might have made the biggest impact.
As the prospects were put through the paces by the Bruins medical staff, several current Bruins - among them winger Brad Marchand - were getting in a rigorous workout of their own. It was a perfect illustration of the commitment that is required, even in the middle of July, still months away from Opening Night, to have success in the National Hockey League.
"Just how to be a professional hockey player, seeing what it's like, seeing a guy like Marchand put in the extra hours," said goalie Jeremy Swayman, a University of Maine commit selected with Boston's fourth-round pick in this year's draft, when asked what stood out to him on the first day of camp.
"That makes me want to put in the extra hours also…having the guys around me thrive off of my energy and hopefully they do the same with me."
The sight of already-established NHLers grinding away early on a gorgeous summer morning was no doubt an eye-opener for Swayman and the rest of his fellow 2017 draft picks - a group that incldues Urho Vaakanainen, Jack Studnicka, Cedric Pare, Victor Berglund, and Daniel Bukac - who were taking part in their first Bruins activities.
"It's a little surreal right off the bat," said Studnicka, who collected 52 points in 64 games for the OHL's Oshawa Generals last season. "I don't have a lot of experience here in the NHL - it's my first camp. It was kind of a wake-up call that this is the real deal now. Just being around players who have been through it before made it easy."

It was the first time all six picks had been together, as only Vaakanainen, Studnicka, and Pare traveled to Chicago for the draft. Forming a bond with each other on the ice, in the dressing room, and away from the rink is a crucial part of what each of them is trying to accomplish during camp.
"It's important," said Vaakanainen, a slick skating defenseman who Boston grabbed with the 18th overall pick. "It will be a fun few days here, just try to get to know all the guys…just to make some new friends and just the atmosphere in the locker room, it's going to be so much better when you know all the guys."
The Bruins brass agrees, as they too will be on the lookout for how well the players adapt to one another as the week progresses.
"Their response to the camp, how they mingle with the guys," Bruins Player Development Coordinator Jamie Langenbrunner said when questioned about what the management staff would be watching for this week.
"It's fun to watch them come to the [welcome] meeting [Wednesday] night and the cliques - the Harvard guys together, the junior guys together, and how that develops as the week goes on, how certain leaders take charge of things, how certain guys just kind of follow a little bit.
"You might see a little bit of shyness early, but by the end, it's good. That's why I think these things are valuable is they get a comfort level."
And they get to learn to be a Bruin.
"Our message was what we want a Bruin hockey player to be," said Langenbrunner. "We talked about character, we talked about work ethic, we talked about being good teammates and good people. I think we wanted them to make sure that we focus not only on the way they conduct themselves on the ice, but off the ice."
If the prospects follow the lead of the Bruins they watched on Thursday morning, they should have little trouble.

News and Notes

\Of the 29 players participating in camp, 24 of them took the ice on Thursday. Langenbrunner said following the skate that defensemen Jeremy Lauzon (hernia) and Ryan Lindgren (leg) and forward Cameron Hughes (shoulder) were at camp but "very questionable" to take part in any on-ice activities as they recover from offseason surgeries.
Forward Anders Bjork, who was signed to a three-year entry-level contract in May, missed the session due to a family obligation and will join the group on Saturday.
The only other player missing was camp invite Robert McGovern, a University of Maine goalie and native of Weymouth, Mass. Langenbrunner said it was possible that the 22-year-old could return on Friday.
\Following their on-ice sessions on Friday morning, the prospects will take part in several community activities across the Boston area. The events include a field day at the Boston Center for Youth and Families Vine Street Community Center, a hockey clinic with Score Boston at Warrior Ice Arena, and a summer reading visit, "When You Read, You Score," presented by Velcro Companies, at Needham Free Public Library.
The 2017 Boston Bruins Development Camp is presented by AT&T.