DeBrusk Ready to Take Next Step with Black & Gold

BostonBruins.com - Jake DeBrusk has been a busy man this offseason.
While contract negotiations took up a substantial chunk of his time, the winger has also been enjoying his new home back in his native Edmonton.
It's been a significant life step for the 24-year-old, one that brings with it plenty of responsibility, including a task that he hasn't been all that familiar with in recent years: shoveling.
"It's been snowing here for about four weeks now," lamented DeBrusk, whose new digs are a quick 15-minute drive from his family. "It's been a little bit tough. I didn't really prepare for the Canadian winter. I haven't been around here for a while…shoveling the driveway has been a bit of a new lesson for me."

With his duties away from the rink expanding, so too are DeBrusk's responsibilities on the ice. That was cemented on Monday evening when the restricted free agent was inked to a new two-year deal by the Bruins, worth an annual NHL cap hit of $3.675 million.
It's a significant raise for Boston's No. 2 left wing - who is set to enter his fourth season with the Black & Gold - and a signal that his role in the Bruins' dressing room is shifting from a young and up-and-coming winger to a critical piece of the team's core.
"It's exciting, it's a big opportunity," said DeBrusk. "I want to make the most of it. Ever since I've been here, I've been making strides. Obviously, some ups and downs, but there's a lot of people that have been waiting for me to take that next step, including myself. That's what I want to do…I'm preparing myself to take that next step. I think it will really help our team. I have confidence that I can do it."

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney agrees,
saying on Monday night that while he considers DeBrusk to be one of the best players in his peer group
, there is still another level or two that he can reach, particularly when it comes to expanding his game past being simply a pure goal scorer.
"I agree with what he said," DeBrusk said when asked about Sweeney's comments regarding him becoming more of a penalty killer and forechecker. "Obviously, we have great penalty killers and great special teams since I've been in the league. I think that, especially on the forecheck, I'm one of the fastest guys on the team, and when I'm playing well, I'm skating. I could definitely put more pressure on D-men and be more physical in those corners too.
"It's not necessarily the right idea if I'm not pushing the pace of play and pushing the forecheck…just kind of just disrupting plays, disrupting breakouts, and it can cause turnovers and obviously can create chaos around the net.
"I think it actually just goes hand in hand with my game. It's not necessarily thinking differently. It's just more being fully aggressive - just going all out, all the time is kind of what that means."
To do that on a consistent basis, more physicality and strength is required. As such, the 6-foot, 188-pounder has made bulking up a main focus during what has been the most unusual offseason of his young career. In addition to three on-ice sessions a week, DeBrusk has been in the gym training up to five times a week as he aims to become more of a physical force.
"I think I've put on some weight already and have really been attacking just getting stronger overall," said DeBrusk. "That's my main focus…there's no reason why I can't have a hit per game. And that goes hand in hand with what I was just talking about earlier with the forechecking. I think that that's been a main focus of mine. I'm not saying I'm going to be running around out there, but obviously I could finish checks more.
"That's usually how I play. That's how I've been known to play. It just didn't really happen much [last season] and it's one thing I felt like it affected my game a lot. It could open up space for me, my teammates and also just getting the puck. That's the biggest thing."

DeBrusk is also keen on learning from some of his previous struggles. While he ranks fourth on the Bruins in goals scored with 62 since entering the league in 2017 - including a career-high 27 in 2018-19 - there have been some trying times along the way. DeBrusk's goal total dipped to 19 last season - albeit in a year that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic - thanks to some extended scoreless streaks, the exact types of stretches he hopes to eliminate moving forward.
"I've definitely grown," said DeBrusk, who has 203 career games under his belt - and another 49 postseason contests - the majority of which have come alongside David Krejci on the Bruins' second line. "Obviously, young players in this league always deal with [tough stretches]. It's one of those things where I'm expected to score goals. When it doesn't go in, it obviously it affects you.
"Obviously, I'd love to score every single game. I think every player in the league would say that…it comes with consistency. It's just a matter of action, the all-around game.
"What can I bring to the game when I'm not scoring? It's something that I've really tried to focus on and one thing that I'll definitely be changing for the rest of my career."
With his first real taste of NHL contract negotiations now in the rearview, DeBrusk can fully home in on shoring up his all-around game as he gears up for what he hopes will be the start of a new season in the near future.
"The contract is done now, it gives me a little more of a timeline in a way," said DeBrusk. "We're all in the same boat here. Everything seems to be changing. I've just been preparing myself to be ready, no matter what. Just be ready for January, be ready for even earlier or whatever.
"I've been going pretty hard…I'm pretty much prepared at any moment here. This has been a weird offseason. It feels like this has been the longest offseason I've had in about three years. Itching to get back into Boston for sure."
And leave that shovel back home.