Schnitzel, Tennis and a Big Move: JJ Peterka Talks Landing in Boston

BOSTON –– If JJ Peterka and Lukas Reichel are together, they’re likely speaking German.​

The two Bruins forwards and countrymen were reunited when Peterka was dealt to Boston from the Utah Mammoth in June, bringing a piece of home to the rink for both of them.

“Besides the national team, I’ve never really had that,” Peterka said of getting to use his native language in the NHL. “It’s definitely fun. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for guys to get pissed off. But as of now, it’s pretty good.”

Peterka and Reichel have played together on the German national team throughout their careers, including World Juniors, World Championships and the Olympics. Now they’re battling for roster positioning with the B’s as on-ice training camp opened on Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena.

“Really good. It was nice seeing the boys again on the ice buzzing,” Reichel said. “It was a good pace out there. I felt like for the first skate, it was really good; effort was there.”

Reichel was sleeping when the deal for Peterka went through, he said, and woke up with missed calls from his friend.

“I saw it the next day, and we had a good chat. We were both like, ‘I can’t believe it,’” Reichel said. “I was pumped, for sure. It is always nice to have someone I can talk German to.”  

Reichel is entering his first full season with the Bruins organization after getting traded from the Vancouver Canucks in March. The 24-year-old signed a one-year contract extension in May. Reichel spent two months in Germany and returned to Boston at the beginning of August to train with his teammates at Warrior Ice Arena. Once Peterka arrived in early September, Reichel was ready to show him around.

“It’s been good. We’ve known each other for so long, and having him know the areas and know the stuff here, it’s been helping a lot,” Peterka said. “I’ve been over to his place a bunch of times just hanging out. I think it’s good having a familiar face in here coming into a new team. Just feel more comfortable overall.”​

Peterka thinks Boston is the "closest to a European-style city,” and he has enjoyed trying all the restaurants. Reichel’s go-tos to show newcomers are Lola 42 and Capo, he said. Peterka has also gone back to the North End a couple times – “really good,” he said.

“We hang out a lot. Now it’s a little bit tough because we need to recover, so we’re not going to, like, BlueBike or something around the city. It’s still nice out so we always go for coffee or dinner sometimes,” Reichel said. “Last week we watched some tennis…Try to get him involved, too, with some guys here just so he feels more comfortable."

Reichel is still trying to find solid German cuisine in the area.

“I looked at it one time, and it’s like all the way up north, I think. It’s like 25 to 30 minutes of a drive,” he said. “They actually have Oktoberfest, too, but we have training camp. We’ll see – maybe just go there for schnitzel. I saw it on the menu; they have schnitzel.”

Reichel was not the only person who made Peterka feel steady during his first day of training camp with the Bruins. His former coach, Matt McIlvane – who was hired by the Bruins in June – was also on the ice. Peterka played 12 games for EC Salzburg in 2020-21 while on loan in the ICEHL when McIlvane was head coach of the club. McIlvane was also an assistant coach for Germany at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, in which Peterka represented his country.

“It’s fun when the hockey paths cross again. I had the privilege of coaching him when he was just a young guy, and just to watch him evolve into a prolific NHL player. It’s cool that we get the opportunity to be back together again,” McIlvane said. “Saw a lot of talent. Very green. Lots of learning to do, but you could see how great he was going to be…[Now] I think he’s established himself now as a top NHL player, and I’m sure he’s still hungry to keep finding his next steps.”

Since Peterka and McIlvane were last together, the 24-year-old forward skated for the Buffalo Sabres (who selected him in the second round of the 2020 Draft) for four seasons (2021-2025) and most recently was with the Utah Mammoth for one year. Peterka had a career-high 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 2024-25 with the Sabres; he posted 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) through 82 games with Utah.

“It was super exciting. I remember back then in Salzburg when he was my coach, he said one day we’re going to be in the same spot but in the NHL together,” Peterka said. “Having that right now – it’s pretty cool. We’ve known each other for a long time. Always stayed in touch, and we were always hoping to be here together. I think it’s going to be great. I have a really good relationship with him. A lot of the stuff I learned – especially getting into pro – I have to thank him for that. He guided me. It’s nice to work with him again.”

While Peterka never skated for Marco Sturm, the two always knew each other; Sturm was behind the bench for Germany’s national team from 2015-18.

“I talked to him a few times. He is very excited,” Sturm said. “He was always hoping for a team like Boston, who would trade for him. So his wish came true, I guess. We know he is a good player. I think what I like about him is he’s in a great age group right now. Being still young but already having some experience with different teams, different teammates. I really believe his game – it’s still coming. That’s what I am excited about.”

​Between preparing to move to a new city and training in Munich, Peterka honed his skills on the tennis court and on the DJ deck, too.

“I get bored quickly, so I am always picking up some new stuff,” Peterka said. “Something new to learn.”

Peterka faced Mason Lohrei, Jeremy Swayman and Henri Jokiharju throughout the last few weeks. He beat all of them. Peterka has yet to take on David Pastrnak, though, who also spent parts of his summer playing tennis.

“I got really into tennis three years ago. I’ve taken lessons for the last two years in the summer. I have two coaches back home. It’s been a hobby where I put a lot of effort into it,” Peterka said. “I think it does [help with hockey] endurance-wise. Like hand-eye coordination as well. But I think endurance-wise, especially for like intervals when you have a good match going, I think it translates to the ice as well. It’s more fun than just sitting on the bike and riding that for half an hour.”

As for DJing, Peterka said he loves to spin house music. Nikita Zadorov is the self-proclaimed owner of the aux in the Bruins’ locker room, but he might be willing to share it with his new teammate.

“We talked about it a little bit. I think that’s Nikita’s goal to get me on,” Peterka said. “We will see how that goes with all the Americans here with the type of music we’re listening to. We will figure it out.”

Just a day into training camp, Peterka is meshing well with the Bruins on and off the ice. He skated on a line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt (former Sabres teammate) during Group B’s session on Thursday. Now, it’s all about building – and maybe finding the best schnitzel in Boston.

“He has a lot of things we need,” Sturm said. “Especially speed, skill and I think he’s the guy that can do it.”