B's Goalie Prospects Share Common Goal

2018 Boston Bruins Development Camp is presented by AT&T.
BOSTON - Jeremy Swayman was born in Anchorage, Alaska. Dan Vladar hails from the Czech Republic. Kyle Keyser grew up playing hockey in the sunny state of Florida.
It is safe to say, the three Bruins goaltenders at the team's 2018 Development Camp do not come from similar hockey markets. Despite those vastly different backgrounds, each of them is making significant progress as they set their sights on the ultimate goal: the NHL

When Swayman arrived at the University of Maine last fall, the plan was for the freshman net-minder to split time in net.
"Our belief," said Bruins Director of Player Development Jamie Langenbrunner, "was that he was going to split time in Maine and get half the games."
While that may have been the Maine coaches' plan for the goaltending job, the Bruins 2017 fourth-round pick had something else in mind.
"He went in there and grabbed it," said Langenbrunner. "He played fantastic. You talk to the coaching staff there and I think that was their plan also, to play about 18-20 games, and he earned much more than that. He was probably their best player. That was great."
Swayman started 31 of 38 games for the University of Maine. The 19-year-old recorded a 2.72 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. He was named to the NCAA Hockey East All-Rookie Team and was also the youngest player named to the Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star Team.
"He looks bigger and stronger in the net right now," said Langenbrunner. "He's filling out nicely. His competitiveness, he saw a lot of shots last year and held them in a lot of games. He'll continue this year maybe a little ahead of where we projected possibly."
While some prospects may have a tendency to look ahead to the club that drafted them, Swayman has kept his focus on his own team.
"When I'm in season, I want to focus on each game and play for the University of Maine," Swayman said when asked if he follows the Bruins closely. "In the back of my mind I know they had a very successful year and I was very happy for them. It's great to see an organization that welcomes in young players and being successful with it. When you're at the University of Maine, I want to win every game and focus every game at a time."
At Bruins Development Camp for the second time, the 6-foot-2 backstop is keeping things simple.
"It's a developmental camp and everything you do is here to improve your game," said Swayman. "I have great coaches here…It's great to soak in everything and I'm happy to be back."
His work ethic has been on display every time he's been on the ice.
"He's got some strong character," said Langenbrunner. "He shows up to work and he wants to be a difference and he wants the net. He plays the part in practice, he works just as hard there. He comes to the games, he shows up, he's grabbed it. It's great for us. We're fortunate to have him in our group."'

Swayman attended Development Camp alongside fellow American Kyle Keyser. The two goaltenders began their hockey careers on opposite sides of the country.
Keyser was born in Coral Springs, Florida. While not exactly a hockey hotbed, Keyser found his passion for the game at an early age.
"My brother grew up playing the game and he's older than me, so I was around the rink as a kid and always wanted to go out there and participate with him and kind of just took off from there," said Keyser. "Started skating and I ended up falling in love with the game and started playing goalie a little bit in house league whenever they needed a goalie and went from there.
"Got my first set of gear at five for Christmas and like you said it's a little unorthodox playing hockey, coming from Florida and getting into the game of hockey, but I'm really glad I did."
Keyser played competitively in Florida until he was 15, when he moved to Detroit, Michigan to play AAA hockey for Beltire and Victory Honda.
"Just needed a little more exposure coming into my draft year for the OHL," said Keyser on the move. "Getting into the NHL eyesight, but I wouldn't have been where I am without playing Florida hockey."
The 6-foot-2 backstop recently completed his third season in the OHL, nailing down the starting job for the Oshawa Generals. He appeared in 47 games in the high-offense OHL, recording a 3.16 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
The Bruins signed Keyser to a three-year entry level contract in October, after a strong performance as an invite during the team's rookie camp.
"I'm a hard-working kid," Keyser said when asked what Bruins fans can expect him to bring to the club. "Every time I'm going to come in, I'm going to work as hard as I can for this organization because at the end of the day I want to win. I want to be up here with this team and I want to win a Stanley Cup for the fans and I think Boston fans are the best fans in the world and I'm just glad to be a part of this organization and city."

Of the goaltending trio at Development Camp, 20-year-old Dan Vladar is the veteran of the group. Drafted by the Burins in the third round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Vladar was taking part in his fourth Development Camp.
"It's getting better and better every time when I come here," said Vladar, who was the Bruins' third goalie during their second-round series against Tampa Bay this spring. "I got some chances to come here for development camps or main camps or even for playoffs."
Despite his 6-foot-5 stature, it is his infectious energy that stands out most about the Czech goaltender.
"If any of you have had any opportunity to spend some time with him, he lights up the room when he comes in," said Langenbrunner. "His energy is unbelievable. I don't think he's ever had a bad day in his life."
Vladar noted his favorite thing about hockey is the time spent with his teammates.
"I love to be around the guys," said Vladar. "There's nothing better than if we are doing anything, any activity no matter what it is, together and we are having fun about it. So that is one of the best parts of hockey."
With a bevy of youthful new faces at this year's Development Camp, Vladar has enjoyed getting to know the new guys.
"We are a really good group," said Vladar. "We've spent like three days together now but we already all know each other's names. Everyone has some common friends so it's easy, the hockey world is small so it's easy for us to get used to each other and get to know each other better."
It is evident that he is a joy off the ice, but his game on the ice has also improved substantially since he was drafted in 2015. He has spent most of the past two seasons with the Bruins' ECHL affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators.
"He's a good goalie," said Langenbrunner. "He's a big kid. Still putting on weight and trying to fill out. He's a lanky kid…He's a competitive kid that I think teammates love to play in front of. Pretty athletic."
The 'athletic' Vladar has not established any specific style. His focus is simple: keep the puck out of the net.
"I'm not very sure if I have any style, I'm just trying to do my best," said Vladar. "And leave 100 percent of my energy there and just to be always positive and to do as best as I can."
In 41 appearances last season for the Gladiators, the ever-positive Vladar posted a 17-18-2 record with a 2.96 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.
"I think it was a great spot for him," Langenbrunner said of Vladar's time in Atlanta. "He got to play a lot of games. It's hard to get better if you're not playing, especially in that position. For us, for development curve for him, just being there and getting all those games. Playoffs, he played a ton of minutes in that series that they lost. A great opportunity for him."
Next season, Vladar will have the opportunity to play in the AHL for the Providence Bruins. In 12 career games for the P-Bruins, he is 6-2-1 with a 2.47 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.
"He's gonna compete with Zane [McIntyre] for the net," Langenbrunner said of Vladar's role in the organization for next season. "That's the battle and hopefully he'll continue to push forward."