Boston fans won't have to travel after all to get an early look at the Bruins' top young players.
The club announced Friday that its two scheduled "rookie games" against the New York Islanders have been moved from Shelton, Conn., to the TD Garden on Wednesday, Sept. 15 and Thursday, Sept. 16. Both games will start at 7 p.m.
It's an unusual showcase for the preseason rookie affairs, which are usually held in relative anonymity in smaller local rinks. That was the original plan this year, but perhaps the packed house at Ristuccia Arena for July's development camp — as fans flocked to Wilmington, Mass., for their first glimpse of Tyler Seguin and Co. — was enough to convince the Bruins that a bigger venue would be more appropriate this time around.
There's no guarantee that the second overall pick from this year's draft will play in either game, as the roster for the games has not been announced. But with the excitement Seguin's selection has stirred, the Bruins would be wise to put him on display early for the home folks, while also giving him a chance to get his feet wet against some fellow youngsters before jumping into action with the veterans at the main camp.
As last month's development camp showed, the Bruins have plenty of other intriguing prospects who will be worth checking out as well. The Islanders have some interesting youngsters as well on their projected roster. New York is scheduled to have forward Nino Niederreiter, the fifth overall pick in this year's draft, and defenseman Calvin de Haan, the 12th pick in 2009, dressed for the games.
As for getting into these rookie games, Bruins full season-ticket holders and premium clients will receive free tickets to both games.
Admission to both games for the general public will be $5, with the proceeds benefiting the Boston Bruins Foundation. Fans can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster beginning on Thursday, Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. and on bostonbruins.com. Tickets will also be available at the TD Garden box office during regular box office hours.
The Bruins' full training camp opens on Friday, Sept. 17, with the first preseason game scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 22 against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
