The Boston Bruins’ 2015 Development Camp begins next Tuesday, July 14 and concludes Friday, July 17. All on-ice practices are open to the public and held at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Mass.
This will be the ninth development camp for the B’s, and it’s also one of the most anticipated camps in years. Among the reasons for the excitement is the expected attendance of all 10 players the Bruins selected at the 2015 NHL Draft, including first rounders Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn.
For a look at the entire 37-player roster, click here. Below is a list of players to watch during the four days of on-ice sessions.
Jake DeBrusk (First Round, 14th, 2015)
DeBrusk is a skilled, speedy left winger who led the Swift Current Broncos and ranked sixth in the WHL with 42 goals during the 2014-15 campaign. He features an accurate wrist shot with a quick release, as well as the playmaking skill to set up teammates with scoring chances. DeBrusk finished last season with 81 points (42 goals, 39 assists) in 72 games.
It would be a surprise if any of Boston’s 2015 first-round picks make the NHL roster, but DeBrusk probably has the best chance of the three given his offensive talent.
Danton Heinen (Fourth Round, 116th, 2014)
Heinen arguably was the second-most impressive freshman in college hockey last season behind Boston University star Jack Eichel. The University of Denver winger earned a spot on the NCHC All-Rookie and Second Team All-Conference teams after finishing with 42 points in 34 games. Eichel was the only freshman with more points than Heinen.
David Pastrnak was a bright spot for Boston’s 2014 draft class last season, but Heinen has the potential to be a very good NHL player as well. He still has a lot of room for improvement, but his progress after one season of NCAA hockey is quite encouraging.
Joonas Kemppainen (Signed to one-year, two-way deal in May, 2015)
Kemppainen is a two-way player who can be trusted in defensive situations. He also has pretty good size at 6-2, 210 pounds. Kemppainen doesn’t have much experience on North American ice, so this year’s development camp will be a great opportunity for him to acclimate to the smaller ice surface and make the necessary adjustments before preseason games begin.
The Finnish forward could play a fourth-line role for the Bruins to start the 2015-16 season. He’s a natural center, and the Bruins don’t have a player penciled into the fourth-line center spot following the offseason departure of Gregory Campbell.
“He’s a big, strong player, he’s responsible, he’s 27 years old, so he’s been through the pro ranks and he’s ready for it,”Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said in his pre-draft media conference call last month.
“He’s got some heaviness to his game, but you look at his offensive production, (which) was pretty darn good this year in particular. But really the past couple of years, he’s been very, very consistent and he rolled that right over into the World Championship where, again, he was both very reliable and accountable as a two-way player but also produced offensively, which is huge for us.”
Brandon Carlo (Second Round, 37th, 2015)
Carlo was one of the top American prospects in the 2015 draft class and the Bruins were fortunate to select him at No. 37 in the second round. He has impressive size at 6-5, 196 pounds and displays the skill set of a defensive defenseman.
Zane McIntyre (Sixth Round, 165th, 2010)
McIntyre will be one of the veterans of development camp. This year is a bit different for him, though, as he’s expected to compete for the No. 1 goalie job with the AHL’s Providence Bruins and/or the backup job in Boston. McIntyre was a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season following an excellent junior season for North Dakota, one that ended in a Frozen Four with a loss to BU.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
