BOSTON — At this time last year, an 18-year-old David Pastrnak was preparing to play his first game of American professional hockey. It ended up being a successful one, with the newly drafted winger assisting on both Providence Bruins goals in an overtime win over the St. John’s Ice Caps.
Fast forward to now.
At 19, Pastrnak remains the youngest player on the Boston Bruins’ NHL roster by a considerable margin. Coaches and teammates — and the teenager himself — constantly note he still has loads to learn. The Bruins do not expect him to be an All-Star this season.
They do, however, expect him to contribute.
Pastrnak enjoyed a five-game call-up late last November and a permanent one a month later — playing in 47 total games for the big club — and from the day training camp opened last month, it’s been clear the Bruins have high hopes for the youngster.
Throughout the preseason, Pastrnak was penciled in on a line with Boston’s top offseason acquisition (left wing Matt Beleskey) and its best offensive player (center David Krejci). That trio will make up the Bruins’ first line as they open the regular season Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets — a unit that will be tasked with helping revitalize a Boston offense that ranked 22nd in goals scored last season.
“We’ve been playing together for two weeks now and getting some chemistry,” Pastrnak said after Wednesday’s Bruins practice. “We still have a lot of work to get better at. That’s what we’re focusing on every practice and trying to improve those things so in the game, we can be good.”
It’ll take a serious nosedive in production for Pastrnak, who finished with 10 goals and 17 assists as a rookie, to earn a trip back to Providence. For all intents and purposes, he’s here to stay. But his first-line status does not mean the Bruins are willing to trust him in any situation. One example of that came Wednesday, when Pastrnak was not included in either of the team’s power-play units at practice.
“We’re honest here,” head coach Claude Julien said. “He’s a 19-year-old kid, and he still has to grow as a player, get stronger and all of that stuff. There’s a lot of good things that we still like about him, but there’s still a lot of things that’s he’s got to improve on. And he knows that. We know that. Anybody that watches him closely knows that. But that improvement can only come with time. He’s a young player, you can’t expect him to be playing like a 26-year-old that’s been in the league for six years. That’s not realistic.”
This season will be one of continued adjustment for Pastrnak, who still struggles at times to match the physicality of the NHL game. It’s a process he says he’s relishing.
“I already said it many times: It’s better for me than last year,” Pastrnak said. “I know everybody here. I have friends. I feel better on the ice. I feel better in the room. So yeah, it’s pretty exciting.”
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
