The No. 2 overall pick in last week's draft was introduced to the Boston media on Tuesday, and he said he's ready to handle the pressure that's going to come with the territory.
"I think when I look at pressure, I try to turn a negative into a
positive and look at it as it’s fun to be in the media spotlight
sometimes," he explained. "With the draft, it’s been a heck of a ride. Obviously, with
what you said, going to a team like Boston, if I made the team as a
rookie, already being on a contender for a Stanley Cup team, I think
that would be awesome.
"But right now my expectations are to have an
opportunity here and to come this summer and all I want to do is
hopefully earn my spot on this team and be an impact player in my
rookie year," he added.
But about those fans and this sports-crazed city?
"It’s amazing. I've been here once before and I thought it was a
phenomenal place," he said. "I got to meet some of the fans and I can already see
the atmosphere that is going to be formed here."
But Seguin will need some help along the way in his first summer as a Bruin. In the past, veterans have taken in the younger guys. When Patrice Bergeron was drafted in 2004, the 18-year-old center lived in the same home as Martin Lapointe, an 11-year NHL veteran at the time, to learn the ropes.
"Well first and foremost, Tyler has to make the team, and we’ve talked
about [that]," general manager Peter Chiarelli said. "After that, we’re going to try and put him in a situation
that replicates being with a billet, or the having the support of a
billet, but having the privacy, too. So there are some people that have
come forward in the region and they have places, maybe with a guest
house or something in the back. We’ll look to an arrangement like that.
"Its just about growing up and maturing," he added. "Even kids that are going
away to college at his age are in a dorm situation where the meals are
prepared for them, in most cases. It’s just a step in him growing up
and being comfortable and getting his independence. It something that
we want; for him to be comfortable here and focus on hockey, and
growing up also."
