Bruins Likely to Be Keeping a Close Eye on Young Talent During Training Camp

The wait is almost over.

The Bruins have released their training camp roster and schedule and the club gets back to work on Friday, Sept. 17.

Actually, that’s just the first official day of camp. Most of the Bruins will be back on the ice before that. Veterans will start skating in Wilmington next Tuesday in informal players-only workouts under the watchful eye of captain Zdeno Chara. The rookies report on Sunday for their fitness testing, followed by rookie games against the Islanders on Wednesday, Sept. 15 and Thursday, Sept. 16 at the Garden.

Those are sure to be worth watching as Bruins fans — and management — will get their first look at Tyler Seguin playing in a Bruins sweater. Seguin is confirmed to be in the rookie camp, along with fellow first-round picks Joe Colborne and Jordan Caron, 2010 second-rounders Jared Knight and Ryan Spooner and Russian defenseman Yury Alexandrov.

There are no surprises this year on the main training camp roster. Unlike past seasons when veterans like Glen Metropolit came to camp without contracts to try to earn a deal, there are no veterans with NHL experience scheduled to attend as camp invites this year.

That’s a reflection of how few jobs are up for grabs in this camp, as there are plenty of veterans still on the market looking for work after an especially rough year for veteran free agents. With cap space at a premium, many experienced players have been squeezed out, and some teams are taking advantage by bringing those vets in for a look at camp. The Islanders sent a letter to a number of agents this summer to offer opportunities for some of their unsigned clients to attend camp as tryouts, while former 50-goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo will be trying to earn a contract in camp with Dallas and ex-Bruin Kyle McLaren is attending Atlanta’s camp as a tryout.

The Bruins don’t have room for such options though, as they still need to find a way to shed salary and want to give some of the youngsters an opportunity to compete for spots with the big club.

There are a few names that might not be familiar to many though, as the Bruins did invite a handful of youngsters to attend camp on a tryout basis. Those players include forwards Antoine Roussel and Walker Wintoneak and defensemen Matt Delahey, Alain Goulet and Joe Rullier. None of them has a shot of sticking with Boston this year, but they could add some value to the organization.

Roussel, 20, put up 24-23-47 totals with Chicoutimi (QMJHL) last year and while a bit small (5-foot-11, 175 pounds), he is a feisty player (131 penalty minutes) who could potentially add some grit to Providence’s roster. Wintoneak, 21, also had decent scoring totals in junior with a 25-49-74 line in Saskatoon (WHL).

Delahey, who turns 21 on Sept. 25, also hails from the WHL, splitting last season between Regina and Chilliwack with 4-18-22 totals and 100 PIMs on the blue line. Goulet was a Bruins draft pick (6th round in 2007) and had 3-15-18 totals in 71 games in Providence last year. He was not offered a contract after the season, but did enough to earn another look in this camp.

Rullier isn’t a youngster. A fifth-round pick by Los Angeles back in 1998, the 30-year-old tough guy spent last season in Finland, with 1-2-3 totals and 51 PIMs in 11 games for Jokerit. He’s never played a regular-season game in the NHL, but Bruins fans may remember him from the 2005 preseason, when then-Bruin Colton Orr broke Rullier’s nose in a scrap in an exhibition game at the Garden when Rullier was with the Rangers. Rullier has logged 461 games in the AHL, with 23-76-99 totals and 1,283 PIMs. At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, he could add some needed size and toughness to the Providence defense, but even that could be a long shot as the Baby B’s blue line is getting mighty crowded with the defensive prospects the Bruins have added in the past year.

You can see the entire Bruins training camp roster by clicking here.