But for Bruins rookie forward Joe Colborne, this training camp couldn't arrive quick enough.
"You have no idea," said Colborne. "It's finally here. Everyone kept telling me how short the summer was, and I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' It feels like this last month has taken a year. I'm glad to be here and just can't wait to get rookie camp going."
The Bruins veterans continue to flock to Ristuccia Arena this week for the club's informal workouts leading up to training camp. But on Thursday, a few of the youngsters joined the action, with 2008 first-round pick Colborne and 2009 first-rounder Jordan Caron among the 20 players present for the workout, which featured plenty of full 5-on-5 scrimmaging.
It was the first time Colborne was skating with the vets, and even in the laid-back atmosphere of a captains' practice, he immediately recognized the challenges he will face as he tries to make the leap from the college ranks to the pro game.
"The biggest difference that I've noticed is that everyone knows how to play the game at a high level and think the game at a higher level," said Colborne. "When you get to college and then the pros everyone has good skills, but it's the guys that can think the game and think the game a step faster than everybody else. You have to be thinking, 'Where's the puck going to be?' a lot sooner than in college when we had an extra second or so."
Colborne is a step ahead of many of his fellow rookies, as he was able to get a taste of pro life at the end of last year. He joined the Bruins' AHL affiliate in Providence for six games after the end of his college season at the University of Denver.
"Playing in the A at the end of the year was a big jump," said Colborne. "I felt as the games went on I felt better and better. This summer has been huge for me working on my quickness. I'm looking forward to camp to see how I compare up against some of the best players in the world."
Colborne is under no illusions about his chances to make the big club right away. He knows he could be back in Providence again to start the year, but he's going to do everything he can to make it a tough decision to send him down.
"We're real deep in forwards and I know that," said Colborne. "But I've just got to come in and control what I can control. If I can prove I deserve to be up here I'm sure they'll find a spot for me.
"There's no big expectations that I have to make this squad, so I'm going to come here, show what I can show, and hopefully it's enough for them to keep me around," added Colborne.
Colborne does have a few advantages, including the versatility to play all three forward positions. He's a natural center, but spent much of last season on the wing at Denver, and knows with Marc Savard, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron back in the middle, he'll likely have to stay on the wing to play in Boston this year.
"No kidding," said Colborne when asked about the team's depth at center. "But I feel comfortable playing wing. Something I noticed even today is that all the guys can make the plays no matter what, so it's not like if I'm playing wing I won't be able to get the puck from different players. It's such a high level and so fast that everybody is switching positions anyway. Once the faceoff's done you really just become a forward."
Colborne also knows that things can change quickly, with trades or injuries opening up new spots. He admitted he used to follow the trade rumors closely, but now tries to ignore such talk and focus on improving his own game and getting ready for his first pro camp.
"At the start of the summer I was doing it and I realized I was going crazy," said Colborne. "So about June I kind of just quit thinking about it and it really helped. That's the attitude I'm going to take all the way through camp because people are going to be talking about numbers and all that, but when the cuts come, that's when it will really matter."
The cuts won't come until the camp opens next week, and Colborne will get a chance to impress the coaches next Wednesday and Thursday in a pair of rookie games against the Islanders. Those games will put the youngsters in the spotlight, as they were moved from Shelton, Conn., to the Garden, thanks largely to the presence of 2010 first-round pick Tyler Seguin.
"I'm sure if he wasn't here we'd probably be playing in some tiny rink," said Colborne with a smile.
Seguin may be the big attraction now, but Colborne hopes to prove worthy of plenty of attention in the coming weeks as well.
