The Bruins sent six players to Providence on Wednesday to reduce their roster to the 25 players who will travel to Belfast. The toughest decisions were to demote a pair of first-round picks, as centers Joe Colborne and Zach Hamill were both sent down to Providence.
Hamill, the eighth overall pick in 2007, took it especially hard despite some words of encouragement from Chiarelli.
"He was disappointed. It's the third time we've had that talk with him," said Chiarelli. "It's a tough talk for the third time. He's shown progress. He's gotten stronger. Last night I mentioned three instances to him [in the preseason games]. In Rochester, he made a tremendous net drive, where in the past he would have went into the corner more, but he protected the puck, went right to the post and got around the guy, cut in front of the net and had a chance."
Hamill and Colborne were both in contention for the open spot at center left by Marc Savard's absence while recovering from to post-concussion syndrome. Hamill, who turned 22 on Sept. 23, has played just one game in the NHL in his first two pro seasons, but had hoped to change that this season with a strong camp.
"You could see the added strength in him," said Chiarelli. "You can see the improvement. And it's tough because there is a spot open right now because of Savvy. And he's made strides. It's just a tough, tough talk to have."
Now the issue is making sure Hamill builds upon those gains, rather than being discouraged by the demotion.
"A kid like that, he's still young," said Chiarelli. "You just have to tell him to keep doing what you're doing, don't stray from it. Because what tends to happen is they go down, it's a little easier, or they think it's an easier league and they get into bad habits. That's hard to reverse once you start it. So you tell them, 'Go down, keep working on these things,' because he's shown noticeable improvement in protecting the puck and in his strength and his quickness. You've just got to encourage him and keep him focused on those things."
Chiarelli's talk with Colborne wasn't any easier, even though the 2008 first-rounder was in his first pro camp after leaving the University of Denver following his sophomore season last year. Colborne, 20, made a run at claiming that third center spot, but he was hampered by a facial injury suffered in a rookie game against the Islanders early in camp.
"He was really disappointed," said Chiarelli. "He was behind the eight ball a little bit getting hit with the stick [in the rookie game], wearing the cage. He played well [Tuesday] night [in Washington]. He just gets stripped [of the puck] a little too much right now. He made some good plays, but [he needs to improve] his strength on the puck. His compete was better, from even development camp to now his strength and skating has improved."
Like he did with Hamill, Chiarelli tried to send Colborne down to Providence with some encouraging words and constructive criticism.
"For someone like Joe, you say, 'You're close, but it's not there yet. You're 20 years old, you've shown tremendous strides. You're a big strong centerman,'" said Chiarelli. "The worry with him was he was so disappointed. I had to say, 'Go down there. You've made good strides. You've come this far. We've brought you to Vermont [for the team-building exercises]. That shows you how important you are to our team. Go down there and focus.'
"It's the same message, you just have to deliver it more sternly, 'Go down there and focus. Don't stray. Don't be disappointed. Don't mope,'" continued Chiarelli. "He wasn't moping, but he was pretty shook up. At the end, he was pretty good."
And in the end, the Bruins will be in pretty good shape with the likes of Hamill and Colborne available to be recalled if injuries strike, even if the youngsters aren't happy about having their NHL dreams put on hold.
