The 22-year-old defenseman was in the starting lineup for his NHL debut Thursday night with the Bruins, and on the opening shift of the game, he landed a big hit, drove deep into the offensive zone and survived getting belted himself.
"I think he tried to show us everything he had in that first shift," said Bruins coach Claude Julien after Boston's 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders at the Garden. "A good hit, good first pass and he was up the ice. I thought he played well for his first game. I liked what I saw and obviously there's lots of room to grow, and what he showed us tonight shows us great potential."
Kampfer's teammates like their first glimpse of the puck-moving defenseman's game as well, with veteran blueliner Andrew Ference particularly enjoying the early show Kampfer put on.
"I was laughing at him because after his first shift, he came back [to the bench] and he got it all out of the way on that first shift," said Ference. "A hit, a shot, he got hit, forechecked, he broke it out. At least he dove right in.
"I remember my first shift and the puck was a grenade. I didn't want anything to do with it. So it was good for him."
Kampfer claimed he was just following instructions, as resident tough guy Shawn Thornton told him to initiate some contact early to get rid of any jitters.
"You know actually, it was a lot better than I expected," said Kampfer of his first game. "Obviously I was nervous going into the first shift, but Shawn came up and talked to me and he told me, 'Go out there, try and get a hit in your first shift,' and that was easy enough, I guess."
Kampfer was pressed into duty because Mark Stuart is out four to six weeks with a broken hand. With Matt Hunwick having been traded to Colorado last week, the Bruins have been forced to turn to youngsters like Kampfer and Adam McQuaid to play important roles on the blue line.
Kampfer responded with a solid debut, logging 13:50 with two shots, two hits and a blocked shot. McQuaid has a bit more experience, as Thursday was his 15th game of the year after he was up for 19 games last season, plus another nine in the playoffs.
He was paired with Ference in the postseason, and Thursday, McQuaid was reunited with his old partner, who was impressed by the youngster's development in the past year.
"He's under control," said Ference. "The hardest thing when people talk about that position as a young player is being under control and knowing when you have a lot of pressure and when you have an extra second to make a play. He's done a real good job of that. He doesn't complicate the game more than he has to."
McQuaid played just 12:47 on Thursday, his ice time down slightly because he had to serve a five-minute major for fighting Zenon Konopka in the first period. But that early bout helped set a tone for the game, and he added a hit and four blocked shots in a solid effort while taking a regular shift.
"It's nice to be relied on a little bit more and get a little more ice time," said McQuaid. "I felt like I was able to get into a little more of a rhythm, not have those long gaps between your shifts. Sometimes that can be tough. You just kind of feel like you're playing a bigger role in some of these wins here."
McQuaid and Kampfer know they can't simply replace the experience lost with the departure of Hunwick and injury to Stuart, but they can be part of a joint effort to fill the void on the back end.
"I think it needs to be a collective effort," said McQuaid. "Obviously, there are some guys that are playing pretty big minutes and they're doing a really good job with it right now. We all need to try and pick it up a little bit."
Kampfer showed he was capable of picking up his share of the load right from the start of his first game.
"I thought he played great, especially for his first game," said McQuaid. "We all saw it here in training camp that he's a great player and definitely has a bright future. If he keeps playing like that he'll be fine."
Kampfer, though, already has the maturity to know he still has plenty of work ahead of him to stick at the NHL level.
"I wouldn't say it was easy, by any means," said Kampfer. "But it was a good game. I am glad we came out with a win. We played hard and we deserved two points there."
