WILMINGTON, Mass. — It's been a week of firsts for Steven Kampfer.
The Bruins defenseman earned his first call-up last Wednesday and made his NHL debut against the Islanders on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Kampfer prepared for another exciting first, as he got ready for his inaugural NHL road trip. This one promised to be a little better than the bus trips he was taking around the American Hockey League to start the season, as the Bruins left Tuesday afternoon for back-to-back games in Buffalo on Wednesday and Montreal on Thursday.
"I'm excited," said Kampfer after practice Tuesday at Ristuccia Arena. "It will be a fun road trip. We're looking to get four points here, so it will be a challenge going into some other teams' barns and picking up a couple wins."
Even in his first week in the NHL, Kampfer knows better than to get caught looking past any opponent, but he still had to admit the second leg of the trip will be especially exciting. Kampfer missed out on a chance to play in Montreal in the preseason when he wasn't dressed for the Bruins' game against the Habs on Sept. 22, playing against the Panthers at their AHL affiliate's arena in Rochester, N.Y. the following night instead.
"I wanted to play there in training camp, but I was slated to play against Florida," said Kampfer of Montreal's Bell Centre. "Watching a game there was fun, so I'm definitely excited about playing there. But you have to take it one game at a time, so I'm really looking forward to Buffalo [on Wednesday] first."
Kampfer can only hope his first trip to Buffalo and Montreal is as memorable as fellow rookie blueliner Adam McQuaid's, who accomplished a couple of milestones in those cities last season.
"Buffalo's where I played my first playoff game, and Montreal is where I was lucky enough to score my first goal, so I guess I have good memories in both places," said McQuaid. "Hopefully we can continue the good memories this week."
Kampfer has a chance to create some special memories of his own on this trip. He is still searching for his first NHL point after two games, but after putting up 3-13-16 totals in 20 games in Providence, he's certainly capable of getting on the scoresheet at any time.
"I've gotten more comfortable," said Kampfer of having a couple NHL games under his belt. "I think I can take a couple more chances than I was, but I'm still just trying to play my game and move forward. They've told me just to relax and have fun out there and that's what I've tried to do."
Bruins coach Claude Julien has given Kampfer the freedom to jump into the attack when the opportunities present themselves, and he's been impressed by the 22-year-old first-year pro out of Michigan.
"He's been solid," said Julien of Kampfer after Saturday's game. "He's been moving the puck well. He's been carrying it up the ice well. I think he's making god decisions when he does support the attack and does go up the ice. I thought [Saturday] he was even better than the first night. That's what I said the other day, if we can see him getting better every game, I think we're going to end up with a pretty good defenseman."
That's heady praise for Kampfer, but he's not letting it go to his head. He insists he's still as nervous as he was before his debut, and he's not taking his spot on the big club's roster for granted.
"I get nervous before every practice," said Kampfer. "You want to perform well, you want to stay up. I think I should be nervous, and if I wasn't I would be scared. But right now I'm just trying to take everything day by day and make sure I'm giving everything I have every time I'm on the ice."
