Caron, the Bruins' first-round pick in 2009, made the big club out of camp and played 20 games before being sent down to Boston's American Hockey League affiliate on Dec. 6 for more seasoning. On Monday, he was brought back up, and rejoined the Bruins for Tuesday's practice at Ristuccia Arena.
"I was disappointed when I was sent down, but I think it was good for me to get a lot of ice time down there," Caron said. "I was able to work on what I needed to work on, so it was a good thing for me."
And what was Caron working on in Providence? "Just keep improving the defensive side of my game, keep improving my speed, things like that," Caron said.
There was also some work done on the mental side of the game, as Caron admitted his confidence was flagging a bit after being demoted.
"I didn't have a very good start down there," Caron said. "I was thinking a bit too much. But once I started playing I gained my confidence back and was playing better, making good plays defensively and not being too scared to try things. And I'm going to try to do the same things here."
Bruins coach Claude Julien liked what he saw from Caron in camp and early in the season, and expects the youngster to contribute again after working on his game in Providence.
"We liked the way he played," Julien said. "Maybe his play dipped a bit earlier on and he was one of those young guys who could benefit from going down and playing even more. We've done that in the past with other players and it's really worked out well. That was the case with him. He's been playing pretty well and it was an opportunity for him to come up and help us out here."
Caron was on the fourth line with Greg Campbell, Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille in Tuesday's practice. Paille still has three games left on his suspension for a hit to the head against Dallas last Thursday, so Caron will likely fill the left wing role on that line Wednesday against Montreal.
"That's why we put him there," Julien said. "We hope he can bring that identity to that line that's been good for us. I guess I can answer the question a little better [Wednesday] after the game, but our feeling is that he can."
Caron could eventually work his way up to a higher line as well, as he showed some scoring ability with 3-4-7 totals in his first stint in Boston and 6-11-17 totals in 27 games with Providence. He spent the bulk of his time with the P-Bruins on a line with Zach Hamill, who was recalled last week.
"It's nice to see him up here," Hamill said. "It just shows that we both were playing well down there, working hard. We're both trying to achieve the same goal and it's nice to see both of us up here."
Caron wasn't sure there would be room for both in Boston, though he was happy to see Hamill get his chance with the big club.
"I was very happy for him," Caron said. "We played together and he's a very good passer, a very smart player, so I was very happy for him. I didn't really know what to expect for me. I was happy when I got the call. I wasn't really expecting anything."
Both Caron and Hamill should be grateful to the third member of their line, as veteran Jeremy Reich helped them both elevate their game to earn their latest shots at making it in the NHL.
"A couple of the guys were saying that, Reich keeps sending guys to the NHL," Hamill said. "He's been great from Day 1 since I met him. He's a great guy and it's a compliment to him and what he's done for us."
Caron and Hamill now hope to apply what they learned from Reich and everyone else in Providence to make this stay in Boston a permanent one.
"It's like the start of a season for me," Caron said. "It's like a new season, and I just want to make the most of it."
