One, the team's latest first-round pick is immensely talented, possessing a rare blend of size and skill that has him projected to be a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL some day in the future.
And two, the Bruins will have to be patient in waiting for that day to arrive.
"I'd say he needs a little more development," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said at the draft last month, where the Bruins selected Hamilton with the ninth overall pick. "He's still fairly skinny. He has to be stronger, but you never know. But my guess is he's at least a year away."
Hamilton had a few stumbles in the development camp, but overall acquitted himself very well in the drills and scrimmages against his fellow prospects. But that first glimpse did little to change the projected ETA for the young blueliner, and even Hamilton recognizes that he needs to fill out his 6-foot-4 frame and add strength to compete against established NHLers.
"I think I definitely have to get stronger," Hamilton said during the camp. "I've grown so much in the last couple years that it's been hard for me to put on weight. I think I'm pretty strong, but I definitely have to get stronger and faster."
Hamilton was listed at 193 pounds for the camp. That's quite a leap from his bantam days just 4-5 years ago, when he checked in at 5-foot-9, 145 pounds. But it's still well short of where the Bruins want to see him get to be ready to face the rigors of an NHL campaign.
"Obviously Dougie Hamilton is a tremendously skilled player," Chiarelli said after the camp. "He has to get stronger, but you can see, as each day went on, his skill came out and his confidence came out.
"He just has the poise, the vision and his passing is good and he's got size," Chiarelli added. "So by the time he's ready to play, he'll be 200-plus [pounds]. To get a defenseman who's tall, rangy and can make those fine offensive plays and still have the range and the ability to play shutdown because I believe he will have that, obviously it's a great type of player to have."
The Bruins know better than to stunt his development into that kind of defenseman by pushing him too quickly.
The fact is that few players make the leap directly to the NHL in their draft year, and fewer still do it on defense. Bruins fans were spoiled a bit by seeing Tyler Seguin jump right into the lineup, though even he had his growing pains with several long slumps and plenty of time spent in the press box as a healthy scratch.
Seguin was one of just six players drafted last year to make his NHL debut, and that includes Nino Niederreiter, who was returned to his junior team after nine games with the Islanders. Of those six 2010 draftees to reach the NHL, only Anaheim's Cam Fowler played on the blue line.
The 2009 class offers a similar cautionary tale, with only four defensemen drafted two years ago having played more than 10 games in the NHL, and two of those did not play in the league at all in the year after they were drafted. The previous year provides a bit more optimism, with Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn making an immediate impact after being taken in the top five picks of the 2008 draft, while Alex Pietrangelo and Luca Sbisa also earned briefer looks that year.
Still, Hamilton just turned 18 on June 17 and is still growing into his body. He's a smart and mature kid ahead of many of his peers, but he still is a kid who shouldn't be rushed into a situation he's not ready for.
Fortunately for the Bruins, there's little need for to rush Hamilton. Boston's defense is already set with Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid all back, Joe Corvo added to round out the top six and Steven Kampfer and Matt Bartkowski waiting in the wings.
Hamilton will be hard-pressed to crack that defense, which means the Bruins have the luxury of giving him the time he needs to bulk up and hone his skills in the OHL. He'll return there for his third season this year, and he could be back there again next year as he still won't be eligible to play in the AHL in 2012-13 either.
That means Hamilton could face two more years in the OHL before possibly getting some additional seasoning in the AHL and finally getting to Boston. It may not take that long, but don't expect him to stick around too long this fall. Just know that when he does eventually arrive on the Bruins blue line for good, it will have been worth the wait.
NESN.com Bruins beat writer Douglas Flynn will be answering one question facing the Bruins this offseason each day until Aug. 8.
Tuesday, July 12: Will Peter Chiarelli make any more moves this summer?
Thursday, July 14: Are the Bruins set up for a shot at multiple Stanley Cup runs?
