It didn't take long for Steven Kampfer to make an impact in the Bruins organization. Just two months into his first pro season, he was called up to the big club and gave Boston some much-needed offense from the blue line. He ended the year as a scratch throughout the playoffs, but remains a big part of the team's future plans on defense.
2010-11 stats: 38 games, 5-5-10, plus-9, 12 PIMs; 22 games, 3-13-16, plus 10, 12 PIMs with Providence (AHL)
Playoffs: Did not play
Contract status: Signed through 2012-13, $852,500 cap hit
Preseason expectations: Entering his first professional season after four years at the University of Michigan, Kampfer was expected to need some time to adjust to the pro game in Providence, but was seen as a potential future fixture on the blue line in Boston.
Regular-season evaluation: Kampfer had a solid camp, but was not even the final cut on defense. Matt Bartkowski stuck around longer, accompanying the team to Prague for the start of the season. Kampfer didn't need much time in Providence, though, passing Bartkowski on the depth chart in the early stages of the season and earning a call-up to Boston on Dec. 8. Kampfer was a revelation upon his arrival, posting 4-4-8 totals and a plus-7 in his first 20 games. That was more goals than he had ever scored in a season at the University of Michigan, and combined with the three goals he scored in Providence, he had matched his college career total of seven goals just 40 games into his first pro season. Kampfer hit some bumps in the second half of the season, though. The growing pains expected of a young defenseman finally arrived and he managed just 1-1-2 totals in the final 18 games he played. He also missed four games with a concussion and was a healthy scratch in 12 others, the first of which came in Detroit on Feb. 13, when the Michigan native was denied a chance to play in his first trip to his home state after several lackluster performances. Kampfer lost more playing time after Tomas Kaberle was acquired before the trade deadline, and Kampfer was eventually returned to Providence on April 6. He played just two more games there before suffering a knee injury.
Playoff evaluation: Kampfer was called back up to join the big club for the playoffs, but wasn't cleared for action until midway through the conference final against Tampa Bay. He did not see any action in the postseason, but did take part in warm-ups once he his knee was healed to get a taste of what playoff hockey is like at the highest level. Had he been healthy earlier, he may have gotten a chance to play in the second round when Adam McQuaid was sidelined for two games with a sprained neck, but Claude Julien may have stuck with the more experienced veteran Shane Hnidy even if Kampfer had been available at that point.
2011-12 outlook: Even though he missed just four games, the concussion Kampfer suffered is a concern. He had already endured a pair of serious head injuries while at Michigan, suffering a concussion and a fractured skull in an off-ice incident in October 2008 and another concussion and a sprained neck shortly after his return in January 2009. That injury history will always be a source of concern, but Kampfer did return quickly from his latest concussion with no sign of any lingering effects. A more immediate problem facing Kampfer this upcoming season will be earning a spot in Boston and finding playing time. The Bruins' top six on defense appears set with Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk and McQuaid all back and Joe Corvo added to replace Kaberle. But there's still an opening for the seventh spot, with Kampfer having the inside track on the job heading into camp. He'll have to hold off Bartkowski again among others. It's also possible that the Bruins could start Kampfer in Providence, where he would see a lot more ice time and continue to hone his skills, but recent history shows that seventh defensemen in Boston usually get a shot to move into a regular role. Boychuk and McQuaid began the last two years as the club's seventh defenseman and each established himself in a top-six role before that season was over. Kampfer could get the chance to do the same this year, and even if he has to wait a little longer, he should eventually get an opportunity to play in Boston, where a blueliner with his puck-moving skills will always be in demand.
Coming Monday, August 8: Tuukka Rask
