The annual intersquad “Black & Gold” scrimmage is an important event for young players and prospects hoping to make the Boston Bruins’ roster out of training camp.
It’s a normal, three-period, 60-minute game that features two teams mixed with Bruins players, Providence Bruins guys and prospects. It’s a great opportunity for players on the roster bubble to showcase their skills and knowledge of what’s being preached in practice.
B’s head coach Claude Julien isn’t going to be behind the bench for this game. He’ll instead be keeping a watchful eye on the action from above the ice.
Which players should fans play close attention to in Sunday’s scrimmage? Let’s find out below.
David Warsofsky: The former Boston University defenseman could play the role of unsigned blueliner Torey Krug, which would include lots of power-play time and many shifts that start in the attacking zone. Similar to Krug, Warsosfsky is a great skater, has a powerful shot from the point and starts the breakout with clean, accurate passes out of his own end.
The 24-year-old D-man tallied 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 56 games for Providence last season, and he impressed Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli with his consistently strong performances.
“I thought he had a real strong finish last year in Providence — like every time I saw him, he was one of the best players on the ice and he was doing things we were telling him to,” Chiarelli said Thursday. “He was moving the puck, he was skating, his escape ability is terrific, like turning the net, and real good vision on the power play. So he’s a player that I think is ready. Now, will he be ready for our team? Let’s see how things sort out, but he’s put his time in and he’s a guy to watch, too.”
Malcolm Subban: As one of the top goaltending prospects in the NHL, Subban is a player to watch throughout camp and the preseason. He’s a technically sound goaltender with great post-to-post athleticism whose puck-handling skills have steadily improved since Boston drafted him in 2012.
Subban likely will be the starter in Providence this season, but he could challenge Niklas Svedberg for the backup job in Boston with a strong performance over the next few weeks. It’s never a good idea to rush goaltenders, which is why most teams take their time and let these players develop before throwing them into the most pressure-packed position in the sport. With that said, the Bruins won’t want Tuukka Rask to play too many regular-season games and not have enough left in the tank for a long playoff run. Boston has put an emphasis on having a quality backup over the last few years and should take the best player for the job.
Seth Griffith: The former fifth-round draft pick has skated alongside second-line forwards Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand in the first two practices of camp and is one of the top candidates to win one of the four open forwards spots on the NHL roster.
As a quality goal scorer with a responsible defensive game, Griffith would be a solid addition to Boston’s bottom six — a unit that lacked the necessary offensive skill in 2013-14.
“He’s a right winger, and he’s a guy who can score, so we put him on the right side,” Julien said Friday. “You also like to put players in positions where they can succeed. He’s definitely a guy last year in the little bit I saw of him he’s got good hockey sense, he’s got a great shot, he’s a good little player. I think last year’s progression for him was enough to make us feel confident that someday he can play with us. It’s going to be up to him to show us how good he can be.”
Brian Ferlin: Even though he’s just finished his collegiate career and has never played a minute at the pro level, Ferlin is one of the more NHL-ready winger prospects the Bruins have in camp. The former Cornell star is a big, physical player who combines good defensive smarts with a powerful shot and a willingness to crash the net. He’s a typical power forward and would be an ideal fit to replace Shawn Thornton at right wing on the fourth line.
“He’s a guy who protects pucks and cycles pucks really, really well,” B’s assistant GM Don Sweeney said Sept. 13. “It’s probably the strength of his game, from the tops of circles down, but now you realize how much quicker he gets up to speed and goes by his defensemen.”
