Brett Connolly arrived in Boston on Tuesday morning, and he went straight to work with the Bruins.
The 22-year-old winger, whom the B’s acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, practiced with his new team and already is enjoying his time in black and gold.
“This is different, for sure — but it’s exciting, obviously,” Connolly said after practice, per Bruins.com. “You want to be in a position like this. Every player dreams of this, and I’m excited for it. Hopefully, I can embrace it. Obviously, for me, (I) enjoyed myself in Tampa, but it’s a new beginning, a fresh start, and I’m excited.”
It’s going to take Connolly some time to learn the ropes, but the rest of the B’s are helping the young forward fit in.
“I think the system mostly will be the hardest part,” Connolly said. “The guys have been great, obviously — I got in, and right away, making me feel welcome, and that’s a big part of it. Obviously that helps, so for me, that makes you feel a little more comfortable out there. So I’m excited about that.”
As for Max Talbot, whom the Bruins also acquired Monday from the Colorado Avalanche, he was set to arrive in the Hub on Tuesday evening. Even though the center wasn’t at practice, coach Claude Julien still had high praise for Talbot.
“He’s a great guy in the dressing room,” Julien said, per the team’s website. “He does whatever he has to do to help teams out. He’s had a decent year, actually, with Colorado, and we’ve seen him before in Pittsburgh, where he did a great job with them, being kind of a leader, a glue guy, and a good penalty killer as well. So we could certainly use that type of a player right now.”
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
