Jakub Lauko thought last season he would see his name on the Boston Bruins roster following the team's final cuts of training camp.
Things didn't go the way the forward had hoped, being sent down to Providence and staying there for the duration of the season. It was a tough dose of reality for the now 22-year-old, but a year later, Lauko had the wherewithal beyond his age to understand the reasoning behind why the Bruins brass made that move.
"Last season I had a big expectations of myself that I'll end up with those guys at the start of the season and it didn't work out," Lauko told reporters following Boston's 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. "I wasn't good enough. End of last season, (I was) pretty bad. But this summer, I was training my butt off and hopefully it's going to pay off."
That wasn't the only motivation Lauko, who scored his second goal of the preseason in the exhibition finale, was armed with. Some questioned whether Lauko should have been sent down already in favor of possibly Marc McLaughlin, who showed some promise this preseason in his fight for a spot on Boston's fourth line.
"It kind of pissed me off, to be honest," Lauko said, per 98.5 The Sports Hub's Ty Anderson.
Lauko's confidence is high that he can contribute to the Bruins right away. The 6-foot, 196-pounder notched three goals and 13 assists with Providence last season, and he feels the biggest asset he can bring to Boston is due to the offseason work he put in, he's not feeling tired as the game goes on.
"I feel very good on the ice. I feel comfortable on the puck. I think my conditioning is pretty high too right now," Lauko said. "I feel good today. I feel best in the third period when I can feel like the other guys are getting a little bit tired. I think that's going to be my staple this season, my conditioning and willing to and my ability to skate all game."
But as the Bruins get their roster set ahead of their regular-season opener on Wednesday on the road against the Washington Capitals, Lauko may feel like he's done enough to make the team, but he also recognizes his fate is no longer in his own hands.
"It depends on the coaches and the management if they assume I'm ready for the big boys," Lauko said.
