Boston Bruins: Breakout Year Expected For David Pastrnak
By Rob Eamer
Not many people would disagree that the Boston Bruins hit the jackpot when they drafted Havířov, Czech Republic native David Pastrnak 25th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Pastrnak became the youngest NHL player and one of only two 2014 draftees who would go on to play over 40 NHL games in the 2014-2015 season.
He started the season with the Providence Bruins as there was some concern regarding how quickly he could adapt to the North American ice and style of play. He quickly silenced the critics with impressive numbers, level of play and excitement. On November 24th, 2014, Pastrnak got his chance playing for the Boston Bruins and although he didn’t record his first NHL point until January 10th, 2015, he displayed the same explosive speed and quick hands he has shown while playing for the baby B’s.
“We’ve decided that David Pastrnak is going to stay with us for a while and play past his ninth game,” – Peter Chiarelli announcing David Pastrnak would remain in Boston for the remainder of the season.
David Pastrnak was bringing a level of excitement to the locker room at a time when the Bruins were struggling to secure a playoff spot and needed all the help they could get. He scored two goals in a 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 10th, 2015, and then scored another two goals in the Bruins next game, a 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 13th, 2015. This level of play secured his fate, and on January 15th, 2015, ex-GM Peter Chiarelli made the announcement that David Pastrnak would be staying with the Boston Bruins, thus burning the first year on his entry-level contract and avoid sending him back down to Providence for the remainder of the season.
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In the end, Pastrnak proved to be instrumental in the Boston Bruins’ fight for a playoff spot even though the Bruins finished outside of the playoff picture. He finished with 10 goals and 27 points in 46 games. Based on what we’ve seen last season, the future looks bright for David Pastrnak. The only question remains is with several key additions such as Jimmy Hayes, Matt Beleskey and a healthy Brett Connolly, which line will coach Claude Julien put David Pastrnak on come opening night?