The Boston Bruins are starting their training camp in a little over a week. The players are heading back to Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington to shake off a little of the rust and reconnect with their brother Bruins. One of the latest arrivals is Brett Connolly. The Bruins forward is hoping to have a much better season after being one of the B’s who was snake bit by injuries last season.
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Connolly broke his hand during his second practice with the team and was only able to play for five games last season. He has shaken off that season. Now, he’s eager to show the team and the fans what he can do, and doesn’t really care where he ends up on the roster, as long as he gets there.
“Obviously any time you’re on a one-year deal and with the situation that I was in last year, getting traded here and then getting hurt right away, it was a weird year last year,” said Connolly “But, you know, there’s always pressure and obviously playing here in Boston, there’s that added pressure of playing in a big market, but something that I’m excited for and I think for myself, it’s a very good opportunity and something I’m hoping to grasp here.”
“You know what, I think we’ll see kind of where I fit,” said Connolly after today’s informal practice.
“They will trying a bunch of different things at training camp and trying to find guys that work together well and there’s a lot of spots and a lot of places where I could slot in,” said Connolly. “So I’ve got to have a good training camp, have a good start and get the ball rolling. Obviously it started here this week and [I’m] hoping to have a good start and have a positive impact on the team this year.”
Puck Prose
With all the holes left open from the Bruins moves in the offseason, there will be plenty of competition to get a slot on the roster. Connolly has a strong chance of making the roster, and it should only be a question of which line (most likely the second or the third) he will end up on.
Now it’s up to the 2015-16 Bruins team to show that last season was just an embarrassing fluke. There will be pressure from the fans and the front office to right the ship, and that pressure can already be felt by Connolly before training camp. Still, the 23-year old forward believes his ready and the team will be good to go for opening night.
“For sure. There’s pressure everywhere,” he said. “You can’t really escape it, but it’s something that you’ve got to deal with and I know that nobody was happy with the way the year finished last year and we’re looking to change that this year. There’s a lot of changes and new people are going to have to step up and fill the void for the some of the guys that we lost, but again, every year’s different and we have to come together as a team and play for one another and we’ll be fine.”