Boston Bruins Not Disheartened Over Failed Conditioning Test
This weekend’s prospects tournament in Buffalo had one major precursor: off-ice physical testing at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington.
The Boston Bruins and their top three picks from this year’s draft, Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zachary Senyshyn all failed the conditioning test.
Their task: complete three 300-meter runs in the allotted time.
Regardless of whether the rookies passed the test, all will travel to Buffalo for this weekend’s proceedings. Yet, in particular, Boston’s top-three picks will be heading to New York with a chip on their shoulders.
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General manager Don Sweeney, who did not blatantly discern the first-round picks as those who failed Thursday, addressed reporters optimistically.
“There’s still an educational process,” Sweeney told the Boston Globe. “These are young kids and understanding they’re now being evaluated as pros and they have to compare themselves against pros and established guys.”
Evidently, Boston’s first-rounders don’t possess tantalizing speed. Yet for DeBrusk, it was a close call. The winger successfully completed the first two legs of the assessment, but lapsed on the third and could not reach the time limit. “I think that cuts down a couple seconds,” DeBrusk stated. “But I was right there.”
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Sweeney was not liberal about the matter. The GM suggested, “To me, it’s a test you can train for, and that’s probably the most indicative thing.”
The Bruins are cognizant these three first-round picks did not start off on the right foot. There was an entire summer to prepare for such testing, as Sweeney alluded to. There was no question of ego among the three skaters, but there are questions about channeling their internal drive. With an abundance of veterans on the roster, all three can learn a thing or two about adapting to the NHL.
The GM iterated these young men have high expectations. Sweeney yearns the three can utilize Thursday’s disappointment as motivation to regroup and work harder.
Sweeney suggested he will not be lamenting the failure of the rookies. Instead, Sweeney is looking past the milliseconds on a stopwatch and focusing on the bigger picture: improving.
Said Sweeney, “It’s not about the failure piece; it’s just and understanding of where you’ve got to get to.”
Follow Christopher Bokum on Twitter @ChrisBokum