Boston Bruins: Jake DeBrusk Ready For Second Development Camp After Failing Conditioning Test Last Year
The Boston Bruins shocked the hockey world last season when they used three first round draft picks in succession to draft Jakub Zboril — 13th overall — Jake DeBrusk — 14th overall — and Zachary Senyshyn – 15th overall — as opposed to trading one, or two of those picks for a proven defenseman. Some fans were irate, some were left scratching their heads and others were simply hoping for the best as newly appointed general manager-Don Sweeney took on the task of bringing the Bruins back to the playoffs.
“It was just a running test, just a fitness test, but I’ll tell you I’ll never fail it again.” – Jake DeBrusk
Fast-forward to the Bruins’ 2015 development camp and fans were left with more questions than answers in regards to the Bruins’ trio of first round picks. Amalie Benjamin (formerly of the Boston Globe) tweeted out that all three of the Bruins’ first round draft picks, Zboril, Senyshyn, and DeBrusk, had failed their conditioning tests. It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for Sweeney in his first year.
When speaking about the situation and how prepared he, and his draft-mates are for the upcoming development camp, DeBrusk had this to say:
"“I will be (ready) for the rest of my life,”“That’s the one thing that I know us three are really taking into consideration. When all that happened, it was good to have them with us so close, us three especially and other guys throughout the camp are really good at making it comfortable. You kind of go from this media stuff and it can blow up quick.” – Jake DeBrusk"
The Bruins picked DeBrusk early in the draft as a result of his impressive size, skill, and glimpses of two-way ability that he showed in his draft year. After leaving the Bruins’ development camp last season, DeBrusk knew that conditioning and accountability in the defensive zone were things he needed to work on before joining the Bruins at the AHL, or NHL level.
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DeBrusk missed some time during the 2015-16 season due to his first major injury which led to a roller coaster of results throughout the year.
“I took a slap shot to one of the sensitive areas. There’s no really serious way to say that I guess,” DeBrusk said of his injury. “But everything’s all good health-wise, nothing bad from the injury. The only thing that really sucks is remembering how much it hurt.”
One other caveat to DeBrusk’s season was the fact that he was traded from the Swift Current Broncos to the Red Deer Rebels. The trade worked well for DeBrusk in the end as he rebounded well from his slow-start to the season and was given the chance to play for the Memorial Cup. DeBrusk performed well in the tournament, as mentioned here, but was ultimately unsuccessful as the London Knights went on to win the Cup.
After coming off of a 42 goal, 81 point season in 72 games with the Broncos in his draft year, DeBrusk regressed slightly and scored nine goals and 26 points in 24 games before being traded to the Rebels. With the Red Deer, DeBrusk continued around the same pace and finished the year with 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points in 61 games. DeBrusk’s point regressions could be a result of his conscious effort to improve defensively, however.
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“I understood that sometimes the puck doesn’t go in the net and I really worked on my defensive game,” The 20-year-old said. “I thought this year I took huge steps to become more of a two-way player and a hard player to play against and you need to do that to make it to the next level. And sometimes when things don’t go good you have to adapt, and that’s what I’m doing.”
Making an impact at this year’s Bruins’ development camp is constantly in the back of DeBrusk’s mind as he prepares this off-season for his second chance.
“I think this is me going into a new chapter. And I’m going to have to really push hard, this offseason is going to be huge,” DeBrusk said. “I have to have a good offseason and I have to impress. I know every single day that I’m training it’s got to be desperate. You got to want to make that jump, it’s not going to be an easy jump, and just really go for it. That’s all you can do in the offseason and then go from there. Just give it your best shot and try to get better every day and be a sponge.”
Next: Bruins Pre-Season Schedule Announced
The Bruins could use a player like Jake DeBrusk in their lineup sooner, rather than later, as they seek legitimate goal scoring depth. DeBrusk has all the makings of a star winger in the NHL. The onus is on him to perform to the best of his ability when the opportunity arises, as well as the Bruins’ training staff to give him all of the resources needed to succeed.