The Boston Bruins youth movement got its first workout in last night’s 3-2 shootout preseason loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. For the most part, the fans and the media liked what they saw.
The Boston Bruins opened up the 2016-17 preseason with a match against the Columbus Blue Jackets. While the Boston Bruins fell 3-2 in a shootout, there were plenty of good things coming out of the young kids who are trying to impress the front office (or even make the team).
Forward Danton Heinen is one of the players who are currently battling for the spot left open by the loss of Frank Vatrano. Heinen had an overall good game last night. He led all forwards with 22:10 of ice time. He also got the Bruins back to a 2-2 tie in the third period on a nice tip of a shot that came from Brandon Carlo.
While Heinen did have a solid offensive game, there were a few lapses on the other side of the ice. The University of Denver product committed an offensive zone turnover that led to a Columbus goal. Factoring in all the pluses against the minuses though, it was a strong debut for Heinen.
“He scored a nice goal for us cutting through the slot and looks to make plays every time he’s on the ice,” said Boston Bruins assistant coach Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy was the Bruins bench boss as Claude Julien is still with Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey.
“Like a young player, he’s going to have to learn how to manage it, when the play is there and when he’s going to have to put the puck in a place where we can get it back, a safe play. I think every young player goes through that. You want players who want to make plays and have the ability to do that. That’s a good problem to have, you just have to manage it.”
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk is also competing for a spot this year. He showed maturity and patience on the Jimmy Hayes goal early in the game. Coach Cassidy also singled him out at the postgame press conference.
“His pace has really picked up this year,” said Cassidy about DeBrusk. “I think he’s shown a maturity in that area, of taking the puck to the net. And he made a heck of a play on the (Hayes) goal. He’s got that from the blue line in. I don’t think anyone doubts that part of his game. For him to be a good pro, you have to manage the rest of the parts of your game and be reliable defensively at a young age so the coach can count on you and put you on the ice so you can do the things you do well.”
Next: Brandon Carlo Impresses In Preseason Loss To Columbus
The Boston Bruins will need someone to fill in that top six role until Vatrano gets back from surgery. DeBrusk and Heinen are decent candidates for the job. It’ll be interesting to see how Julien, Cassidy, and the rest of the coaching team puts together the final roster for opening night.