This season is unlike any other in the last decade for the Boston Bruins. The team has a roster featuring more young players than in previous years. How are the young guys doing thus far?
I previously did a piece about how the composition of this year’s Boston Bruins team is different than years past. When Claude Julien was behind the bench, the team was comprised mainly of veterans and played a more defensively-oriented style of hockey. Under current head coach Bruce Cassidy, the team has a bevvy of young players playing a fast-paced game, more in line with the current NHL.
Three players on the Bruins roster are 21 years old or younger and are considered rookies. As I discussed in my earlier piece, this was the first season in a long time when the Bruins’ opening night roster’s average age was younger than the league average. While the Bruins only sit at 3-3-1 on the season and have been plagued by mostly inconsistent play, the youth movement has still been at least somewhat fun to watch.
Young players come with growing pains; some hit rookie walls in their first season, and some then also have sophomore slumps. Let’s take a look at how Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, and Charlie McAvoy are faring so far this season.