NHL training camps are going to have a different look and feel this season. Camps are going to be shorter, and for the Boston Bruins, the regular season opens on Sept. 29 at TD Garden against the New York Rangers. That's not a lot of time for prospects to state their case to make the team out of camp.
For some prospects, including first-round pick James Hagens in the 2025 Entry Draft, the journey begins Friday with a couple of days of Rookie Camp before the Prospects Showcase in Western New York against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday and Monday. After a bus ride home, training camp will begin for the 2026-27 season.
On Wednesday, the Bruins Foundation held its annual golf tournament, and head coach Marco Sturm and several players met with the media to discuss several topics. One topic that Sturm addressed was prospects and making the NHL roster for Opening Night in less than three weeks.
Marco Sturm drops subtle message to prospects about 2026-27 season
The Bruins would love to add some prospects to the roster for the upcoming season, but if there is one thing we've learned about the Black and Gold, that is easier said than done when it comes to prospects making the roster and surviving the whole season.
“Maybe they’re going to play a game or two, that’s it. There’s not too many opportunities to shine and prove to me that [they] should make the team,” said Sturm, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. “So, it’s going to get harder for all of us: coaches, organization, players. It will actually be interesting to see how it turns out.”
It is going to be harder for the younger players to crack the roster out of camp for the Bruins. The four preseason games are going to be played within five days, which limits the amount of game action some of the younger players will get. That makes it harder with an overload of players as bottom-six forwards and defensemen.
That large number of bodies for a few roster spots will affect Hagens and defenseman Frederic Brunet. Brunet spent all of last season in the American Hockey League (AHL), while Hagens began with the P-Bruins after his college season at Boston College ended with the Bruins and playing in the first three games of the first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres.
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There is also the contract situation with Matthew Poitras, who remains unsigned at the time this article is being written. Given the logjam of players at forward, it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out and whether he's even with the organization when it's resolved. Sturm made it clear that the chances are going to be few and far between, something that is going to create quick competition beginning next week.
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