Kalman: Bruins First-Round Pick McAvoy Could Be Next 'Baby-Faced Assassin'
WILMINGTON (CBS) – When you make a Google search for the term "baby-faced assassin," it turns up no fewer than 20 athlete nickname results, including references to boxer Johnny Tapia and Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Steph Curry.
If the Bruins' 2016 NHL Draft turns out as planned, we'll soon be adding another name to the list – 14th pick Charlie McAvoy.
The defenseman, who finished up his freshman season last year at Boston University as the youngest player in NCAA hockey, sports a Beaver Cleaver face. But don't let the rounded, jolly exterior fool you. At 6-0 tall and weighing in at 207 pounds (he said he played for the Terriers at 205), McAvoy may still be growing into his frame and firming up some of the vital muscles that could make him a star, but he's already strides ahead of many in his age group in attributes that could make him a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL.
"He's wide, he can really skate. He's an effortless skater," Bruins assistant coach Jay Pandolfo said earlier this week at development camp at Ristuccia Arena. "He's the type of D man that you hope is going to be able to play 26, 27 minutes a night. That's what he looks like. Even watching him in college last year, he has no problem playing a lot ice time. So that's important."
Maybe his youthful looks along with his actual age disarmed opponents. He finished his first collegiate season with three goals and 25 points in 37 games. He made up for his innocent features with a mentality that didn't let him back down from any challenge.
"You don't really think you're the youngest guy in college hockey when you're lining up for a faceoff or something like that. You're thinking about how you're going to compete against that guy next to you no matter how old he is," McAvoy said. "It doesn't really matter. I guess it's cool. I think it's a testament to the year I had, playing against guys who are older than me. But it wasn't something I really looked at. I had a lot of confidence in myself to be successful at that level."
McAvoy is honing his skills against men now and then in the pro league down in Foxboro. He's matching his skills and strength against fellow Bruins prospects, many of whom were drafted in the years before this and are a little older, a little more mature.
It's only been two days of development camp, but he's holding his own. Pandolfo even noticed that McAvoy, in his first development camp, has been more vocal and helpful to other players than most. He could be a leader in the making, in addition to the defensive stalwart the Bruins so desperately need.
If McAvoy can morph into a top-two defenseman and bring an added dose of strong character, that will be a major bonus. But the biggest thing the Bruins drafted him for is his ability to fill a hole in their defense down the road. The Bruins' talent gap on the back end looks ominous right now, but it's something McAvoy is relishing correcting soon.
"You see what the team needs and within the Bruins organization I think that's a priority reason they drafted me because they think I'll fill a need when the time's right," he said. "And that's not really a pressure thing for me. That's just an excitement thing. That's what I'm working for, to continue to grow and get better and to win that spot."
Barring a major change of direction, he'll be skating at Agganis Arena instead of TD Garden or the Dunkin' Donuts Center this season. But he could arrive in Providence by spring and in the big leagues a year from this fall. Such is the speedier development process for players in the salary-cap era. McAvoy's not rushing to the pros, but he's not hiding from the expectations of making an impact before the end of this decade either.
"I mean I'm doing a day at a time right now," McAvoy said. "Not really in any hurry. But obviously I'd like to get here sooner than later. The dream is to play for the Bruins and play in the NHL and if I can make that a reality soon, I'll take my chance."
Maybe he'll soon go from being the youngest guy in college hockey to the youngest in the NHL. Whenever me makes it, he'll probably still look like the youngest, but that could play in his and the Bruins' favor.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
