Four Prospects To Watch: Bruins Development Camp Preview
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's time for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to put his toys on display.
After trading defenseman Dougie Hamilton to Calgary and forward Milan Lucic to Los Angeles, Sweeney and the Bruins had 10 picks in the 2015 NHL Draft. All 10 players are part of the 37-player group that will attend the Bruins' development camp this week from Tuesday to Friday in Wilmington.
Remember, Sweeney promised we'll be impressed with what we'll see from this year's crop of draft picks.
"Like that's the excitement piece that people probably can't see right now to get past this initial onset. We're going to have a plethora of players that hopefully you and everybody else will turn around and say 'boy, they have some really good assets, and those guys are going to develop into hell of NHL players,'" Sweeney said in the time between the draft and his July 1 acquisition of Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes.
So prepare to be amused. I am already. Here is a thumbnail look at some of the guys I most want to see this week at Ristuccia Arena:
Zane McIntyre, G
The Hobey Baker finalist from North Dakota turned pro a year early and now he'll begin his attempt to make a go of it at the next level. Even Jonathan Quick left college and needed more pro seasoning at both the ECHL and AHL levels before he became a star. The Bruins don't need McIntyre to be lights out. They just need someone to back up Tuukka Rask and it would benefit them if there was competition for that spot instead of someone winning it by default. McIntyre talked about his improved technique that now accompanies his athleticism. We'll get a sneak peek during development camp.
Zachary Senyshyn, F
By the sound of things on the NBCSN broadcast when the Bruins selected this 6-foot, 192-pound right winger at No. 15, you would have thought the Bruins used the pick to hire a new mascot. Pierre McGuire and Craig Button practically had to have their jaws lifted off the ground. In the days after the draft, though, it became apparent that the reaction to the Bruins' decision to select Senyshyn many spots ahead of his Central Scouting Service ranking was over the top. By many accounts, Senyshyn is a talented player that many teams coveted. He didn't get as much prime ice time as other guys in the first round but still had 26 goals in 66 games in the Ontario Hockey League. This hidden jewel will be uncovered this week.
Joonas Kemppainen, F
Compared to most of the guys in this camp, the Finnish free agent is a grandpa. The 27-year-old doesn't quite fit the usual mold of a participant in development camp. But it's a great sign that he was willing to come over and compete with the prospects and get a head start on his adjustment to life in North America. His three-zone play probably won't show up in camp, but we'll get to see his skating and strength and get a feel for how much of a chance there is he'll be on the Bruins' fourth line in the fall.
Rob O'Gara, D
It feels like this kid has been in the Bruins' organization forever. He was drafted in 2011 and he's finally heading into his senior season at Yale. Once a beanpole, O'Gara has bulked up and filled out into a solid defenseman every year since the Bruins took a chance on him in the fifth round. Last season he had six goals in 33 games, although he's known more for his work in his own end. By next spring, O'Gara might be a factor down the stretch for the Providence Bruins, depending on how far Yale goes. And then this time next year he could be challenging for a spot on the big club.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
