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Prospect Sean Kuraly Could Be Diamond In Rough Down The Road For Bruins

WILMINGTON (CBS) -- By using his three first-round picks and two second-round picks instead of trading them at the NHL Draft last month, Bruins rookie general manager Don Sweeney added what he believed to be five high-end talents to Boston's prospects list in one fell swoop.

Sweeney's supplementing of the Bruins' reserve list with players from the amateur ranks, though, didn't end on draft night. Days later Sweeney swapped goaltender Martin Jones, who was acquired from Los Angeles in the Milan Lucic deal, to San Jose for a first-round pick in 2016 and prospect Sean Kuraly.

Although the first-round pick might wind up being the more valuable of the two assets in the long run, Kuraly joined the Bruins as one of those prospects that might've been drafted higher had he been further along in his development at 18 years old. Kuraly was a fifth-round pick of the Sharks in 2011.

Now 22, Kuraly has starred for three years at Miami University. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound center had 19 goals and 29 points (matching his point total from the prior year) as a junior last season.

He used the Bruins' development camp last week at Ristuccia Arena to introduce himself to his new organization and show off his improving skills that have combined with his strength and size to make him a formidable forward with the RedHawks.

"I've been really impressed," Bruins development coach Jay Pandolfo said. "He's better with the puck than I thought he was. ... He seems like a Bruin-type player. He's strong, he's hard on pucks, he's mature already, physically he's developed. So I think he's going to definitely push for a job next year."

Next year might come sooner for Kuraly than for most. Because depending on how Miami fares in 2015-16, he might be able to turn pro in the spring. That will give either the Boston or Providence Bruins a chance to add a piece for the postseason push. But first comes senior season at Miami. Despite descriptions of Kuraly by people inside and outside the organization that the player is ready to make the jump to the pros, the Dublin, Ohio, native wants to finish off the full college experience.

He'll be a senior captain this season.

"Something that I wanted to do is come back to school," he said. "I've got one more year to get my business degree at Miami. It's something I've taken a lot of pride in and worked really hard to do. To let it go now wouldn't feel right to me. So it was kind of just a decision I made, the feeling I had, that I wasn't ready to go."

There's also a hockey aspect to Kuraly's decision to play a fourth year of college hockey.

"I think there's a lot [I can improve]," he said. "There's so much I can improve on and be more consistent, be more creative offensively, use more of my skills offensively. So I think there's a lot left for me on the table at college. Not only that, but we've got a big group of seniors coming back. We feel like we have a little bit of unfinished business at Miami, so we're excited to go back."

Kuraly, who previously attended four Sharks development camps, admitted he was shocked by the trade. He was getting ready to attend another camp in San Jose when he got word of the trade. Instead of heading west, he headed east to meet his new Bruins teammates.

The Bruins' prospect pool of forwards was already getting deeper last spring, when Boston signed a few college free agents, including Kuraly's Miami teammate Austin Czarnik. The draft and the trade for Kuraly have created even more competition for AHL and NHL jobs in the years ahead.

The change in organization, however, didn't inspire Kuraly to handicap the competition with a study of the depth chart or change his plans for this season.

"I just kind of know 'it's do the best I can do.' It's kind of the only way to look at it," he said. "If I'm the best I can be, then hopefully I give myself the best chance. Now I'm going back to school next year to Miami. I'm excited for that. It's kind of my main focus right now, is that. Also getting better individually. Just making sure I get the most out of myself as I can is my focus."

Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.

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