I'm off to Boston this morning for the Bruins-Islanders rookie games tonight and tomorrow, and then the first weekend of the Bruins main camp sessions to be held at TD Garden.
I did this last year, and while it isn't going to provide any real perspective on the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, since this is a Bruins-centric blog, and we're not yet in the regular season here in North America, I thought you wouldn't mind me spending the bulk of the next week covering down on some of the B's young prospects and how they look: a. Against their peers wearing the blue, orange and white, and b. Against the Bruins veteran players.
Last year, '09 third-rounder Ryan Button played well at the rookie tournament played in Kitchener, Ontario, but struggled to find his rhythm when he went up against the Boston roster guys. Of course, it can be a bit overwhelming when your first drill is a 2-on-1 and Mark Recchi and Patrice Bergeron are coming right at you. But, expect no such jitters from Button this time around.
It will be interesting to see how Joe Colborne and Jordan Caron fare; both are going up against NHL veterans for the first time, as Colborne was in the NCAA and not eligible to participate in the previous two camps, while Caron was in Boston a year ago, but unable to participate in on-ice activities because of a broken collarbone he suffered at Team Canada World Jr. Evaluation Camp.
Anyway-- I'll be in Boston for the next five days, so feel free to drop me a line, and if you happen to see me in and around the various events, be sure to say hello.
Appreciate the updates Kirk. My son is bugging me to make the drive down for tomorrow. Not sure i want to make the 6+ hour drive there and home. Checked into airline tickets, rather expensive this time of year:(.
ReplyDeleteMy morning has been filled with "let's go dad ! Please! Let's drive there!"
Who knows, i'm one of those guys that wakes up at 6 am and will say to my son "wake up, we're heading to Boston." If not, i'll have, and will appreciate your updates.
Thanks !!