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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Bruins prospect profile #13: David Warsofsky

David Warsofsky, D
5-9, 170
May 30, 1990
Shoots: Left
Acquired from St. Louis for C Vladimir Sobotka; June 26, 2010
Signing status: Unsigned

Talent Analysis

Physical: Very undersized for the defense position, but has very good skating and hockey skills to compensate. A fine skater who exhibits outstanding four-way directional mobility. Tremendous backwards mobility and lateral/crossover ability. Very good puckhandler who can make the effective clearing pass and loves to jump up into the play using his speed and puck skills to motor through the neutral zone and back defenders up. Soft hands for on target passes in the offensive zone, and he's more of a puck distributor than an actual triggerman when playing the point. Possesses a big shot despite the lack of big size, but is a more effective scorer from the high slot, when he can rip off wrist and snap shots through screens. At a disadvantage physically because of his lack of size, but will initiate contact and is willing to take the hit to make plays. Refining his defensive play: has an active stick but still working on positional play and prone to trying to do too much in his own end/getting to running around. A bit of an agitator; will yap a bit and get under the skin of opposing players.

Intangibles: Has overcome the doubters and naysayers at every level so far; captained the 2008 U.S. NTDP Under-18 team and played in all 45 games as a freshman at Boston University in 08-09, earning a national championship and Beanpot trophy in the process. Very good vision and offensive hockey sense. Defensive awareness and decision-making need work; will try to carry the puck out of the zone from in front of his net or make low percentage passes that beg for turnovers. A good, solid character guy who is from the South Shore (Marshfield) and always dreamed of playing for the Bruins, then got to see them win it all for the first time in his young life this past spring, a powerful motivating force. A winner; won the 2009 Frozen Four in Washington, a gold medal at the 2010 World Jr. Championship in Saskatoon last winter and a bronze medal at the 2008 World U-18 Championship. There were whispers that his effort level wasn't what it should have been at BU last season, but he got good marks in his 10-game stint with Providence and gets a clean slate going into the 2011-12 season, his first full AHL campaign.

Boston Bruins 2011 Development Camp assessment

Warsofsky looked more settled and confident in his second development camp with the Bruins. Has the look and swagger of a guy who can advance the puck either with crisp passing or deft stickhandling. Still needs to avoid making the low-percentage play that will get him into trouble. Got caught failing to pick up backside pressure several times and turned it over. Also made some nice plays at the point in terms of puck control and possession, playing keep away with Anthony Camara on one memorable sequence in the first scrimmage.

David Warsofsky 2011 Development Camp interview



Projection
Warsofsky is one more small, but skilled defender the Bruins have added to the prospect stable (where he joins Andrew Bodnarchuk, Steven Kampfer, and Maxim Chudinov as sub-6-foot blue liners.) but it's hard to predict where he will play at the NHL if he gets there. He could be a top-four in the NHL, but realistically, he's probably a third-pairing guy who will see time on special teams on the PK and PP units. He's a long-term project, but Warsofsky is both skilled and tenacious; except for the lack of size, he'd be a high-end prospect, so he could overcome the modest expectations to be more than the sum of his parts in time. It's all about the upside with this guy. Is he going to be a big-time scorer from the blue line in the NHL? Probably not. However, he will get the chance to see a lot of minutes in the AHL and should see ample opportunities on special teams. He's expected to play a role offensively in Providence, so it will be interesting to see if he is ready for that challenge as a rookie.

Quotable

"I think it exhibits his hockey sense overall in terms of he wants to gain, he doesn’t want to force things offensively he wants things to open up. He’ll allow that, to have the patience to allow those things to open up. Rather than, we call it skating into the funnel so to speak. Where a lot of teams are trapped in the neutral zone and setting you up to turn it over. Versus allowing that guy to swing underneath, and make the underneath path and recognizing how I can effectively move the puck. And we’ve asked David in terms of, from defensively from the tops of the circles down. You know he’s going to have to engage and you have a really good stick, it’s just the laws of physics are going to apply. He’s a good skater, you know like do I think he needs to be a very efficient player. Yeah I do, and the margin for error for a guy who’s five foot nine is not very good. You know but if you’ve got the heart and the courage and the hockey sense to be able to utilize the tools you have, and we believe he does, then things will work out just fine and you’ll find your own place. "- Bruins Assistant GM Don Sweeney; July 11, 2011

"It's unbelievable to be a part of the Bruins organization and to be given the chance to fulfill a dream I've had for a good many years. Obviously, there are going to be some fans who are sad to see (Vladimir) Sobotka go, so I've got to show them that I can play this game and will one day hopefully be doing a lot to help Boston win a lot of hockey games. That would be a dream come true for me."- David Warsofsky to B2010DW, Wilmington, Mass.; July 6-10, 2010

"I know that I'm not going to grow another two or three inches, but I am going to hit the weights hard to keep building my strength and give everything I have. I can't do anything about my height, but there are other factors I can control, so I'm all about learning as much as I can here this week, and then continuing to do the things I have to in order to play at the next level."- David Warsofsky, Wilmington, Mass.; July 6-10, 2010

“We did scout to potentially draft David. It just so happened that a team took him in front of us.”- Sweeney, Wilmington, Mass.; July 6, 2010

“I’m envious of the position he’s in, to be honest. David has challenges, but he’s got a skill set that will afford him the opportunity to go out and play. The smaller man does have a bit more leeway in the game now, as it’s composed, if he has the courage to go into areas and be smart enough and quick enough to take advantage of the skills he has.”- Sweeney, Wilmington, Mass.; July 6, 2010

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