The ice is ready, and hockey season is here! The Boston Bruins have announced their training camp roster. The work is only just beginning, and newly appointed head coach Marco Sturm will get to assemble his vision of what this team will look like, combination-wise.Â
Bruins Training Camp RosterÂ
Forward GroupÂ
A lot of this forward group are guys that you know are going to be a lock come opening night puck drop. The top line of Morgan Geekie, David Pastrnak, and Elias Lindholm should be set in stone. After that, you can likely pencil in Casey Mittelstadt as your second line center, but it’s the position battles that will be the most intriguing.Â
Who will play alongside Mittelstadt for the right wing spot? Will it be Viktor Arvidsson? Or do the Bruins pencil in Fabian Lysell, who will have another opportunity to win a roster spot? It will be intriguing to see what type of player Mittelstadt is for the Bruins, given that he will have better linemates than he did a season ago.Â
Related: Bruins’ Backup Goalie Role Is One to Watch in Training Camp
But the most intriguing player is Matej Blumel, who led the American Hockey League (AHL) with 39 goals this past season. He would be a great injection of offense that this team desperately needs. Or will Georgii Merkulov, who has been an over a point per game player with the Providence Bruins the last two seasons, get a hard look?
A roster that has veterans at the core will be leading a lot of youth this upcoming season. There are plenty of position battles going into this camp, and it’ll be intriguing to see how the lines are constructed.Â
The Blue Line Should Remain the SameÂ
The blue line is exactly as expected. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm are both healthy and returning, which is a major boost to a team that lost both of them to injury last season. How will Lindholm look returning from that knee injury? How up to speed will he be, and where will he slot on special teams? One of the big things is where Sturm will slot Mason Lohrei.Â
Lohrei is looking to have a bounce back season, especially from a defensive standpoint. He finished the season with a career-high 33 points, but a team-worst minus-43. Offensively, he was able to thrive and was effective running the power play. Will he play alongside McAvoy and have him as a mentor? Or will he slide to the third pair again?Â
Someone will need to take the place of Parker Wotherspoon for the seventh defenseman role, and there are numerous candidates for that position. That’s the beauty of this Bruins team, as they have multiple position battles.Â
Battle in the CreaseÂ
Jeremy Swayman is a lock for the number one role. However, the backup position is entirely up for grabs. The veteran in Joonas Korpisalo is in the fold, and the younger player in Michael DiPietro is eyeing the job. Preseason play will be a tall tale sign, but that is the position to watch for the most this training camp. The Bruins have always had formidable duos in net, and it’ll be crucial to see who is Swayman’s running mate.Â
Hockey Is BackÂ
The Bruins’ training camp roster is listed, and players take the ice. It will be fun to see how this camp goes and what players rise to the occasion. There are so many different position battles this season, which makes this camp intriguing. It’ll be a different type of season for the Bruins with a lot of questions that will get answered.Â
