Poitras' Playmaking Has Been His Calling Card

BOSTON - Matthew Poitras received quite an education.

And it all it took was a simple stick lift - from one of the game's greatest defensive forwards.

Last fall, during his first training camp with the Bruins, the 2022 second-round pick was skating up the ice during a drill when his stick almost went skyward.

Patrice Bergeron was on his tail.

"Just practicing with him and seeing him. He never quits on a drill, he has the strongest stick," Poitras recalled this week during Development Camp at Warrior Ice Arena. "I was coming up the ice and he lifted my stick, and I thought my stick was going to fly out of my hand.

"Just things like that and watching the Bruins a lot more this year after being drafted by them, seeing the way he moves around the D-zone. It feels like he's never in a rush to do something, he's so calm.

"So, maybe that's something I need to implement in my game, just a sense of calmness in the D-zone and not running around too much."

Poitras has already implemented plenty over the course of two seasons with Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League, chiefly on the offensive side of the puck. The 19-year-old right shot nearly doubled his production in 2022-23 with 95 points in 63 games with, perhaps, the most impressive uptick coming in the assist column where he went from 29 helpers in 2021-22 to 79 last season.

"That's just always who I've been," Poitras said of his playmaking ability. "Maybe my first year you couldn't see it as much, but my playmaking came out in my second year. I was more comfortable in the league and I'm always looking to set somebody up."

Bruins assistant general manager Jamie Langenbrunner said that Poitras' hockey IQ is exactly what stood out to Boston's scouting staff ahead of last year's draft.

"Our amateur scouts saw that this is a smart hockey player," said Langenbrunner. "An elite brain. His skating got knocked going into the draft which pushed him down, but we saw a brain with growth potential, and I think we saw that step last year. His production on a lower team was extremely high end and, I mean, you see it in snippets out here every day.

"His ability to play in space, his ability to play and create space, his elusiveness…he buys time for himself. He has that knack where he can kind of just look guys off and find lanes. Next step we're going to try pushing on him is I guess similar to Fabian [Lysell] is shoot the puck a little bit more.

"He can shoot the puck, but he definitely is a pass first guy. If we can tilt that just a little bit the other way, I think that is going to give him that much more of a leg up moving forward, but we're very happy with that player."

Poitras concurred saying that he'd like to see his goal total increase next season after taking a dip from 21 (2021-22) to 16 (2022-23).

"I think I was just looking to pass a bit more and score as many goals," Poitras said of his progression throughout last season. "I was a bit snake bitten throughout out the year, but going into next year I'm definitely going to try and shoot the puck a bit more. The point totals going up was good, but I'm definitely going to try and score a few more goals."

Bruins player development coordinator Adam McQuaid added that Poitras has room to grow physically, as well as on the defensive side of the puck.

"The way he sees the ice…I mean, he still put up [79 assists] and didn't get rewarded on most nights somehow," said McQuaid. "He can make plays; I think the next step for him is to continue to get stronger, the physical development. He has a willingness to want to take pucks to the dirty areas, to the net. Getting stronger will allow him to do those things, so I think we're just rounding out his game.

"On the defensive side, if he's going to be a centerman, we're going to need him to be reliable in his own end. So, those are probably some areas that we'll have him focus on and not taking away from the offensive side of things and making sure that those things are focused on."

If Poitras can put all those things together, it may not be too long before he's up at Warrior Ice Arena full time.

"Obviously, it's a dream of mine to play in the NHL," said Poitras. "And to see some opportunities maybe opening up… I'm just going to keep working hard and come into camp ready and in shape and just give my all and try to make their decision difficult to cut me."

Hockey East Heating Up

The battle of Comm. Ave is about to ratchet up a notch.

The longstanding rivalry between Boston University and Boston College is set to be infused with a boatload of talent this fall when the Terriers add projected 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini and 2023 first-rounder Tom Willander (11th overall), while the Eagles bring in 2023 first-rounders Will Smith (fourth), Ryan Leonard (eighth), and Gabriel Perrault (23rd).

"We're all super excited, we're ready for the year to get started already," said Bruins defense prospect Ty Gallagher, who will be a junior for the Terriers this fall. "Guys are coming back next week…all the guys that are coming in, we're excited to have. Some big names.

"It's always a rivalry [with BC], but it's gonna be a little more special this year playing against those guys. It's gonna be fun, it's gonna be competitive, looking forward to it."

Gallagher finished his sophomore campaign with 21 points (3 goals, 18 assists) in 40 games, while helping the Terriers to the Frozen Four in Tampa where they fell to top-ranked Minnesota in the semifinals. The 6-foot, 192-pounder said his focus heading into his third season with BU will shoring up his strength and speed.

"That's always the goal," said Gallagher. "Just getting faster because with every division you go up, the guys get faster and stronger and just overall better."

The 20-year-old, who was selected by the B's in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft, is taking part in his third Development Camp this week, which has allowed him the chance to take on a bit more of a leadership role.

"I was definitely looking forward to it all summer," said Gallagher. "Now being one of the older-ish guys around, it's a different role, more of a leadership role. It's been fun.

"Just coming in with confidence [this time around]. We're all here for a reason. You get out of your comfort zone, don't be afraid to fail. That's the key to success in these types of camps."

Gasseau's Growth

At the other end of Comm. Ave, forward Andre Gasseau was growing his game significantly during his freshman season at Boston College. The 20-year-old collected 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 36 games as he started off his college career with a strong 2022-23 campaign.

"I definitely made a lot of progress on the ice and off the ice," said Gasseau, who like Gallagher was selected by the Bruins in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft. "That's something that I look forward to continue to grow moving into next year.

"Definitely keeping up with the pace was a big change. But after the first couple games, I got my feet moving and I was fine."

The Los Angeles native - who listed Kings stalwart Anze Kopitar among the centerman he looks up to - said he has benefitted greatly from his shift across the country, allowing him the ability to be so close to the club that drafted him.

"Having your ears open and listening to all the advice that the coaches give ad trying to improve all aspects of your game," Gasseau said of the messaging he's received from the Bruins' player development staff.

Gasseau is joined this week by his Boston College teammates Oskar Jellvik and Trevor Kuntar, the latter of whom has remained off the ice this week and recently inked a two-year, entry-level contract with Boston.

"It makes the camp more fun because you know more guys, it's easier," said Gasseau. "You've got a little bit of chemistry on the ice. They're great guys on and off the ice so it makes playing with them a lot of fun."

Loc-ked and Loaded

Bruins forward prospect Dans Locmelis, a 2022 fourth-round pick, helped lead his native Latvia to a magical bronze medal performance at the 2023 World Championships in the spring, registering three points (two goals, assist) across nine games.

"What they did with Latvia's team was pretty unbelievable and him talking about that experience, I think as a personal experience, that was one that he is going to remember for a very long time," said Bruins Player Development and Scouting Assistant Danielle Marmer. "So, I'm selfishly very excited for him to get to school over here and in the not quite Boston area, but at least in the state, so I get to spend a lot more time with him. It's just a great experience for him to play at that level."

Locmelis, who also had three goals in six games for Latvia at the 2023 World Juniors tournament, will make the move from Lulea HF in Sweden to the University of Massachusetts this fall.

"He can shoot the puck and he's shifty," said Marmer. "He can get inside, he plays interior, which on that big ice surface it's a little bit easier. I think that's what the adjustment will be for him when he gets to the college game, is if he is going to be able to get inside as much, but if you've been watching him out here, he's been doing a pretty good job of it so far this week."

Wait, There's More

• Marmer on Bruins 2023 fourth-round pick Beckett Hendrickson: ""I would say Beckett Hendrickson has showed up this week and I think early on you can tell his youth, I guess, out here with some of the guys who have been playing in college for a while, like the size and physicality. And that was something that he said right away was that he needed to get stronger, 'I don't like losing these battles.' But skill wise, he's very impressive."
• Langenbrunner on 2021 third-rounder Brett Harrison and his season for Oshawa and Windsor in the OHL (34 goals and 69 points in 57 games). "Up and down. I mean, obviously getting traded in season,disrupts even the most grizzled vet, let alone a 19- or 20-year-old kid. Offensively there's lots to like. He's one that is going to have to continue to work on some of the off-ice stuff to improve his strength and really dial that in. We're going to be able to spend a lot more time with him every day, to push those things…but his shot is a weapon. He can score from a lot of places and similar to Matty [Poitras], he's got a knack for finding space. He has the ability to get himself open and has some slipperiness to him."