They Said It: A Development Camp Scouting Report

BOSTON - The 11th Annual Boston Bruins Development Camp, presented by AT&T, wrapped up on Sunday after four days of on-ice testing, off-ice conditioning, and team-bonding activities, all of which gave the Bruins brass the chance for an up-close evaluation of the organization's prospects.
Here's a rundown of what they had to say about some of the players in camp:

Anders Bjork, Forward (2014 Fifth Round)

Bruins Player Development Coordinator Jamie Langenbrunner: "I've liked his progression….He's got a skill level that's pretty high-end. He can make plays. He kind of dances on his skates a little bit. Light on his skates but strong on his feet and he pokes it around pretty good. He looks a little bit out of control at times, but he's really not. He's in control. He's just moving that quickly.
"He can skate and he's smart. So, when you can skate and you're smart, you can probably play in the National Hockey League."

Ryan Donato, Forward (2014 Second Round)

Langenbrunner: "He's a guy last year that was a leader right from Day 1 there, and he's jumped right back into that role again this year. Obviously, a very smart kid that understands hockey. This year he was in the National Semifinal. One of the top players on that [Harvard] team and this year with the losses they had on their team he was expected to take on a bigger role, which is great.
"Obviously, a mid-round pick that's looking like a very good hockey player that keeps on progressing, obviously has hockey blood lines, and a good kid to be around."
Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney: "We've always thought Ryan's skillset was excellent. He's going to play center this year and I've talked to [Ryan's father and Harvard coach] Teddy [Donato] about that. We're excited to see him play there. He had played a lot of that at Dexter [School]. It puts a lot more responsibility, more two-way responsibility on him. It'll be interesting because he's a primary shooter and he has an unbelievable release.
"We'll just continue to communicate year by year with where Ryan feels he's at. But, he is [supported] by his family and he'll make the best decision. I think he's awfully close."

Trent Frederic, Forward (2016 First Round)

Langenbrunner: "As a freshman on a pretty decent Wisconsin team, he was one of the driving guys in that top six. Obviously, time will tell as he turns to pro hockey in years down what he'll be. But, there's more skill to his game than I think people thought coming out of the draft.
"He's filled out, I'll say. He's gotten a stronger upper body. He's obviously a big kid to start with. His dad is a big man also. So, that was to be expected that he would fill out. He was a young kid a year ago. He's continuing to grow and develop and taking good strides."

Jesse Gabrielle, Forward (2015 Fourth Round)

Langenbrunner: "If he's Brad Marchand, I will be very happy. But no, I think that's a fair comparison in the style of play. He plays on the edge and he's not afraid to get under guys' skin. He's a guy that puts in a lot of work off-ice. He's a dedicated player and he's continued to develop.
"He's had the good fortune of going to Providence both of the last two years and spending a little bit of time, getting a game or two each time and he's continuing to get more comfortable. I think he's a guy that going to be a good, quality player.
"I think Marchy, it took him a little while to be an NHL guy. But, Jesse has a lot of those same qualities."

Joona Koppanen, Forward (2016 Fifth Round)

Langenbrunner: "He's going to be playing in the [Finnish] Elite League next year. He's signed over there and we'll continue to monitor and see when it makes sense for him to try and transition over here. He's already signed by us. So, he'll be one of those guys that we'll continue to monitor when it's time.
"He played at the junior level last year because he had some thought of coming over to play in college this season. But, changed his mind and is now playing in the Elite League."

Jeremy Lauzon, Defenseman (2015 Second Round); Cameron Hughes, Forward (2015 Sixth Round)

Sweeney: "Lauzon wasn't ready to skate and [Cam] Hughes is not ready to skate either. Both doing very well in their recoveries from surgeries. But, not ready to skate. But again, we have an investment in players through our organization and we want to continue it…[Lauzon will] be fine [for training camp]."

Ryan Lindgren, Defenseman (2016 Second Round)

Sweeney: "Ryan Lindgren [who also missed the camp as he recovers from offseason leg surgery] had gotten back on the ice but had the hardware removed form his ankle so he had some residual stuff. Our guys looked at it. We're trying to get him have that ankle be more stable functionally away from the ice before he just jumps back on."

Zach Senyshyn, Forward (2015 First Round)

Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy: "You see a guy like Senyshyn, right? He's turning pro, he can really motor. We knew that all along but now I'm getting more of a firsthand look at it. Now, how does that translate into the game situations? That's where September, to me, is a much bigger measurement stick."
Langenbrunner: "He's a guy that's going to continue to learn. He had good fortune this year like all of our prospects and were on good teams, teams that all won their division or were top teams, had different levels of success as far as playoff runs. But he was on a top team [in Sault Ste. Marie], scores goals, was able to come down to Providence and get a few games there and I think that's a real big advantage for those guys. They saw Brandon Carlo last year being able to. So, we'll see where it goes. Obviously, he can skate as fast as anybody we've got."

Oskar Steen, Forward (2016 Sixth Round)

Cassidy: "I'll take a kid like Steen. He comes in last year; the change in his body, the work he's put in to be a better-conditioned player. That's what you want to see out of these camps - the guys from year to year come in and mature physically as much as they can in one year."
Langenbrunner: "His plan is to go back to Europe and I think he wanted that. He's a gritty guy. He has a high motor. Obviously, the first question [you ask] of the smaller guys, but he doesn't play like a small guy at all. He plays hard and he looked to have a little more finish this year than he did last year which was good to see that he continues to develop the ability to continue to score goals."

Urho Vaakanainen, Defenseman (2017 First Round)

Langenbrunner: "He's a smooth skater. He sees the ice well, he's got good size, and he can make plays. So, I think as the confidence grows, numbers will grow just if you're making the right plays over and over again. I think it's the effortlessness that he skates with - it's smooth.
"I think [Bruins Assistant GM] Scott [Bradley] had mentioned to me Scott Niedermayer. That's obviously high praise with a guy that is effortless and can skate around the rink. He seems to have a little bit of those tendencies that kind of floats on his skates a little bit.
"That's something that I don't believe you can really teach. Some guys have that and some guys, it's a little more work."

Daniel Vladar, Goalie (2015 Third Round)

Sweeney: "Daniel had a bit of a disjointed year for a number of reasons. He was in the World Junior camp [with the Czech Republic] and he was taken away from his time, he had some injuries...He had played up in Providence and did have some success up there as well.
"I think he is ready for it full-time, but we just want to get Daniel the net as much as possible this upcoming season. We'll be very cognizant. It likely will be back in the East Coast [Hockey League].
"But again, performance usually dictates that, injuries and such. But, he did do very well and we expect him to come in and challenge and push these guys."

Jakub Zboril, Defenseman (2015 First Round)

Cassidy: "He does [seem more mature]. He talks more, he's more open, I think, and engaging. He's talking about his game and what his process is for him. He's a guy you'll want to keep an eye on. He's a first round pick with lots of skill, he's a left-shot D that can move the puck, all things that we've covered. So, let's see where he's at."

For scouting reports on 2017 draft picks Jack Studnicka, Jeremy Swayman, Cedric Pare, Victor Berglund, and Daniel Bukac, click here:

The 2017 Boston Bruins Development Camp was presented by AT&T.