Poitras on quest to become center of attention for Bruins

BOSTON -- As Matthew Poitras skated off the ice following the first day of development camp with the Boston Bruins last week, a flock of young fans in attendance at their practice facility called the 19-year-old center over to sign autographs.

Selected by Boston in the second round (No. 54) of the 2022 NHL Draft, Poitras will play one more season with Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League -- barring what would be a surprise selection to the Bruins' opening night roster -- before he can claim his place in the organization, but these early fan interactions have him excited for bigger things to come.

"It's pretty cool," he said. "I figured if they took the time to make a poster for me, the least I can do is go over and sign a few things."

With longtime Bruins centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, each 37, facing decisions whether to re-sign or retire, Poitras recognizes the opportunity he has to step into a big role a couple seasons down the line. He practiced with the two veterans during training camp last year, and he learned from watching them closely throughout the season.

"Seeing the way [Bergeron] moves around the [defensive] zone, it feels like he's never in a rush to do something," Poitras said. "He's calm, so maybe it's something I need to implement in my game; just a sense of calmness in the [defensive] zone, not running around too much."

Taking a page out of Bergeron's book, Bruins player development coordinator Adam McQuaid said a priority is for Poitras (5-foot-11, 176 pounds) to round out his defensive game without taking away from his offensive strengths.

"[Poitras] has a willingness to want to take pucks to the dirty areas, to the net," McQuaid said. "Getting stronger will allow him to do those things. On the defensive side, if he's going to be a center, we're going to need him to be reliable in his own end."

The offensive upside is evident for the Brooklin, Ontario native, who finished tied for fifth in the OHL with 95 points (16 goals, 79 assists) in 63 games with Guelph last season. His 79 assists ranked second behind Toronto Maple Leafs forward prospect Ty Voit of Sarnia (81).

Despite nearly doubling his point total from the previous year (50), Poitras' goal-scoring dipped from 21 in 2021-22 to 16.

"I think I was looking to just pass a bit more," he said. "Maybe I was a bit snake-bitten throughout the year, but going into next year, I'm definitely going to try and shoot the puck a bit more."

McQuaid echoed Poitras' assessment of his tough goal-scoring luck, but praised his playmaking ability.

"The way he sees the ice, he still put up 75 assists, something in that range, and didn't get rewarded somehow, on most nights, on another opportunity," McQuaid said.

With a chance to make a significant impact at the NHL level ahead, Poitras knows it will take more than luck to take the next step.

"I'm just going to keep working hard," he said. "Come to [training] camp ready and in shape, and just give my all, and try to make their decision difficult to cut me."