Axel Andersson’s television feed in Sweden was delayed, so when his agent informed him he had been picked No. 57 overall, he was shocked.
“It was like, what, really?” Andersson said. “Then I heard my name on the TV.”
From there, it was time for Andersson to get ready to get to development camp, which began Tuesday at Warrior Ice Arena. Andersson and the Bruins other four draft picks, Jakub Lauko, Curtis Hall, Pavel Shen, and Dustyn McFaul, plus last year’s first-round pick Urho Vaakanainen, were among the 29 skaters who participated in the two sessions Tuesday.
The on-ice sessions were a crash course with skating and skills coach Kim Brandvold, who put the prospects through a grueling skating test. The first day of development camp is typically the most demanding. There was an off-ice evaluation, plus the on-ice skating test to set the benchmark for the week.
“It felt like I was wearing chains,” said Lauko, the Bruins No. 77 pick in last weekend’s draft. “I felt so exhausted wearing the new gear. Everything was new except for my skates. It was so hard. We get some practices in Czech like this, sometimes it was harder, but during the summer break I have only been training for two weeks.”
Development camp provides prospects and draft picks the opportunity to shake loose the summer rust from not skating. The rest of the week will feature more skill-oriented and simulated drills.
Andersson, an 18-year-old defenseman, is eager to fine-tune the details of his game around the blue line. He said he feels like he could be more aggressive in the defensive zone and more active with his shot – something he wasn’t quite able to do when he played for the Swedish national team during the World Junior Championships.
He said he models his game after current Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Andersson is 6 feet like McAvoy, but roughly 30 pounds lighter.
“Really like him, he’s fun to watch,” Andersson said. “He’s all-around great shooter, great skating.”
Some other notes and observations from the first day of development camp plus one Bruins update
- Good to see Brandon Carlo on the ice after prospect camp wrapped up. The Bruins defenseman, who suffered a pretty gruesome-looking broken ankle last year, missed the playoffs for a second-consecutive season. When the Bruins had their final media availability of the season, Carlo was still using a scooter to get around and wore a cast, though he said he hoped to be out of it soon. Carlo skated with a good size group of others, including Ryan Donato, Sean Kuraly, Matt Grzelcyk, and Adam McQuaid. Penguins player and former Boston College standout Brian Dumoulin and the Sabres' Evan Rodrigues (BU) were also in attendance.
- It felt cruel watching the prospects go through the vigorous skating test. It seemed harmless at first, as Brandvold put them through edge work drills. Once the prospects lined up along the end line, though, they knew they were in for it with sprints. “It was kind of hard on the ice after the skating test,” Andersson said. “I cannot feel my legs. But it’s fun to be here and I’m so fortunate.”
- This year’s prospect camp roster is slimmer than in past seasons, and without as much fanfare. In recent seasons, players such as Tyler Seguin, David Pastrnak, and Dougie Hamilton drew large crowds to the fundamental sessions. There were particularly a large number of invited prospects taking place in this year’s session. Of the 29 participants, 11 were camp invites.
- There’s always an interesting mix of attendees at camp. Some are fresh faces, like 21-year-old Harvard freshman Henry Bowlby. Others, such as Tommy Marchin, have been around the block a few times. Marchin, entering his senior year at Brown, is attending his fourth development camp. He’s participated the last three years with the Red Wings, Islanders, and Jets. “It’s really cool to see how completely different teams are teaching the same things to get you to the professional level,” Marchin said. In 89 games with Brown, he has 29 goals and 21 assists. No matter the experience, everybody who participates in these camps gets a good look at what it's like at the NHL level.