Brandon Carlo feels fully healthy heading into Bruins training camp

Brandon Carlo was excited to be on the ice Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena, and not restricted to the tricycle scooter that served as the Bruins defenseman’s primary mode of transportation as he recovered from a broken left ankle that shortened his sophomore season.

Carlo took part in the informal captains practice, along with fellow defensemen John Moore, Matt Grzelcyk, Kevan Miller, and Adam McQuaid, plus a mix of other Bruins, Providence Bruins, and NHL skaters.

“Feeling really good,” Carlo said. “Just took a little bit of time to heal so I listened to the doctor’s orders. I felt like I was on that scooter forever, longer than I wanted.”

When the Bruins report for training camp in two weeks, Carlo said he anticipates to be a full participant without any restrictions related to the injury.



The 21-year-old had returned to the ice at Warrior following a development camp session for prospects at the end of June. Carlo began to feel pain in his left ankle as he worked through the buildup of scar tissue and knew he needed to dial back his expectations.

“I was only on the ice for maybe 10 minutes and to be out there again was such a good feeling because I’d been off the ice for so long, but I knew I had to take it slow,” Carlo said.

He returned home to Colorado where he continued skating at Denver University, along with fellow NHLers Paul Stastny and Tyler Bozak.

After a few skates, Carlo said he began to feel more like himself. The biggest step forward came when he made an adjustment to his skates. Carlo had the padding in the left boot of his skate punched out so it wasn’t as tight around the ankle. More padding was added higher near the top of the boot, creating a donut-like shape of cushion near the injured area.

“Just getting my skates dialed in a bit more helped with the pain,” Carlo said.

Carlo’s second season was challenging as he struggled to find the consistency that propelled him through his rookie season. The worst of it came when he sustained the injury March 31 against the Florida Panthers, a guarantee that he’d miss the postseason for the second consecutive year because of an injury.

“My experience in the NHL so far, it’s been two years where I’m watching the playoffs in the press box and it’s hard for me and I want to put that past me and focus on this next year,” Carlo said. “I’m really damn excited about what we have going forward. I’m here and feeling well so I'm just excited to about that opportunity.”

The Bruins will be looking for Carlo to showcase his confidence and physicality when training camp begins. It’s crowded along the Bruins blue line after adding Moore, the veteran Devils defenseman, on a five-year deal this summer. Bruce Cassidy will enter the season with eight defensemen on the NHL roster, though Torey Krug is also recovering after breaking his ankle in the playoffs against the Lightning.

“I’m going to do everything I can to help this team in the lineup every night,” Carlo said. “I think it’s a pretty big compliment to be a part of this group and I know I’m a part of it, so I want to come in, have a fire and go for it.”