Bruins Notebook: How a move to North America might benefit one of Bruins’ rising star prospects in Oskar Steen & more

On a Development Camp roster headlined by prospects like Jack Studnicka, John Beecher and Jakub Lauko, it can be easy to overlook someone like Oskar Steen. 

There was little fanfare when the Bruins selected the Swedish forward in the sixth round (165th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, with the 5-foot-9 forward splitting time between the junior and second division of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for most of 2015. 

Boston played the waiting game when it came to Steen, giving him three more seasons in Sweden to let him develop his game. Finally making it up to the pro level of the SHL in 2017-18, Steen took his lumps against the top competition his home country had to offer — tallying just six points over 45 games. 

His second run-through in 2018-19, however, was a different story. 

The 21-year-old Steen closed out his final campaign overseas with one of the most surprising year-over-year spurts in production in Europe, ranking 10th overall in scoring in the SHL with 17 goals and 37 total points over 46 games with Färjestad BK. 



While that scoring total may not stand out given what other B’s prospects accrued in their respective seasons (83 points in 60 GP for Studnicka, for example), Steen’s effort might trump just about every other skater in Boston’s pipeline of young talent, given the competition he faced in the SHL. 

Whereas players like Studnicka and Lauko racked up points against skaters and netminders aged 16-21 in the CHL, Steen was routinely dominating against teams stacked with players a decade or so older than him. When glancing at the nine scoring leaders in front of Steen in the SHL, they boasted an average age of 30.2. The closest player in age to Steen among that crop of skaters (Konstantin Komarek, sixth place with 39 points) is 26. For Steen to be playing at this level in a league like that is certainly an impressive feat. 

Once an undervalued sixth-round pick, Steen has seen his stock soar over the past year, and now could very well be pushing for a job up in the NHL ranks as soon as this season.

The competition might be more daunting here in North America. But if you ask Bruins player development coordinator Jamie Langenbrunner, a move overseas could raise Steen’s ceiling even higher. 



While a shifty skater like Steen often uses his speed and deception to get inside against opposing skaters and generate quality looks in the O-zone, Steen doesn’t believe his size will be much of a detriment up at the next level in his pro career.

“I think the best defender in the playoffs for Boston was (Torey) Krug,” Steen said Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena. “I don’t think (size is) a big problem anymore.”

But even with Steen’s smaller frame, Langenbrunner noted that the young forward is more than willing to throw his weight around and battle for pucks along the boards. While players in Europe often benefit from a large sheet of ice, a smaller playing surface should offer the best of both worlds for a player like Steen that can provide both a bit of muscle and skill when he’s out for a shift.

“I think his development has gone exactly how we hoped,” Langenbrunner said. “You’ve seen the transformation of his body is from a little boy a few years ago to a man now. His game this year, he was a very good player in that league, top 10 in scoring. I think his competitiveness, his willingness to get inside of people, will translate to his game here probably better than playing on the big sheet over there.

“I think he’ll be a very effective player for us in Providence to start. And we’ll see how quickly he can translate that and get himself on the radar for Butchy and the guys up here.”

While he primarily played center during his early years over in the SHL, both Steen and Langenbrunner noted that Boston will likely give him some extended reps on the wing, especially as he looks to hit the ground running this year down with Providence.

The AHL will be a great starting point for Steen after inking his entry-level contract with the Bruins in May, but a full season down in Providence isn’t exactly the goal.

With a vacancy currently festering on the wing in Boston’s top-six corps, Steen is certainly not taking himself out of the running for the spot. After all, a player in a similar position as him was skating with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk during Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. 

“You look at Karson Kuhlman, he was here last year (at development camp) and the year before and now he played in the Stanley Cup Final,” Steen said. “He had a really good season.”

What’s stopping Steen for following a similar trajectory in 2019-20? Given his track record as of late, it’d be unwise to overlook him.

Off the ice

While the Bruins are set to showcase a number of top prospects during on-ice drills and scrimmages during its three-day development camp, three noteworthy names will not be found out on the sheet at Warrior Ice Arena.

While all three are accounted for and participating in camp, forwards Jack Studnicka and Jakub Lauko — along with goaltender Kyle Keyser — will not take to the ice at all this week. It doesn’t come as a surprise to Boston’s top brass, given the circumstances. 

For Studnicka and Keyser, who were part of the “Black Aces” group that skated throughout the Bruins’ Cup run, it’s been a long spring, with the duo only wrapping up their practices two weeks ago. Keyser, in particular, needs some rest, with Langenbrunner noting that the netminder was “a little banged up” during his time with the Aces.

Lauko, who helped the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies win the Memorial Cup in his first season over in North America, suffered an injury during the QMJHL Finals that he played through en route to a CHL title. 

“They’re going to stay off for the whole week, nothing surprising. ...  They’re still going to spend some time in the weight room and with the nutrition people and doing stuff there and being around the guys,” Langenbrunner said. “They all want to come and still be part of the group, which is a testament to those kids that that’s what they wanted to do.”

Kampfer talks return to Bruins:

The case could be made that Steven Kampfer could have carved out a consistent, solid role on the third pairing of an NHL club in 2019-20, with the veteran blueliner expected to hit free agency on July 1 after appearing in 35 games with Boston in a depth role this past year. 

But Kampfer didn’t wait until July to sign the dotted line, as the B’s announced Tuesday that the defenseman agreed to a two-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of $800,000. 

While more playing time might have been guaranteed elsewhere next season, Kampfer noted on Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena that he expected a similar scenario to play out wherever he opted to sign for next season. If all things were equal in that regard, a return to Boston stood as the logical choice. 

“You can always weigh the options, but I think anywhere you go, you still got to prove yourself all over again,” Kampfer said. “I want to prove myself to the Boston Bruins again. … “I’ve had open and honest conversations with the coaches and the staff. It’s show up and compete for a job come September. Whatever they ask of me, we go from there. If it’s doing the same thing this year, then I understand that. I would like to play, but you have to earn that and play. You’re here to support the team and be the best team guy and the best person you can be.”

Bruins announce qualifying offers

The Bruins made some moves ahead of the NHL’s deadline to extend qualifying offers to its crop of restricted free agents, with the club announcing Wednesday that it has sent offers to: 

Charlie McAvoy
Brandon Carlo
Danton Heinen
Peter Cehlarik
Ryan Fitzgerald
Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson

The lone RFA that Boston did not extend an offer to was Gemel Smith. 

If these players reject their QO, which are good for a year and feature a salary under $1 million, Boston will still hold their negotiating rights over said players due to their RFA status. 

No shock here, but McAvoy, Carlo and Heinen will certainly not agree to their QOs. However, Boston will look to hammer out new contracts with all three NHL products once the free-agency frenzy begins in the next couple of days.