LEOMINSTER — He’s played a whopping nine games of professional hockey in his young career, but Jack Studnicka rarely resembles a reserved, fresh-faced rookie when he’s asked to size himself up against NHL competition.
“I think that should be everybody’s goal,” Studnicka said during Bruins development camp of potentially cracking the NHL roster this year. “You come into camp, you want to win a job. That was the goal my first year, that was my goal last year, that’s my goal this year.”
The 2018-19 Bruins featured 12 players aged 25 or under that logged at least 20 games played, but even with youngsters like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Jake DeBrusk and more already thriving — another wave of young talent seems ready to break over the organization just in time for training camp, with Studnicka leading the way up front.
There’s a lot to like about Studnicka’s game. Still just 20 years old, the 2017 second-round pick was a dynamic offensive presence at the pivot for both Oshawa and Niagara in the OHL last season, tallying 36 goals and 83 total points over 60 games played. He’ll need to bulk up a bit (172 pounds), but at 6-foot-2, the Windsor, Ontario native projects as a sturdy pivot with top-six potential in due time.
Speaking with
BostonSportsJournal.com
last week during a Bruins FanFest event in Leominster, Studnicka once again reiterated his desire to fight for one of the many vacancies currently available up front on the Bruins’ roster.
But amid all of the hype that comes with his standing as Boston’s most dynamic forward prospect, Studnicka was candid when it came his outlook on what should be a cutthroat training camp.
“
They just kind of said to come to camp and play my game,” Studnicka said of the Bruins’ message to him during exit interviews. “That’s kind of how I look at it, too. I kind of just want to worry about what I can control. What I can control is going to camp, working as hard as I can and trying to play as good as I can.
I think I’m an offensive player. I think I can contribute to offense, but at the same time, kind of be trusted in all three zones. Play a 200-foot game, a hard-working game while adding in that
offense.”
Studnicka, who has primarily trained in Michigan this summer, has emphasized both mobility and strength as key focus areas in his offseason regimen — one that was largely abridged due to the young forward spending most of May and June serving as one of Boston’s Black Aces during the B’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.
His primary role over those months was mainly to keep his legs fresh in case of a major injury emergency with the big club. But sharing a locker room and interacting with stalwarts such as Bergeron and Krejci gave Studnicka an extended preview as to what might await him in the NHL if things fall his way come September.
“I think in that room, for some of the veteran players, they talk about it — it doesn’t matter what age you are and what your status is,” Studnicka said of Boston’s current roster. “As long as you come to the rink, you’re doing what you should be doing and working hard. You’re going to be alright. To see such good veterans and leaders relay that message, it definitely makes me feel a lot more comfortable.”
Of course, for all the talk of Studnicka’s playmaking ability, leadership qualities and more — the main determinant in the youngster’s odds of cracking the roster hinges more on the names hovering above him on the organization’s depth chart than his own tantalizing potential.
A potential shift to the wing (and top-six minutes) for
Charlie Coyle
could lead to another 3C battle in camp — of which Studnicka would likely stand as one of the favorites amid a crowded field including
Trent Frederic
and
Sean Kuraly
.
But based on
Don Sweeney’s
comments to BSJ last week, it would
An offensive-minded center like Studnicka could very well get his break in the NHL on the wing to start his career — akin to most of
Tyler Seguin’s
tenure in Boston. That switch in positions might be prescribed for a center like
Oskar Steen
this training camp, but Sweeney did note back in late June that a similar trajectory for Studnicka might not be the best course.
