Ryan: Both on and off the ice, Jake DeBrusk is exactly where he needs to be

Off the ice, Jake DeBrusk is back in his happy place — which is in the middle of, well, just about everything.

After over a year spent crammed in hotel rooms and shuttling between the rink and his apartment, DeBrusk — like many of us — has relished all of the moments, both big and small, that we took for granted in the times before the COVID-19 pandemic.  

A family gathering. A dinner with friends. A walk down the Seaport, or a stroll in the North End. 

For a social butterfly like DeBrusk, having the freedom to pursue these outlets in order to decompress and switch his mind off from the pressures of job have gone a long way toward putting last year’s struggles in the rearview mirror.

“Boston's a beautiful city and that's why I stayed after last year in the summer. Just walking outside — it’s a little different than Edmonton in the summer, that's for sure,” DeBrusk said. “So to go outside to the water and hang out with the guys, it's one of those things that I feel like everyone on the team and everyone in general is pretty antsy to do — just to get out.”

And even though a night on the town might be an effective remedy during the expected lows that every NHLer goes through over the span of an 82-game season, DeBrusk’s odds of a bounce-back campaign don’t solely hinge on his ability to finally leave the world of Zooms and virtual happy hours. (Remember those? Yuck.)

As gregarious and affable as DeBrusk is, the 25-year-old winger has never been aloof when it comes to harping on his own game — regularly offering candid musings when things have gone well on the ice … and well, not so great.

Unfortunately, it was more of the latter in 2021. But the challenges that came with the COVID-influenced conditions of last year also brought DeBrusk new perspective — both on his game and the hard truths that needed to be addressed if he wanted to remain in Boston for the foreseeable future. 

"It was a different time for everybody,” DeBrusk said last week of the two COVID-impacted seasons. “I think we all learned something about ourselves. In different ways, obviously. But it's one of the things where you want to use it to make you stronger and I pretty much buried it.”

Through what we’ve seen so far since camp opened back in September, it sure seems like DeBrusk is practicing what he preached.

Yes — off the ice, DeBrusk is exactly where he wants to be. 

And on the ice — it’s more of the same. 

When DeBrusk is on a trademark heater, his energized cellys are often more bombastic than the actual tallies themselves. Even though the quick-skating winger has the ability to pick corners and put the opposition on their heels, DeBrusk is often at his most effective when he’s keeping it simple — jamming in pucks from the blue paint, tipping home biscuits in traffic and scooping up rebounds.

It may not be flashy, but DeBrusk has the wheels and hand-eye capabilities to cash in on those Grade-A looks and second-chance bids with regularity — part of the reason why he nearly lit the lamp 30 times as a 22-year-old back in 2018-19. 

 A few encouraging preseason games and one tilt of regular-season action certainly won’t paint the picture of an entire campaign — but a refreshed and re-energized DeBrusk sure seems to be going back to basics in terms of his approach on the ice, and the results have been pouring in. 

What the Dallas Stars lack in terms of a potentially riveting product, they usually make up for it in terms of their ability to remain in a contest and accrue points in the standings — with Rick Bowness’ club routinely building a brick wall around Grade-A ice and giving up the offensive blue.

That often leads to a bevy of shots for the opponent, but not a whole lot of Grade-A chances — as was the case on Saturday night in Boston's season opener.

After failing to generate a 5v5 high-danger scoring chance in the first two periods of action (despite holding a 22-8 edge in shots on goal), the Bruins finally broke through in the third with three high-danger looks, including one from DeBrusk that gave Boston the lead for good at 4:43.

Was it an uber-skilled danglefest? Certainly not. But DeBrusk put himself in the proper spot to swat a puck past Braden Holtby — cashing in after his linemates in Erik Haula and Nick Foligno brought the puck to the front of the net. 

It was exactly the type of start that DeBrusk desperately needed after last year’s struggles — and one that Cassidy and the B’s believe that he can build off so long as he continues to adhere to the strengths of his game.

“When Jake’s in a good place, he’s got a personality, he’s a good kid, and he’s good for a locker room,” Cassidy said. “So part of being in a good place is usually you feel good about your game and tonight he should.”

It’s always great to get rewarded on the score sheet, but DeBrusk was regularly planting himself on Holtby’s doorstep Saturday night. 

This shift below from the first period is a perfect example of what the Bruins need from DeBrusk night in and night out. He drives to the net and plants himself near Holtby in case a feed from Craig Smith manages to find its way through the seam, and then tips a puck in the neutral zone that allows Boston to recover and push back into the Stars’ end of the ice. 

Add in a penalty drawn against Ryan Suter, and just about the only thing DeBrusk didn’t do here was light the lamp. Again, a shift like that won’t make many highlight reels, but string enough of them together — and the points will follow.

“It’s definitely a focus,” DeBrusk said of planting himself in Grade-A ice. “I think that’s (somewhere) that I’ve always scored goals. That’s where I’ve scored all my goals throughout my career and even my life. I’m good in front of the net, and obviously a lot (of the) right things have to happen. You need some bounces as well. Just trying to force the issue, trying to get there, not just stand in front of the net, but push the pace to attack. It’s all about an attack mentality right now.”

B’s fans who have rode the DeBrusk roller coaster before know that the challenge for the winger isn’t lighting the lamp, but rather sustaining that scoring pace over a consistent clip. Limiting those valleys in terms of his scoring contributions will go a long way toward DeBrusk fully righting the ship from last year’s struggles.

But considering where DeBrusk was —both mentally and physically — less than a year ago, seeing the winger embrace his teammates in front of a raucous Garden crowd once more on Saturday night was a reassuring sight for many in Boston's locker room. 

“Jake’s a guy that feeds off confidence and he has it right now,” Brad Marchand said. “But even the way he’s carrying himself off the ice, he has a much better energy about him and more excitement this year. He’s a guy we need to rely on if we’re going to go far. He can be such a difference maker with his speed and ability to pucks in around the net like you saw tonight.”