BOSTON –– Marco Sturm noticed Matt Poitras before the Boston Bruins took the ice to open training camp this week.
Poitras caught the new head coach’s attention during testing, Sturm said. After using the summer to focus on gaining muscle, the hours in the gym seem to be paying off for Poitras.
“He was one of the better guys, or the fittest guys. He came in knowing that he put a lot of work in during the summer. I think that translates on the ice, too,” Sturm said. “That only gives me something exciting about this kind of player because he put in the work during the summer.”
The 21-year-old split last season between the NHL and AHL. He posted 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 40 games with Providence, and 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 33 games with Boston.
Poitras will be in the lineup for the Bruins’ first preseason game Sunday at TD Garden against the Washington Capitals, aiming to prove he is “ready to be a full-time NHL player.” He is expected to center the second line between Matêj Blümel and Alex Steeves.
“Build confidence and play the way I want to play,” Poitras said of his goals for the preseason showings. “For me, I’m a puck possession guy and I want to make plays. But I need to be a bit more responsible in the neutral zone and the D zone and check a bit more. Use my body.”
It has helped, too, that Poitras was not held back by injury this offseason. The 2022 second-round pick underwent shoulder surgery in February 2024 and took some time to recover from it.
“Obviously, coming off shoulder surgery, sometimes it’s tough. When you first get back into game action, it doesn’t feel 100% and sometimes you’re second-guessing yourself,” Poitras said. “But after having a full season last year and a full summer of training, it feels good.”
Sturm has started Poitras at center for training camp, but told the forward to “be ready to play both.” The head coach also said he will mix veterans with younger players throughout the preseason to help the learning process.
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