David Pastrnak Adjusting To Life In NHL

Boston Bruins rookie David Pastrnak is adjusting to life in the NHL about as smoothly as Peter Chiarelli and Claude Julien had hoped. After being drafted just six months ago, Pastrnak who has been one who isn’t shy shooting the puck, in fact the in the last three games he’s shot the puck 12 times. The confidence the youngster has is beaming and this road trip may be a trip where he starts opening up some eyes.

The winger Pastrnak has not registered a goal in his four career NHL games but his presence has certainly been felt on the ice, his consistent pressure shooting the puck has resulted in defenders giving him a bit of a rough treatment. During this West Coast road trip the Bruins have faced Anaheim and Los Angeles so far, and both teams have defensemen who can inflict pain if needed. Guys like Cam Fowler for the Ducks and Drew Doughty for the Kings are just two of the defensemen who made their presence felt on young Pastrnak.

More from Chowder and Champions

In an interview with Joe Haggerty, Pastrnak described his mentality regarding the physical play:

"“I don’t care if I get hit, you know? Sometimes it’s even going to help me. I just need to play my game. If I cared that anybody hit me then I couldn’t play hockey. It’s hockey.”"

That sort of mature mentality has to be appreciated within the Bruins dressing room and front office, who have seen plenty of guys come and go who maybe did not have that same mentality (see Seguin, Tyler). With just five games remaining before the Bruins must decide whether he will stay with the Bruins, go down to Providence or head back home to Sweden. But it seems the front office, and more importantly Claude Julien feels the youngster may have a place in Beantown. Julien commented on Pastrnaks’ progress so far in the NHL and he complemented him on his ability to adjust to the style of play:

"I thought that was a really good test for him, and I liked the way he handled that. He finished stronger than he started, so that was a good sign for a young player."

For the Bruins, Pastrnak’s offensive aggression needs to spread throughout the whole team if they want to grab their first win on the West Coast. Granted they scored two goals against Anaheim and were shut out by Los Angeles, the pressure that the forwards need to take is apparent and when that happens the Bruins are sure to get plenty of scoring opportunities off of good shots and second chance opportunities. With stars like David Krejci and Zdeno Chara out of the lineup, this is the chance for some of the other Bruins to step up their gameplay and prove they belong in the NHL.

Young David Pastrnak is certainly taking the most of his chances. He and the Bruins will have a chance to grab their first win during this West Coast trip Thursday night as they face the San Jose Sharks at 10:30pm.

Home/Boston Bruins