Fraser Minten, the youngest Bruin to make the team out of camp, picked quite the moment to score his first goal of the season, finishing off a 2-on-1 in overtime Thursday night to lift Boston to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
After the game, the 21-year-old center talked about the opportunity to play a role in Boston to start the season and what facets of his game he’s focusing on the most in the early going.
“Obviously it's different than the AHL, but nice to come in and play in it right away out of camp like that,” Minten said. “I feel like I've been doing it for two months now, so I'm used to it.”
"I have room to continue to get better at everything,” he added. “For me, faceoffs, being good defensively, it's going to be big to get out there and get D-zone starts and get out there on the PK.”
Minten’s goal Thursday was just the fourth of his young 27-game career. Just two games into what could be his first season as a full-time NHLer, Minten has already brought positive attention to himself for his steady defensive presence and his impact offensively.
Minten, who came over to the Bruins last trade deadline from Toronto, spent a majority of his games in the AHL last season and wasn’t a lock to start in the NHL this year.
Following a strong training camp, Minten won a spot in Boston’s opening night lineup as the Bruins’ third-line center, beating out other forwards like Matt Poitras, Matej Blumel and Fabian Lysell for limited bottom-six roles.
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told Minten he was impressed with Minten’s work ethic and training camp performance. “The reason I’m going to let you start in Boston -- it’s all you,” Sturm told Minten in an episode of “Behind the B” when the Bruins trimmed down to their final roster before the season.
So far, Sturm’s faith that Minten was ready to handle a demanding center role has paid off.
“I think he can feel it, that I have been trusting him a lot in all situations, 5-on-5 and on the PK,” Sturm said after Minten’s performance on Thursday. “He’s a kid who knows what he wants and does it really well, and good for him that he got rewarded today.”
Minten’s ability to penalty kill may have helped set him apart from other bubble players when the Bruins were making their final roster cuts. And so far, Minten says he feels really comfortable and likes the aggressive style the penalty kill plays this year.
Bruins top-line center Elias Lindholm commented on Minten’s impact Thursday night: “He’s a really good kid. He has a lot of respect for the game and for his teammates. He's a good kid, and we love seeing him do well.”
Minten and the third line were on the ice for two of the Bruins’ four goals on Thursday to help the team improve to 2-0-0. When talking about the dynamic of his line with Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont, Minten said, “They're pesky, reliable, hard-working, and they don't really make too many errors out there, so it's easy to play with them.”
And, Sturm said he’s been pleased with what his third line has done so far.
“They play very simple,” he said. “They like to grind. They like to work defensively. They’re defensively responsible. They are killers for me. So right now, they do exactly what I want from a third line.”