The Boston Bruins opened their annual rookie camp at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday. They’ll have one more day of practice in Brighton before heading out to Buffalo for this weekend’s Prospects Challenge.
One intriguing prospect who is taking part in his first rookie camp is Dans Locmelis, a fourth-round pick in 2022. The 21-year-old forward had good but not great production as a sophomore at UMass last year, posting 33 points (8 goals, 25 assists) in 40 games. But it’s what he did after the Minutemen’s season ended that really turned some heads.
Locmelis turned pro and proceeded to explode for 12 points in six regular-season games for AHL Providence. He was quieter in the playoffs (1 point in 4 games), but then left to go play for his home country of Latvia in the IIHF World Championships.
Locmelis led the team with four goals in seven games and was second in points with six. Playing on a team that was not nearly as talented as the traditional hockey powers, he found himself getting matched up against the likes of Sidney Crosby when Latvia faced off with Canada, and earned praise from the all-time great after that game.
“I just realized I can play at this level,” Locmelis said of that experience. “You play against the Canadian team with NHL players, I felt like I can keep up with them. Maybe not dominate them yet, but I feel like I can play at their level.”
It wasn’t Locmelis’ first pinch-me moment at Worlds, either. In 2023, he was part of a Latvia team that captured bronze – the country’s first-ever IIHF medal of any kind. The team was welcomed home by 50,000 fans in the streets of Riga, Latvia’s capital.
The way Locmelis finished the 2024-25 season has seen him rise in prospect rankings, with The Athletic’s Corey Pronman recently ranking him the No. 3 prospect in the organization behind only James Hagens and Fraser Minten (more on him next). His playmaking, hockey IQ, work ethic and performance against pros to date could make him an NHL third-liner in the not-too-distant future.
Whether Locmelis is ready to make that kind of push now will be determined over the next month in training camp and preseason games, but the Bruins are pleased with what they’ve seen so far.
“Seeing Dans run the power play [in Providence] and have some success there, it shows,” Sweeney said. “In the World Championships, on the Latvia team, he doesn’t play in those roles for the most part. He’s played a little more of a checking role against the Sidney Crosbys of the world. So, it’s exciting to see guys be able to elevate at a young age, albeit he’s inexperienced at the NHL level. He’ll play his first exhibition games this camp. It’s his first pro camp, but he’s been around pro players, so I think it’ll serve him well.”
Minten a mild surprise on rookie camp roster
Perhaps the most surprising name on the Bruins’ roster for rookie camp and the prospects challenge is Fraser Minten. The 21-year-old center already has a full pro season under his belt, including 25 NHL games (19 with Toronto, six with Boston after being acquired in March in the Brandon Carlo trade). Minten also went through three rookie camps with Toronto since being drafted 38th overall in 2022.
Normally, a player with that kind of experience might be considered a bit overqualified for rookie camp. But Minten said Sweeney wanted him there and he was happy to oblige.
“I wasn’t here for development camp [in July] even though there were a lot of guys my age that were at that. So, instead of doing that, kind of get familiar here,” Minten said. “I haven’t been here for a while, so for me, and for them, they haven’t seen me play a ton – not as much as other young guys. So, just gives them an extra chance to get a look at me and my game.”
Of all the Bruins’ young forwards hoping to crack the opening night lineup, Minten may be the one with a leg up on the competition thanks to his defensive smarts and sturdy frame (6-foot-2, 195 pounds). That alone gives him a higher floor than smaller, more offensive-minded players like Matt Poitras and Fabian Lysell. It’s not hard to envision Minten holding his own as third-line center as early as the start of this season.
What Minten’s ceiling is remains to be seen, though. He has not flashed a ton of offensive production as a pro yet, tallying 20 points in 37 AHL games and five in the 25 NHL games. If he starts the season in Providence and/or spends significant time there this season, part of the hope would be for him to further develop his offensive game at that level rather than trying to do so against NHL competition.
“Get some more goals and generate some more offense,” Minten said when asked where his offensive game needs to go. “I think I’m pretty good in transition getting pucks from the D-zone into the O-zone. And then from there, probably being a little more dangerous off the cycle and off chances like that. I think just being more than a rush threat. Just trying to be more of a guy who can make plays one-on-one and use teammates and get space offensively.”
Sweeney confirms no captain to start
This was expected, but Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed at Tuesday’s Boston Bruins Foundation Golf Tournament in Plymouth that the team will begin this season without a captain wearing the ‘C.’
He does anticipate one emerging at some point, though, although there is no timeline for when that might happen.
“We've been forward with everybody and honest with everybody that we're going to start without it,” Sweeney said. “We've got a leadership group that's been meeting amongst themselves, and I think eventually somebody will emerge as the guy that should be the next captain. It comes with a lot of responsibility, so I'd like to see a little more organic, natural progression of it rather than just, with a new coach, having management or somebody… I just think those two things, if one does it without everybody being on the same page, it can become awkward. I think now we just move forward with the leadership group that's going to be established, and let Marco have his own communication with them, and let them have communication with themselves in terms of what direction they want to take this team, and who emerges as the ultimate leader and the next captain of the Boston Bruins.”
The two obvious candidates to eventually wear the ‘C’ are Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak. McAvoy has been tagged with the “future captain” label since his early days in the NHL, but it was Pastrnak who guided the team through tough times both on and off the ice after last season’s trade deadline firesale and earned praise from teammates and team staff alike. McAvoy, unfortunately, was not an everyday presence as he rehabbed a season-ending shoulder injury.
It seems the Bruins want to see how McAvoy and Pastrnak lead together and who emerges as more of the leading voice before making a final call on who gets the ‘C.’ That is certainly understandable, but make no mistake: They will have to make that call at some point. NHL teams rarely go any kind of prolonged period of time without a captain – maybe one season at most.
Hampus Lindholm ready to go after long recovery
After McAvoy and Pastrnak, one Bruin who is a strong candidate to wear the third alternate captain’s ‘A’ is Hampus Lindholm, who is ready to hit the ground running after missing the final 65 games last season with a fractured kneecap.
Lindholm’s recovery took much long than initially anticipated. He actually briefly returned to practice at one point last season, but then needed a follow-up procedure on the knee that officially ended his season. He finally got back on the ice in June and says he’s feeling good now.
“I feel good in my body,” Lindholm said. “Put in a lot of work this summer. I’ve had some treatments in Stockholm. Been going to see a guy that’s helped me a lot with my injuries in the past, Vladimir. Just been really fortunate to have a lot of good people around me. It’s a lot of work, but that gives me confidence coming into the season that I put in all the work in the summer. So, just more excitement to go out and show what kind of player I’m going to be this year.”
It can’t be overstated how important it is for the 2025-26 Bruins to have Lindholm and McAvoy – their clear top two defensemen – not just healthy, but also playing at the level they’re capable of. That combined with a Jeremy Swayman bounce-back would go a long way towards Marco Sturm’s mission of re-establishing the Bruins’ defensive identity.
Door open for PTOs
In each of the last two seasons, the Bruins have had a veteran come into training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) and eventually earn an NHL contract (Danton Heinen in 2023 and Tyler Johnson last year).
With training camp set to begin on Sept. 17, the Bruins have not yet extended any PTO invites for this year. That could change, though.
“We’re monitoring that market,” Sweeney said Tuesday. “Right now we’re perfectly fine with what we have, but we have spoken to some players that we feel would provide even more competition amongst our group.”
If the Bruins do decide to bring anyone in on a PTO, we should gets news of it in the next few days.
RIP, Rick Kuraly
One Bruins offseason addition who has not been around for the past week is Sean Kuraly. Sadly, there’s a good reason for that: His father, Rick, passed away on Sept. 4 at the age of 65 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Rick Kuraly was a heck of a hockey player in his own right. He still holds the Miami (Ohio) University program record for goals, scoring 101 in four seasons from 1979-83. Sean Kuraly followed in his father’s footsteps, playing four seasons at Miami from 2012-16 before beginning his first stint with the Bruins.
Condolences to the Kuraly family.
Bruins racking up hole-in-ones
On a lighter note, Bruins defenseman Henri Jokiharju on Tuesday recorded the first-ever hole-in-one in the 22-year history of the annual Boston Bruins Foundation Golf Tournament.
Believe it or not, he’s not the first Bruins defenseman to notch a hole-in-one this summer. Nikita Zadorov did so in Florida just a couple weeks ago.
If that’s not a sign that Zadorov-Jokiharju should be a D pair, as they were down the stretch last season, I don’t know what is.