BOSTON –– Amidst the whirlwind that is NHL training camp, Fraser Minten has a certain calm about him.
The 21-year-old forward tied his mindset back to one thing.
“I believe in myself – and I think everyone should,” Minten said. “I believe I can play at the NHL level. Confidence and inner belief is high.”
Minten was traded to Boston from the Toronto Maple Leafs in March and is now at his first camp with the organization. He played six games with the Bruins at the end of last season, scoring one goal. In 11 AHL games with Providence, he had seven points (three goals, four assists).
The center, who has skated at his natural position through the first week of practices, is trying to soak up lessons from the veterans around him in his pursuit of an NHL roster spot. Minten will have another chance to show what he has learned Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden as the Bruins take on the New York Rangers at 7 p.m. in their second preseason game.
“It’s always cool to be around NHL players. It’s where you want to be and the environment you want to be in, with elite guys like that,” Minten said. “Just take away their work habits and see what they do. Try to emulate it so you can be one of them.”
Minten mentioned Tanner Jeannot as one of the older players who has helped him through camp. While this is Jeannot’s first season with the Bruins – he signed a five-year deal with Boston in July – the 28-year-old has six years of NHL experience to share. Minten is also getting to know new head coach Marco Sturm.
“It’s a system I played before coming here, pretty much to a T, so I am used to it and familiar with it,” Minten said of the center responsibilities under Sturm. “A little more holding in smart spots instead of going back and forth and up and down in the D-zone for the centers.”
Minten knows he needs to use the preseason exhibition games to prove that Sturm can trust him in all areas of the ice.
“I think it will be reliability for me,” Minten said. “Just being smart, working hard. If you’re playing that third line, fourth line role, your goal is to be responsible defensively – that first. Take care of your line, get the puck out of your D-zone and don’t let anything go in.”
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