Jack Studnicka makes NHL debut against Canadiens
"Listen, you are an offensive guy, you want to get your first NHL point," said coach Bruce Cassidy. "So, that’s out of the way.’’
MONTREAL — Jack Studnicka went full-immersion here Tuesday night, dropped into the Bruins’ lineup for his NHL debut, Boston’s quick fix with Patrice Bergeron again requiring time off to rest a nagging groin/core injury.
Studnicka, 20, lined up at center, his natural position, on a trio with Jake DeBrusk (LW) and Charlie Coyle (RW) in the Bruins’ 8-1 win over the Canadiens. He picked up his first career point at 17:58 of the third, dishing out from the goal line for Danton Heinen to provide the 8-1 dagger. Studnicka finished with 18 shifts, a respectable 14:30 in ice time, and won an impressive 8 of 12 faceoffs on a night when the Bruins broke even at the dot.
“I think as the game went on I got more comfortable,’’ he said. “I don’t think my polish was where I wanted it to be, or expected it to be. The boys made it easy on me, scored a couple of early goals and we just kept going from there.’’
Coach Bruce Cassidy felt Studnicka looked behind the playing pace initially but that he picked it up through the game.
“Looked like he was a little nervous, when to handle the puck, when to attack,’’ noted Cassidy. “But as the game went on he still battled in the faceoff circle, which was good for us. Defensively, I thought he was trying to be on the right side of pucks. I know it’s a meaningless goal for us at the end, but for him it’s very meaningful — he gets an assist. Listen, you are an offensive guy, you want to get your first NHL point. So, that’s out of the way.’’
Leading up to the game, Cassidy wanted Coyle’s bigger frame (6 feet 3 inches, 220 pounds) out there to do some of the heavy work (faceoffs, boards, etc.) that he anticipated could be a challenge for the smaller–framed rookie (6-1, 171).
Cassidy expressed some reluctance in shifting Coyle from center to wing, in part because he has helped galvanize an effective third line as the pivot for Anders Bjork and Heinen. Shifting Coyle to the wing has a way of minimizing his skill set, particularly his keen ability to hold on to the puck in the offensive zone, which often helps to create more pressure and scoring chances.
“I think he’ll do that for Jack, too, to be honest with you,’’ noted Cassidy, prior to puck drop. “I don’t think it will change. You’re just lining up at a different spot. But I still think we are going to ask him to provide the possession metrics on that line — see how it plays out.’’
Cassidy also had a backup plan if the ask proved too big for Studnicka. He planned to bump Studnicka down a line and pair him with Bjork and Heinen. In that scenario, Coyle would move back to his pivot spot with DeBrusk on his left and Joakim Nordstrom installed on his off wing.
The Bruins are smitten with Studnicka, their second-round pick, No. 53, in the 2017 draft. They particularly like his puck and thinking skills, which had Cassidy Tuesday morning suggesting he could be a prime candidate to head the Black and Gold’s next generation at center when it’s time for David Krejci, 33, and Bergeron, 34, to head for the back porches and rocking chairs of their choice.
“Obviously, we have a projection for him,’’ said Cassidy, his club now riding a four-game winning streak. “I don’t think we’ve made any bones about it, you know, at some point he’s the next wave after Bergy and Krech — hopefully that’s a long way down the road. Maybe he pushes his way in now . . . or in the near future . . . that’s what’s in front of him, and hopefully now he just focuses on one shift at a time.’’
Studnicka was Providence’s top point producer (9-9—18) when general manager Don Sweeney phoned him Sunday night to tell him to be at Monday’s varsity workout in Brighton. It gave Studnicka time to round up friends and family, a nine-member entourage — including parents and stepparents — who were in the stands to witness his debut. They traveled from Michigan and Ontario, the trip made a little more difficult because of Thanksgiving travel.
“Sorry for that,’’ said a smiling Studnicka, acknowledging the timing of his debut made traveling a bit sticky for a few in his coterie. Sweeney has been impressed by Studnicka since seeing him in his initial development and rookie camps in 2017. Similar to Bergeron from the start as a teenager, Studnicka has a presence on the ice, a knack for scoping out the right places to be at the right times, and the quick-processing skills that lead to smart passing options or shooting opportunities.
But while intrigued by all that, and eager to see how it would translate in Studnicka’s first game, Sweeney expressed anxiety about dropping a first-year pro, one with only 21 AHL games to his credit, into the deep end of the pool. It doesn’t get much deeper than Bruins-Habs in the Bell Centre.
“You can have young players who are seriously impactful, not just on your own team but on the whole league,’’ said Sweeney, noting how the game in recent years has seen more greenhorned kids thrive on the big stage. “You used to get one or two of those, right? And that would be over the course of a couple of years. Now you are getting one or two almost a year. That is a huge shift.’’
With the success of teenagers and 20-year-olds as a backdrop, upside expectations change. Fans, and in some cases GMs and coaches, run the risk of being left deflated, even disillusioned, when a young player doesn’t light it up from the start.
“We’re all very concerned about it,’’ said Sweeney, who prefers prospects to be overprepared for the NHL when they arrive. “I’m not going to tell you I am not concerned about Jack — I am concerned. His development time has not been enough, but . . . you look at it, he’s been the best player [in Providence] for a little while, highly productive. We have a situation we think we can put him in, potentially thrive, and now it’s up to him.’’
Studnicka entered the night aware that his lack of strength could be an issue. He gained a sense of that in the preseason, and he reported to Providence with a goal to fill out playing skills that would help him cope in a man’s game while his kid’s body catches up to the demand.
“Especially in the offensive zone, going against defensemen in the NHL,’’ he said. “They’ve got good sticks. They’re big. They’re strong. You need to find ways to get around that, and luckily, I think I have.’’
Language lesson
Cassidy grew up in Ottawa and learned French at home, from a mother raised here speaking French first, and throughout his school years.
If necessary, one Boston wag kidded him, could he speak French exclusively to put a team through an on-ice workout?
“Uh, no, I need to practice,’’ said Cassidy, a clutch of French-speaking media members surrounding him after the Bruins’ morning workout. “Je dois pratiquer (translation: I have to practice). I need to practice, and Bergy’s not here.’’
A number of the locals praised his French accent.
Wait and see
No telling when Bergeron returns to action. He will not be on the ice with the Bruins Wednesday night in Ottawa. The club has a day off Thursday, followed by Friday’s matinee on Causeway Street against the Rangers. About to play his 1,050th NHL game, Bergeron isn’t the typical case — but typically Cassidy would not want to activate a player who has missed two games and not been able to get in a full practice . . . Torey Krug, who assisted on two goals, finished the night plus-4, along with backline partner Brandon Carlo (one assist) . . . In their 9-2 win here in October 1998, the Bruins scored five times on the power play, compared with only two here (DeBrusk and David Pastrnak) . . . Jaroslav Halak stopped all eight shots that Brendan Gallagher landed on net, the game high for all shooters. Pastrnak and Brad Marchand led the way for the Bruins with four shots apiece . . . Chris Wagner lost 7 of his 8 faceoffs . . . Another forward, Brendan Gaunce, came up Monday with Studnicka, in case Par Lindholm (leg laceration) couldn’t suit up vs. the Habs. With Lindholm good to go, Gaunce was a press-box designee . . . Todd Studnicka, Jack’s dad, played four seasons on
Shawn Walsh’s University of Maine Black Bears. Bruins radio analyst Bob Beers, there for two of those seasons, remembers Todd as a shorter, stouter version of Jack. “More a checking center,’’ recalled Beers, “and a bit of a nasty stick at times.’’ . . . The two players the Habs picked up from St. Louis in the June 2010 swap that sent Halak, originally their draft pick, to the Blues: Ian Schultz and Lars Eller. Schultz never made it to the show. Eller wears a Cup ring with the Capitals.
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