Matthew Poitras took Bruins training camp by storm last season, earning a spot on the NHL roster in Boston. The then 19-year-old rookie competed in 33 games before shoulder surgery cut short his campaign in February.
Fast-forward to training camp, which began earlier this week. Poitras is once again battling for a roster spot with the big club, and he has no intention of slowing down.
“I want to be here,” Poitras told reporters on Thursday, per the team. “I want to be able to show that I belong here and that they really don’t have a choice — you gotta keep me here.”
Poitras added to his case when he stepped into the top center position with Elias Lindholm missed practice on Friday and the Bruins annual Black and Gold Scrimmage on Satruday. The 20-year-old second-round draft pick wasted no time getting on the board with the Bruins. Poitras collected the loose puck off the endboard, skated up ice and beat Ryan Bischel for one of the Black team’s six goals.
“Poitras had a good game,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the scrimmage, per Boston Hockey Now’s Andrew Fantucchio. “He was good around the puck. He had the puck a lot, and that’s his game, so it was good. We’ll see him on the wing, and we’ll see where he look
