Jakub Zboril heard from Daniel Vladar, a fellow Boston Bruins prospect and goaltender, that Providence is a "beautiful place," but outside of that, he admits his knowledge of Rhode Island’s capital city is limited.
He’s about to get far more acquainted with it, though, as the blueliner will make the jump from three years with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs to life in the AHL for the 2017-18 season. A B’s first rounder in 2015, Zboril said he’s in for a lifestyle change, going from a billet family to a 20-year-old trying to kick his professional career into second gear.
"It’s going to be interesting," Zboril said at Warrior Ice Arena at Boston’s recent development camp. "I’ll have to find a place to live, buy a car maybe. I’ve never done that and lived alone. This year I will have to. I don’t really know what to expect, but I’m looking forward to it and am excited for next season."
Those nerves are to be expected somewhat, but Zboril, according to Jamie Langenbrunner, Boston’s player development coordinator, has made significant strides. For one, he played on the 2016 and 2017 World Junior Championship teams for his native Czech Republic, then advanced to the semifinals of the Memorial Cup this past year.
"The maturation process he’s gone through this year from rookie camp to the end of the year has been fantastic," Langenbrunner said. "You see it in the way that he integrates himself into the group now and the way he’s turned into a leader. I think it came from him, one, getting more comfortable with the language and the culture."
Part of the increased comfort, Zboril said, is switching his mentality on the ice.
"When I played really physical in past years, sometimes my mind got clouded and I just wanted to be hitting everyone," Zboril said. "Now I just want to play hockey. This past year, I tried to limit that and keep my energy for joining rushes and making better passes, keeping my head clear."
And if Zboril does just that, it will help him possibly be the next young defenseman to make the jump onto Causeway Street. Last year, a 20-year-old Brandon Carlo and a 19-year-old Charlie McAvoy emerged as key cogs for the Black and Gold, and now Langenbrunner said it’s up to Zboril to get to Boston "as fast as possible when he’s ready."
There’s no strict timetable on that ascension, but Zboril made it clear: He wants in on general manager Don Sweeney’s youth movement.
"When I saw Brandon Carlo got a chance to play a full NHL season with the Bruins, I was thinking, ‘Hey, I’m a good player too. If I keep working hard, maybe I’ll get a chance,’" Zboril said. "I’m really looking forward to that challenge to push myself forward and work the hardest I ever have. Let’s see what happens."
TWEET OF THE MONTH
‘Happy Fourth of July!! Proud to call myself an American and blessed to have worn the colors with pride.’
@CMcAvoy44 (Charlie McAvoy) celebrating America’s 241st birthday
THE DATE
Sept. 7: Rookie camp opens, followed by main camp opening a week later, Sept. 14
THE NUMBER
52: Points by the B’s Anders Bjork in 2016-17 for Notre Dame, which was the ninth-most in college hockey.
THE NOTEBOOK
Austin Czarnik, on July 18, signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $675,000 at the NHL level. Last year, the 24-year-old center played 49 games in Boston, tallying 13 points via five goals and eight assists. Also a University of Miami (Ohio) alumnus, Czarnik skated 22 times last season with the Providence Bruins, amassing 23 points. …
On the goaltender front, Boston announced on July 14 that Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban had each resigned to two-year, two-way contracts worth $650,000 at the NHL level. During 2016-17, McIntyre compiled a 21-6-1 record down in Providence to go alongside a 2.03 goalsagainst average and .930 save percentage. Subban, meanwhile, accumulated a 11-14-1 record with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage across the same span. …
On July 5, the Bruins signed forward Tim Schaller (Merrimack, N.H.) to a oneyear contract worth $775,000. Last year, his first in Boston, Schaller set NHL career highs with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. The 26-year-old, a Providence College product, will be entering his fifth professional season. …
With fans yearning for a free-agency splash, general manager Don Sweeney opted for smaller-profile moves on the open market. One was inking forward Kenny Agostino, the AHL’s MVP in 2016-17, to a one-way contract worth $875,000. An integral part of Yale’s national title in 2013, Agostino notched a league-leading 83 points for the Chicago Wolves last year. Bolstering the defensive corps, Boston also signed Paul Postma, a right-handed defenseman who last played for the Winnipeg Jets, to a one-way deal worth $725,000. The last deal was resigning forward Jordan Szwarz, who scored 54 points last year with the Providence Bruins. Szwarz’s deal is a two-way contract worth $650,000 at the NHL level.
