Bruins Notebook: Prospect Johnny Beecher bouncing back

Johnny Beecher knew something was wrong right away.

The Bruins’ 2019 first-round pick (30th overall) was taking part in preseason drills last August at the University of Michigan and when he zigged, a teammate he was locked up with zagged.

The centerman suffered labrum damage in the mishap. He tried to play through the injury but, after 16 games, Beecher’s season with the Wolverines was done. He underwent surgery to repair the torn labrum last February.

“It was just a freak accident,” said Beecher at the start of Bruins’ Development Camp on Monday. “My arm got stuck with one of the guys. He pulled one way and I pulled the other and my shoulder just subluxed. It was kind of a freak accident and it happens in this sport. I played through the year with it and dealt with it as it came and it just got to the point where we had to get it done before there was further damage.”

Beecher, who also had his World Junior Championships hopes dashed when a positive Covid test forced his removal from Team USA in December, was still showing the remnants of the shoulder injury on Monday, wearing a red non-contact jersey as the club’s prospects and camp invitees went through their paces. But he hopes to get full clearance when he returns to Ann Arbor and sees his doctor in a couple of weeks. Being ready for the start of the school season was part of his thinking when he decided to go under the knife when he did.

He said the injury didn’t really affect his timeline about when he hoped to turn pro but, after playing just 16 games in his shortened season last year (4-4-8 totals), it makes all the sense for him to return the the Wolverines for his junior season.

Another good reason is that Michigan is expected to be absolutely stacked if all their underclassmen return to campus. Four of the top five players taken in the NHL draft are Michigan men. Defenseman Owen Power went first overall to Buffalo, followed by center and Hingham native Matty Beniers at No. 2 to Seattle. Incoming freshman Luke Hughes, a defenseman, went fourth to New Jersey and center Kent Johnson went fifth to Columbus.

“It’s an exciting year coming up, for sure. We have so much skill on the front end and we have a lot of depth with our D. I’m looking forward to it. I’m coming back as a junior. I don’t know how that’s happened but the time’s flying by. I want to be a huge leader on this team, especially for the younger guys that are just getting to campus and just getting their footing,” said Beecher.

“That’s my role on the team and it’ll play out throughout the year. Hopefully it’ll be playing a shutdown role and playing top minutes with the PK and PP and just whatever I can to help the team win.”

Big things are expected of the Wolverines, and Jamie Langenbrunner, the B’s Director of Player Development, hopes it brings out the best in Beecher.

“His team next year is going to have a bit of a target on its back and it’ll be good for him to play under that scrutiny and pressure on a team that should contend for a national title. He’ll be a big part of that,” said Langenbrunner.

The first thing you notice about Beecher is his size – 6-foot-3, 210 pounds – until he steps on the ice. He can fly, especially for a big man. Whether he can play in the Bruins’ top six – an obvious need in the near future with David Krejci gone back to the Czech Republic and Patrice Bergeron having just turned 36 – or whether he’ll play further down the lineup remains to be seen. So far he hasn’t proven to be a prolific scorer. Prior to his injury-shortened sophomore campaign, he had 9-7-16 totals in 31 games as a freshman.

“Time will tell with him still,” said Langenbrunner. “His skating is obviously high-end. We were actually laughing about it today. It almost looks like he’s not skating at times and, when you’re standing there, he’s actually going really, really fast. It’s so effortless. I think for him, whether he ends up as a second-line guy or third-line guy or a fourth-line guy will depend how quickly he gets those details in, how his consistency is night in and night out. That’ll make his coach happy and give him opportunity. His skating and his size are always going to be there and he’s learning how to d those pro habits. And we’ll continue to work with him. He’s going to take a little bit of time, and good on Johnny and how he’s bought into that.”

McQuaid in the house

Former Bruin Adam McQuaid was among the on-ice instructors, though he does not have a formal role with the club, at least not yet.

“He was around a little bit last year and I think he’s continuing to try to figure out what makes sense for Adam,” said Langenbrunner. “We’re lucky enough to have him available this and be around some of our guys. We’ll see where it goes for Adam and for us. He’d be a welcome addition in any role. He brings a lot of experience in different areas and great human being to boot.”

Czech club makes it official

Czech Extraliga club HC Olomouc officially announced the signing of Krejci to a one-year contract on Monday. Krejci had played for the Olomouc program as a junior player….

The B’s top pick Fabian Lysell as well as fellow Swedish picks Oskar Jellvik and Philip Sveback are not able to attend the camp because of vaccine/quarantine issues.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2Vo96go