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Post by SeaBass on Oct 3, 2023 11:44:44 GMT -5
Please keep content in here to Potsy.
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 3, 2023 11:53:58 GMT -5
Marchand said Poitras reminds him of Mitch Marner with the way he plays on both sides of the puck.
Poitras’s response to hearing that: “That’s pretty cool.”
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 3, 2023 13:32:18 GMT -5
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Post by crafar01 on Nov 22, 2023 10:44:08 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Dec 4, 2023 10:07:25 GMT -5
GUELPH, Ontario — Had Nov. 30 proceeded as Matt Poitras, the Boston Bruins and the Guelph Storm once expected, the 19-year-old might have started the day with his economics class at the University of Guelph.
He would have then arrived at the Sleeman Centre, the Storm’s rink, around 1 p.m. for 2:45 p.m. practice following a 3-2 overtime win over the Mississauga Steelheads. He would have pulled on a red practice jersey and looked for the black-taped blade of right wing Braeden Bowman’s CCM Tacks AS-V Pro stick with the 80 flex.
In between, Poitras and his buddies would have, in all likelihood, visited Angel’s Diner. Poitras’ go-to there is the Temptation, a platter piled with French toast, eggs, home fries, bacon, sausage and toasted white or rye bread.
Instead, Poitras was at the North End apartment he shares with Johnny Beecher, preparing for the Bruins game that night against the San Jose Sharks.
In the first period, after intercepting a Tomas Hertl clear, Poitras backhanded a puck to Danton Heinen for the right wing to snap past Mackenzie Blackwood. Poitras spent the night with Brad Marchand at his side, not his two-year linemate, Bowman. After two Sharks power plays, coach Jim Montgomery sent Poitras out with David Pastrnak, as he likes to do following successful kills.
“He turns a lot of guys into goal scorers because of his passing ability,” said Storm defenseman Cam Allen. “I know Bonezy is probably pretty upset he’s not able to play with him all year.”
Poitras breezed past the 10-game mark. He is one of nine Bruins who have played in all 24 games this season. There are only eight other under-20 players currently active in the NHL. His days in Guelph are most likely over.
His junior teammates are keeping the light on for him.
Poitras still has his stall in the dressing room corner, to the right of Allen and to the left of Leo Serlin. Both his black and white helmets are there, as are a pair of CCM pants, gloves and his nameplate. In the team store above Section 109, a red Poitras No. 19 T-shirt is available for sale, next to Allen’s No. 11 and Max Namestnikov’s No. 26.
“We’re not counting it out yet. We’re praying he comes back for our own sake,” Allen said with a smile of Poitras’ return. “But it’d be pretty cool if he could stay there for the next 20 years.”
The year that wasn’t
On April 4, 2020, the Storm picked the Whitby, Ontario native No. 12 in the OHL Priority Selection. Poitras filmed promotional videos. That spring and summer, he prepared for his first OHL training camp.
The pandemic canceled the 2020-21 OHL season. Poitras never moved to his billet family’s home in Guelph.
“It sucked,” Poitras said. “Not being able to play hockey. It’s your whole life. Then for basically a year and a half, you’re sitting at home.”
As a former Mississauga standout, Storm coach Chad Wiseman understands the significance of a player’s first major junior season. Performance is almost secondary. The priority is to learn about nutrition, recovery, injury prevention and time management. It’s a lot for a 16-year-old to handle school and living away from home, to say nothing of hockey.
“They missed that experience,” Wiseman said. “Then it becomes your second year. You’re almost a year behind. Can you catch up with that information, that knowledge that you would have had in your 16-year-old year?”
Poitras tried to find ice around Whitby. He fired pucks at a net off a shooting pad in his family’s unfinished basement. Tricia and Phil only objected when he skimmed pucks off the crossbar that thudded into the basement ceiling and shook the floor above.
So by the time Poitras reported to Guelph camp in August of 2021, the 17-year-old prioritized prompt acclimation. Poitras and the other 2004-born OHLers had to stuff two seasons of development into one.
“Your 16-year-old year, you get used to the league. Then your 17-year-old year, you come in and you’re supposed to be impactful. You have a whole year under your belt,” Poitras said. “I didn’t really have that comfort of getting the 16-year-old year, getting accustomed to the league and getting my feet wet. So 17-year-old year — draft year, you haven’t played for a year and a half — you just try and do your best.”
Athletic bloodlines
Poitras hit it off immediately with fellow OHL rookie Bowman, a right wing from Kitchener. They were linemates at the rink and friends away from it.
“Smart player, like you guys see up there,” Bowman recalled of their first season together. “But works really hard. Unreal forechecker. He’s real easy to play with. Puts the puck on your stick.”
In 68 games, Poitras scored 50 points, third-most on the team. He was showing signs of David Krejci — an east-west center who liked to delay, pull up and spot seams.
Poitras’ hockey sense, competitiveness and production convinced the Bruins to draft him No. 54 on July 8, 2022. It was that day at the Bell Centre in Montreal that his parents first believed their son had a professional opportunity.
“The night of the draft,” Phil Poitras recalled, “it kind of hit us that, ‘Holy crap, he’s going to be going to an NHL camp.’”
Phil Poitras was a Junior B goalie for the Char-Lan Rebels in Williamstown, Ontario. Tricia played defense for the Peterborough Ice Kats. She stopped playing in 2001 when she was pregnant with the family’s first child. Their children carry their athleticism.
Adam Poitras, the oldest of the three, is a fifth-year lacrosse player at Loyola University Maryland. In September, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs of the National Lacrosse League drafted the attackman No. 2 overall. Abby Poitras, the youngest, has committed to playing hockey at Merrimack College as a defender in 2024-25.
Matt Poitras’ athletic genes, however, did not necessarily make him a specimen. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is not an explosive skater. He is eager to add muscle.
Whether it was through nature or nurture, Poitras developed competitiveness as his separating skill.
“He’s tenacious,” Wiseman said. “Not afraid to go to hard areas. Super competitive. Wants the puck.”
Poitras learned some of this within the dimensions of indoor lacrosse. As a boy, he parked his hockey bag after winter and reached for his lacrosse stick. Poitras loved the physicality, pace and decision-making the sport demanded. He didn’t mind taking thumps, rolling off checks and delivering reverse hits.
“I loved lacrosse,” Poitras said. “It was just as stressful. I’ve always been really serious about my sports. I always want to play well and be the best. They were 1A and 1B. But when you have to make a choice, I went with hockey. I guess I loved it just a bit more.”
Poitras, though, was objective enough to know his limits.
“No,” he said with a smile when asked if he could have matched Adam had he stayed with lacrosse. “He was better than me. He was more gifted than me at lacrosse. He would have been better.”
Adam Poitras was also a good hockey player. But prior to his minor midget year, he left the ice to focus on lacrosse full-time.
His younger brother was wise not to do the same.
In 2022-23, Matt Poitras exploded for 95 points in 63 games. By the second half, Wiseman classified Poitras as the Storm’s best player. The Bruins had unearthed a second-round gem.
“I’m sure anybody with a hockey background would have been able to see that he had a special ability over others,” Wiseman said. “Maybe because of his size or stature, people maybe never thought he’d be able to make it. But his growth, development, maturity over the course of the few years, it kind of skyrocketed once he understood the importance of the small details and the habits — how you practice, how you prepare and how you take care of yourself off the ice and away from the rink. He wanted to be a pro. Once he figured that out and bought into that, that’s when we saw a drastic change in his on-ice performance.”
Surpassing expectations
In August, the Storm gathered in Guelph for camp. They wanted to chase the Memorial Cup. Poitras had a second goal in mind.
“He said, flat out, ‘I’m just going to go down there, work hard and make it hard for them to send me home,’” Phil Poitras said.
On Sept. 25, the Vancouver Canucks returned Vilmer Alriksson (No. 107, 2023) to the Storm. The same day, the Washington Capitals did the same with Jake Karabela (No. 149, 2022). Two days later, the Storm welcomed back Michael Buchinger (No. 88, 2022) from the St. Louis Blues.
Poitras was going nowhere. His Guelph boys were watching. And texting each other.
“Did you see Potsy’s playing with Pastrnak?” one group text said.
Others followed: “Did you see his goal? Did you see his assist? Did you see that highlight he had?”
The Storm learned Poitras had made the NHL like everyone else: when the Bruins submitted their opening roster on Oct. 9. The 19-year-old made his NHL debut two days later with an assist in the Bruins’ 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored his first two NHL goals against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 22.
His junior teammates are delighted. They check in with texts and calls. Poitras responds with the stories they want to hear: what the stars are like, how nice the plane is, the quality of the team-provided meals.
“So many guys are drawn to him, just because of his character,” Allen said. “Take away all of his skills on the ice. It’s just what he does every day, hanging out with the guys. He’s just a good person. That pays huge dividends when it comes to how guys think of him and speak of him. I wouldn’t be here singing his praises if I didn’t really believe it.”
Last year, the Windsor Spitfires’ Matthew Maggio led the OHL with 111 points. Had Poitras stayed in Guelph, Bowman estimated his former center could have scored 125 in 2023-24.
“I think he’d be the best player in the league,” Bowman said.
Bowman scored 33 goals last year. He had a team-high 16 power-play goals from his left-elbow spot. Poitras was on the right side, seaming Bowman passes to one-time.
On Thursday, Bowman was one of the last players on the ice at practice. He wrapped his session with one-timers from the left dot. Bowman’s favorite setup man was not there. He was OK with that.
“It’s really sweet to see one of your best friends, one of your best pals, just playing in the NHL,” Bowman said. “The fact that he’s able to do what he did here, but in the NHL, it’s really impressive.
“It’s kind of surreal, honestly, just seeing one of your best friends do that. It’s crazy. We’re all really happy for him here.”
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Post by madmarx on Dec 21, 2023 12:00:32 GMT -5
Matthew Poitras is centering Team Canada’s first line which includes Morgan Geekie’s brother Conor Geekie and Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie
Geekie - Poitras - Savoie
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Post by orym on Dec 21, 2023 13:55:48 GMT -5
Matthew Poitras is centering Team Canada’s first line which includes Morgan Geekie’s brother Conor Geekie and Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie Geekie - Poitras - Savoie That will be a very dangerous line! Geekie and Savoie have played together with the Winnipeg Ice/Wenatachee Wild for a few years now in the WHL. There will be some serious chemistry there and Poitras should fit in nicely! |
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Post by kjc2 on Dec 21, 2023 18:38:08 GMT -5
Matthew Poitras is centering Team Canada’s first line which includes Morgan Geekie’s brother Conor Geekie and Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie Geekie - Poitras - Savoie That will be a very dangerous line! Geekie and Savoie have played together with the Winnipeg Ice/Wenatachee Wild for a few years now in the WHL. There will be some serious chemistry there and Poitras should fit in nicely! It’s going to be fun this year, it’s fun every year but I like having a high end Bruins prospect playing for Canada. |
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Post by SeaBass on Jan 23, 2024 13:53:35 GMT -5
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Post by madmarx on Jan 28, 2024 9:03:43 GMT -5
Jaffe talking about sending him back to Jr and possibly bringing him back towards the end of the year Thoughts .
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Post by SeaBass on Jan 28, 2024 10:16:01 GMT -5
Jaffe talking about sending him back to Jr and possibly bringing him back towards the end of the year Thoughts . I think that would set the kid back. Could ruin his confidence. |
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Post by madmarx on Jan 28, 2024 11:07:50 GMT -5
Jaffe talking about sending him back to Jr and possibly bringing him back towards the end of the year Thoughts . I think that would set the kid back. Could ruin his confidence. Yeah I agree not sure why Jaffe would throw that out there , I heard Ferraro talk about sending him back after the Jr tournament. Management made the decision I really think it’s best for him to stay and see how to be a Pro , get someone on the team to work with him. |
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Post by SeaBass on Jan 28, 2024 11:51:30 GMT -5
I think that would set the kid back. Could ruin his confidence. Yeah I agree not sure why Jaffe would throw that out there , I heard Ferraro talk about sending him back after the Jr tournament. Management made the decision I really think it’s best for him to stay and see how to be a Pro , get someone on the team to work with him. Practicing with the pros has to be better than playing in juniors. |
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Post by madmarx on Jan 28, 2024 12:49:00 GMT -5
Yeah I agree not sure why Jaffe would throw that out there , I heard Ferraro talk about sending him back after the Jr tournament. Management made the decision I really think it’s best for him to stay and see how to be a Pro , get someone on the team to work with him. Practicing with the pros has to be better than playing in juniors. Training and Diet as well, he should be living with a Vet like JVR or Marchand |
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Post by fforr on Jan 28, 2024 15:37:17 GMT -5
Jaffe talking about sending him back to Jr and possibly bringing him back towards the end of the year Thoughts . Stay the course, he’s actually been pretty reliable for them with 5g/10a, +4 and just about 44% at the dot. He has 5 more points than Lauko, Boqvist and Steen combined. As mentioned he’ll absorb and learn so much more at this level. He will be 20 years old on March 10th. Might he be eligible to be sent to Providence at that point? |
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Post by nfld77 on Jan 28, 2024 15:59:05 GMT -5
I thought once Poitras played 10 nhl games he couldn't return to junior or Ahl!!
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Post by SeaBass on Jan 28, 2024 17:03:31 GMT -5
I thought once Poitras played 10 nhl games he couldn't return to junior or Ahl!! He can't go to the AHL. He can go back to the juniors but it cost the Bruins a year of his contract. |
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Post by nfld77 on Jan 28, 2024 17:13:14 GMT -5
I thought once Poitras played 10 nhl games he couldn't return to junior or Ahl!! He can't go to the AHL. He can go back to the juniors but it cost the Bruins a year of his contract. Ok, now I got it..Well at least til I forget again, lol..Thank you Seabass!!! |
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Post by madmarx on Feb 7, 2024 20:24:35 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Feb 7, 2024 20:35:36 GMT -5
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kovs
Prominent Member
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Post by kovs on Feb 8, 2024 14:22:50 GMT -5
Looks like he's out for the season. I'm ok with this. Let him recover and work on his skating. I like his style and play. Young still
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Post by fforr on Feb 8, 2024 18:48:17 GMT -5
Looks like he's out for the season. I'm ok with this. Let him recover and work on his skating. I like his style and play. Young still Yup we got a good look at him and he got a long look at what’s needed at this level. He would not have fared well down the stretch or playoffs and now there’s an open roster spot. |
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Post by SeaBass on Mar 1, 2024 8:25:22 GMT -5
The Bruins’ 19-year-old rookie forward, who had his season cut short by right shoulder surgery, has been a regular at Warrior Arena as he rehabs from the Feb. 7 open stabilization procedure.
“It’s all been pretty positive. First couple of weeks, you’re not really doing too much, but it’s been three weeks,” said Poitras, who is looking at a five-month recovery time, Thursday. “So this last week I got out of the sling and started working out, so it’s been nice to be around here and keep being in the rink and getting physio done.”
“Obviously I was very disappointed,” he said. “You never want to miss a big chunk of time, especially pushing into later in the season, you want to be here, and you want to be playing, but it was the right thing for me to get this done.
“It wasn’t worth it to kind of risk further damage to my shoulder. You’ve got to think about it kind of long term and whether it was in hockey or just having a healthy shoulder for the rest of my life.”
Poitras said the injury started bothering him around Christmas, and he was forced to leave a Jan. 9 loss at Arizona after absorbing a big hit.
He continued to play through the injury, and though the pain didn’t limit him too much on the ice, he felt the shoulder bark when opponents got physical. Eventually he realized his game was suffering.
“I was wearing a brace, which obviously didn’t let me play exactly how I wanted to play,” said Poitras, who potted 5 goals and had 15 points in 33 games. “But again, when you have a hurt shoulder, it’s always kind of in the back of your mind, so maybe I wasn’t playing the way I wanted to be playing. So it was the right decision to get it fixed.”
In addition to rehabbing, Poitras said, he’ll be training with an eye toward his sophomore campaign.
“I’m going to try to use this time to put on a bit of size, and where I might have been lacking in some strength, this will be a good opportunity for me to make up for that,” he said.
Though his season didn’t end the way he’d like, he views it now as getting a head start on 2024-25.
“I got a good chunk of the season in, and I’ll be here for the rest of the year just learning, so I feel like I wasn’t really expected to make the team and this year was a bonus playing up here and learning and experiencing life in the NHL and living on my own,” Poitras said. “It’s really good to learn that stuff, so I’m more prepared for next season.”
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kovs
Prominent Member
Posts: 507
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Post by kovs on Mar 1, 2024 9:40:25 GMT -5
The Bruins’ 19-year-old rookie forward, who had his season cut short by right shoulder surgery, has been a regular at Warrior Arena as he rehabs from the Feb. 7 open stabilization procedure. “It’s all been pretty positive. First couple of weeks, you’re not really doing too much, but it’s been three weeks,” said Poitras, who is looking at a five-month recovery time, Thursday. “So this last week I got out of the sling and started working out, so it’s been nice to be around here and keep being in the rink and getting physio done.” “Obviously I was very disappointed,” he said. “You never want to miss a big chunk of time, especially pushing into later in the season, you want to be here, and you want to be playing, but it was the right thing for me to get this done. “It wasn’t worth it to kind of risk further damage to my shoulder. You’ve got to think about it kind of long term and whether it was in hockey or just having a healthy shoulder for the rest of my life.” Poitras said the injury started bothering him around Christmas, and he was forced to leave a Jan. 9 loss at Arizona after absorbing a big hit. He continued to play through the injury, and though the pain didn’t limit him too much on the ice, he felt the shoulder bark when opponents got physical. Eventually he realized his game was suffering. “I was wearing a brace, which obviously didn’t let me play exactly how I wanted to play,” said Poitras, who potted 5 goals and had 15 points in 33 games. “But again, when you have a hurt shoulder, it’s always kind of in the back of your mind, so maybe I wasn’t playing the way I wanted to be playing. So it was the right decision to get it fixed.” In addition to rehabbing, Poitras said, he’ll be training with an eye toward his sophomore campaign. “I’m going to try to use this time to put on a bit of size, and where I might have been lacking in some strength, this will be a good opportunity for me to make up for that,” he said. Though his season didn’t end the way he’d like, he views it now as getting a head start on 2024-25. “I got a good chunk of the season in, and I’ll be here for the rest of the year just learning, so I feel like I wasn’t really expected to make the team and this year was a bonus playing up here and learning and experiencing life in the NHL and living on my own,” Poitras said. “It’s really good to learn that stuff, so I’m more prepared for next season.” No reason to rush this kid this year. He can work on his skating, etc. He's only going to get better as a hockey player. |
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Post by nfld77 on Mar 26, 2024 16:36:48 GMT -5
Guys, is there any chance Poitras returns for the postseason if Bruins go an extended period??
Personally I highly doubt it and he would have to remove another centreman in order to make team..I would imagine his next game is exibition next fall..Plus, why even rush the kid..He played 35 games more than he expected, got a taste of the NHL and all that goes with it so he should be set to make a big impact next season..That sounds like the best scenerio..Just thought I would put it out there..
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Post by orym on Mar 26, 2024 16:42:21 GMT -5
Fellows, is there any chance Poitras returns for the postseason if Bruins go an extended period?? I believe it was 5 month recovery time from shoulder surgery (early Feb) so that puts him back some time in July. Even if he was ahead of schedule, I can't imagine they'd throw him in there if we made a deep run. Perhaps he will pull a Marchand and come back way ahead of schedule...  |
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