WILMINGTON, Mass. — The fans flocked back to Ristuccia Arena on Thursday, already hungry for hockey even if it's been less than a month since the Bruins skated around Rogers Arena with the Stanley Cup raised high.
The youngsters wearing Black and Gold in this week's fifth annual development camp aren't likely to get a chance to join those reigning champions for a while yet, but they still do represent what the organization hopes is a bright future filled with more celebrations in the years to come.
So fans escaped the heat for a couple hours to get a first glimpse of some potential future Bruins. There was plenty of talent on display, but much of the attention was focused on 18-year-old defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
"I heard there might be people watching," Hamilton said after the first on-ice workout of the camp that runs through Monday. "It's definitely cool to see that support. Obviously it's a Stanley Cup winning team and the fans are pretty special, so it didn't really surprise me with Boston."
Hamilton leads the latest crop of new Bruins, having been selected ninth overall in last month's draft. He brings an enticing blend of size and skill to the blue line, but both Hamilton and the Bruins recognize he's a work in progress.
"I think I definitely have to get stronger," Hamilton said. "I've grown so much in the last couple years that it's been hard for me to put on weight. I think I'm pretty strong, but I definitely have to get stronger and faster."
Hamilton is among the tallest players in the 24-man camp. He's listed at 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds, quite a leap from where he stood just a few short years ago.
"In my bantam year I was 5-9, 145, so that was four years ago I guess," Hamilton said.
"There's definitely times where you're a little uncoordinated," Hamilton added. "I'm kind of getting into my body right now, just working hard and trying to fill out."
Hamilton knows he still has plenty of growing to do, both the literal variety and in honing his skills to be ready to make the leap to the NHL at some point. But the Bruins are impressed with what they've seen so far from the blueliner who put up 12-46-58 totals in 67 games with the Ontario Hockey League's Niagara IceDogs last year.
"He's a big boy," said Bruins assistant general manager Don Sweeney, who has run the club's development camps since their inception in 2007. "[He] moves really well for a kid that's 6-4. I like his overall approach to the game. He looks like he wants to get up ice and is conscientious about his one-on-one play. And it's a small sample size, obviously, but based on all of our games we watched him play, he's a well-rounded player that has a lot of room for continued development so we're really excited to have him."
Hamilton is equally excited about the chance he has this week to get his first taste of professional hockey at the club's development camp.
"I just want to try to learn as much as possible and soak everything in," Hamilton said of his goals for the camp. "I want to meet new people. These are going to be my teammates in the future. And meet the staff as well and learn from them."
The first thing Hamilton learned is how tough things can get in the pros. Before getting on the ice for Thursday's afternoon practice, Hamilton and the other campers first had to undergo some grueling fitness testing in the morning. Hamilton was happy with how he fared, and even happier to learn that he wouldn't have to go through what last year's campers did.
"The guys were talking about how they had an army training last year and the guys said it was the hardest thing they've ever done," Hamilton said. "So I guess for the guys this year we're lucky that they took it out this year.
"I think I did pretty good," Hamilton added. "I'm one of the youngest guys. There's a lot of older college guys here. I'm a little underdeveloped compared to them, but I'm pretty happy for my personal goals and what I've done."
