Grade: B-
It seems like every single player is being graded with a B but in this case, what else should Steven Kampfer really get? Essentially still a "call up" player, Kampfer was 3-13=16 through 20 games in Providence before getting the call to the big club in December where he would also remain instead of going to the AHL All-Star game. Except for a weekend in Providence, he stayed with Boston from that point forward where he was 5-5=10 in 38 games before sitting in the press box through June as a Black Ace.
Kampfer, who captained one of the rookie teams in training camp, did just about what everyone expected of him as a rookie defenseman on team with (aside from Adam McQuaid) a veteran blue line. It took a few games to warm up but Kampfer really got going at the end of December with his high point in Boston when he scored the game winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 13th when the team scored 5 third period goals to come back to win 7-5.
These numbers Kampfer was putting up were impressive, considering what he had at the University of Michigan. Through four years in Ann Arbor (taking into account that his junior year spanned just three weeks due to multiple head injuries) he had 7 total goals and in less than a full NHL season he came close to matching his total collegiate career numbers for goals.
But, he did not go above and beyond like people started to root for and he did, unfortunately, fall into a slump. After that Flyers game, Kampfer would go another 17 games without scoring. Those 17 games did not include the handful of scratches Kampfer got as a result of his less than stellar, but now expected, play.
Regardless, Kampfer's impressive performance has earned him a solid spot on the roster next season.
...we think.