The Rookies

The focus is on Bruins that are now in the pipeline.

• Jay Pandolfo and his staff now are doing what Don Sweeney did while also holding down the title of Assistant GM. Also, why there is a new two-fight limit at the rookie tournament.  [TheBostonGlobe]


• Review the numerous recent staffing additions and changes that the Bruins made to get the most from their roster of players.  [HockeyBuzz]


• The new Sweeney administration promotion and hires prioritized the production pipeline for forwards. Bonus: Interesting conjecture as to why Ryan Spooner was shoehorned into a wing position back in Providence. [SouthCoastToday]


• Poor David Krejci is going through a bit of Milan Lucic withdrawal.  [TheScore]


• Young Max Iafrate has the weight of his family name on his shoulders, and his dad has history with Don Sweeney.  [BostonHerald]


• Boston needed to beef up player development. Here is a long litany of young Bruins draft busts and promising young players that were traded abruptly only to go on to great success.  [TodaysSlapShot]


• Meanwhile, at the rookie tournament, Joonas Kemppainen is playing with teammates that are close to half his age.  Frank Vatrano and Noel Acciari notched three goals between them, and Daniel Vladar overcame an inauspicious start to finish strong.  [BostonHerald]


• Vladar has had to adjust to the North American game, but has the size and speed teams want, while diminutive Matthew Ginn is a bit of a hard sell, despite his success in net at Holy Cross.  [TheBostonGlobe]


• Colin Miller (the "other" Miller?) made a quick move from his successful stint with the Manchester Monarchs to Boston, and will vie for a spot as a defenseman. [WEEI]


• Top Secret: Here's how the Bruins plan to move the puck crisply from the defensive zone and attack with speed, after changes in the game bogged down the the Bruins from transitioning to attack last season. Bonus: How player development has become Job #1.  [TheBostonGlobe]


• Zdeno Chara has joined other prominent Slovakian players in a boycott to protest the re-election of the President of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation.  (Google translation from German)  [Berliner-Zeitung]


• The Jacobs family has made a generous donation to the University of Buffalo's medical school.  [BuffaloNews]


• In honor of his being the oldest living NHL player, here's a look back at how Milt Schmidt came to be a Bruin. He turned down an initial offer to try out with the team to make more money at a job back home! [TheHockeyWriters]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• Speaking of player development, former Bruin Rich Peverley will now be rolling up his sleeves to do that work for the Dallas Stars.  [NHL]


• Meanwhile, Daniel Paille has received a PTO from the Blackhawks, who are looking for depth at the left wing. [BlackhawkUp]


• Got plans? How about an analytics conference in Rochester, NY? [InLouWeTrust]


• TRUCULENCE! Track four seasons worth of fighting across the NHL... see any trends?  [MakeGameDayEveryDay]