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Here comes Urho Vaakanainen’s golden opportunity |
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The Bruins defensive core is as young as it’s been for quite some time.
Out went 43-year-old Zdeno Chara and 29-year-old Torey Krug and in came 23-year-old Jeremy Lauzon and 24-year-old Jakub Zboril.
27-year-old Matt Grzelcyk and 23-year-old Charlie McAvoy remain, joined by the returning 33-year-old Kevan Miller.
But now with injuries to Grzelcyk, Lauzon and Miller keeping them out of the lineup, the 22-year-old Urho Vaakanainen is getting a golden opportunity to show the progress he’s made in his time with the Providence Bruins of the AHL.
As the Bruins embarked on a brief training camp in the beginning of July, spots on the Bruins blueline were up for grabs as competition among the young defensemen intensified.
Vaakanainen’s camp was on par with both Lauzon and Zboril who both ultimately ended up beating him out for the remaining two defensive spots. But head coach Bruce Cassidy was very happy with what he saw from Vaakanainen.
“I thought in camp he was as good as Lauzon and Zboril. We could only put two of them in the lineup because [Grzelcyk) was definitely going in,” said Cassidy. “There’s a lot of different reasons for why we picked them. But knowing in the back of our mind that Vaak was that close, [and he] came ready to play at camp, was good for us.”
With Lauzon sidelined for at least a month with a broken hand, Vaakanainen should be in the lineup for the foreseeable future and he’s excited by that.
"Just trust that you're gonna get your chance, and whenever you get your chance, just play your best game," said Vaakanainen. "Been working hard keeping that positive mindset, being patient and waiting for my chance. Here I am right now."
Vaakanainen made his season debut Sunday against the Flyers at Lake Tahoe, immediately being thrown into the fire after Lauzon left the contest after one shift. He recorded his first career point in the process.
“I felt pretty good, got better as the game went on. Obviously when Lauzy went down we only had five D so you're pretty much on the ice all the time and didn't have much time to think,” said Vaakanainen. “It was a solid game, pretty good game. Just keep going from that."
The Bruins drafted Vaakanainen No. 18 overall in 2017, and since then, he hasn’t been given much opportunity at the NHL level. An injury last season broke up what was an inconsistent season in Providence and derailed any chances of making an impact on the NHL roster.
Vaakanainen was paired with Charlie McAvoy on the Bruins top d-paring at practice Tuesday.
“It’s so much easier to go into a lineup as a young guy knowing, ‘Hey, I’ve just got to do my part,’” Cassidy said. “The team’s playing well. Where if it’s not playing well and you start plugging guys in and it continues to not go well, it looks bad on everyone. They get the, ‘Well, they can’t play in the league sort of label.’ And that becomes tough.”
The Bruins are allowing 2.25 goals per game, third lowest in the league. A key to that has been how well the young defensemen have transitioned into their new role.
Vaakanainen hopes to continue that trend.
His play in the Philadelphia game certainly showed he will, showing a side of the youngster that we hadn’t seen in his previous opportunities.
“He did a good job. He helped us get two points. Got on the scoresheet. Played big minutes. I think he’s used to that. In junior, he was that guy who would go out and pace himself a little bit, play against good players every night,” said Cassidy.
“That’s definitely in his DNA. But we want to make sure the nights he’s playing 15-16 minutes that they’re a real good 15, 16 minutes at top pace.”
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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