As Charlie Coyle continues to rehab from off-season knee surgery, the Bruins are going to take it slow with their veteran center, easing him back into action.

Enter Jack Studnicka.

The 22-year Studnicka was the one centering Taylor Hall and Craig Smith on the Bruins second line Thursday afternoon as training camp kicked off at Warrior Ice Arena.

When the Bruins drafted Studnicka with 22nd pick of the second round in the 2017 Entry Draft, the Bruins had hoped someday he would be the replacement for either Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci.

With Krejci back in the Czech Republic to finish his playing career, Studnicka finds himself in the exact role the Bruins envisioned for him on draft night.

His path to the role, however, has not quite gone to plan.

Studnicka has just three points in those 22 games and has yet to string together enough consistency to earn himself a permanent roster spot.

Because of that, among other things, Studnicka remained in Boston over the summer, adding 15 pounds of muscle to his frame. Through the limited amount of time we’ve been able to see Studnicka so far, the 15 pounds is making a difference.

"I feel more explosive. I wasn't trying to put on all this bad weight, I was just trying to get faster, more explosive,” said Studnicka. “It was just my body's time and it's kind of catching up. Fortunately, I weigh a bit more so hopefully be able to push off guys, hold on to the puck longer, just gain more explosiveness."

Even without Coyle starting camp with a cautious approach, this season is set to be an important one for Studnicka. A season where he is looking to prove he belongs in the league and take that step forward with his game that the Bruins need to see from him.

"It's a man's league. A focus was getting stronger. In past levels, the American Hockey League, you can hold on to the puck easier, regardless of your stature,” said Studnicka. “Here there's big, strong defensemen always in your face. I knew I had to get stronger. I believe I achieved that.”

Studnicka’s situation is one many young players face in the early stages of their professional hockey careers. Inconsistency on the ice and the need to bulk up to better handle not only the physicality of the National Hockey League, but the speed.

"It's nothing new. A lot of the young guys who walk through the door need to bulk up. How quickly and how much weight should you put on to be efficient, how much is realistic?” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.

“For Jack, it happened to be a little more because he was a little lighter. But we saw it with David Pastrnak. His progression from a boy to a man almost in terms of his physique and how it helped his game. We're hoping it translates with Jack."

Studnicka being the go-to guy on the second line until Coyle is ready to ramp things up is not set in stone, however. While he’s gotten the first look, what happens next is certainly up to him.

“We’re going to try different players in that spot, Jack Studnicka being one. We’ve got to find out where he’s at. We do have [Erik] Haula that we’re trying to find some wingers for him. He [Studnicka] was drafted as a centerman, last year was tough on a lot of young guys with the limited schedule, but he had a great first year in Providence, played some big games for us, so we’ve got to find out where he’s at,” said Cassidy.

“We’ll see where does Jack best fit in, who best plays with Haula. So, that’ll be the plan for the first week to 10 days or so, see where Coyle is at going forward and make any adjustments.”

In an ideal world, Studnicka, Hall and Smith build that instant chemistry and give the Bruins a dynamic second line. Any situation similar would make moving Studnicka down the lineup to insert Coyle more difficult.

The Bruins begin their preseason slate in Washington on Sunday. All indications are that Sunday will be Studnicka’s first chance at showing what he can do with two talented wingers in game action.

It could also be the start of a dangerous second line, similar to the one the Bruins featured last season.

A line, that as of a few weeks ago, maybe didn’t make as much sense as it does now.

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