Next kid up, Anders Bjork.
The Bruins held Day 3 of their development camp Saturday and Bjork, freshly arrived from his home outside Milwaukee, took the first twirl of his professional life, after signing just weeks ago following his junior season at Notre Dame.
“I really liked Notre Dame, loved my coaches and my teammates and everything there,’’ said Bjork, a lefthanded shooter who has the versatility to play both wings. “So it was really a tough decision. I took a long time to think about it. I wanted to be 100 percent sure, because it’s life-changing.’’
Bjork will be 21 when he reports to rookie training camp in September and the Bruins, unless they unexpectedly add free agents over the next few weeks, have ample openings at both wings. League rules dictate he can play only one at a time.
In his first workout at Warrior Ice Arena, Bjork’s skill set stood out, along with that of Ryan Donato, another winger, who is expected to return to Cambridge in the fall for his junior season at Harvard.
It was the potential to land fulltime work in Boston that, in part, led Bjork to eschew his senior season in South Bend.
“Definitely a factor,’’ he said. “I mean, [general manger] Don Sweeney told me there was a good opportunity here, especially for wingers. That’s exciting for me. I’ll try to use that as inspiration this summer to get stronger.’
Bjork won’t be alone in the Black and Gold kiddie korps seeking employment. Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, and Peter Cehlarik, all now with valuable AHL experience, will want promotions. The 6-foot, 185-pound Bjork also will compete against the likes of Kenny Agostino, the AHL MVP, who signed July 1 as a free agent, and speed demon Zach Senyshyn. Like DeBrusk a first-round pick in 2015, Senyshyn will be a first-year pro hoping to launch his career in NHL Boston instead of AHL Providence. Rabblerouser Jesse Gabrielle will be another junior player hoping to land a spot on the wing.
It looks as though coach Bruce Cassidy will be handed a training camp roster rich in NHL WannaBs. Then comes the tricky part of selecting the best (a process that often is self-selecting) and integrating them into the varsity lineup.
“That’s the challenge,’’ said Cassidy, noting that returning roster players will need to buy into what possibly will be a significant infusion of young talent. “I think that will be our biggest challenge, and one I’m looking forward to because I do believe some of these young kids, assuming they’re ready . . . could make us a much better, stronger team if we incorporate those younger guys.’’
Bjork, in position and stature, is somewhat reminiscent of former first-round Boston pick Phil Kessel, who made the jump directly to Boston after one year at the University of Minnesota. Only 19 when he became a pro, Kessel in his one season with the Gophers played 39 games and put up a line of 18-33—51. Bjork, who will be 21 when he reports to camp, played 39 games last season for ND and posted a line of 21-31—52.
Jamie Langenbrunner, the club’s player development coordinator, saw Bjork play many times throughout his three years with ND. He was, as expected, impressed with what he saw of Bjork over the course of two hours on Saturday.
“He was obviously noticeable,’’ said Langenbrunner. “With his skill level, he plays at a pretty high pace. He’s a good skater, light on his feet, and made some plays. He can shoot the puck — scored some nice goals.’’
Because of the ample number of young candidates at forward, Bjork among them, the Bruins were comfortable severing ties with Jimmy Hayes (bought out) and Dominic Moore (signed with Toronto). Sweeney, who will address the media Sunday morning, also hasn’t been aggressively pursuing Drew Stafford, the ex-Jet who joined the club at the trade deadline.
With rookie camp now two months away, Bjork will return home and work out with a collection of pros around Milwaukee and Madison. His two-day stint here in development camp was the start, and now the carry through is up to him.
“Since I am not as experienced as other players, that is something I’ll need to focus on,’’ said Bjork, acknowledging that he’ll have to prove he can play a coherent 200-foot game to make it in the NHL. “You see guys like Patrice Bergeron, it’s like second nature to them how disciplined they are on every shift — how complete their game is. That’s definitely something I’ll need to focus on.’’
. . .
Cassidy chatted with the media for 15 minutes prior to the workout. Unlike last season, when he took over the club in February, he’ll have the advantage of working with a clean slate and an 82-game season. His focus is already on a strong start. “It’s too hard to make up ground in this league,’’ he said. “That’ll be our sole focus is to pick up where we left off in terms of our style of play and getting better and making sure we get our points.’’ . . . In need of a fourth goalie, the Bruins recruited high-schooler James Corcoran, from Walpole and the Winchendon School . . . Sunday’s workout will begin at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the public free of charge. Like the team, parking around Warrior is . . . a bear.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
