Dreams begin for real on Thursday. On the first day of Bruins training camp, varsity wannabes finally understand that every previous segment — amateur careers, summer workouts, rookie tournaments, performances in other organizations — was required preparation for the task of finding permanent residence within a Black-and-Gold jersey.

One year ago, Frank Vatrano was among those dreamers.

The East Longmeadow native did not enter pro hockey with a rich pedigree. Vatrano was undrafted. He was coming off an 18-goal season at UMass Amherst, his second school after transferring from Boston College. But Vatrano’s inaugural pro camp was good enough to launch him to a hot start in Providence. He was recalled on Nov. 6, 2015. Vatrano scored his first goal in his NHL debut a night later in Montreal.

“It was very exciting,’’ Vatrano recalled of his first pro camp. “Obviously you have a little bit of nerves when it’s your first year. What really helped me transition into main camp was going to rookie camp. Getting some games under your belt and kind of getting used to the way the Bruins play and everything they want you to do, I think it’s huge for a first-year guy to do that and know what to expect going into main camp.’’

Players fitting Vatrano’s profile are always welcome. For the Bruins, Vatrano was like free money. He didn’t cost a draft pick. The Bruins didn’t need to use trade capital. All Vatrano required was a three-year entry-level contract worth $792,500 annually.

Entry-level players like Vatrano are priceless. Their legs are fresh. They motivate roster incumbents. They lighten the room with their energy and enthusiasm. They offset high-priced players such as David Krejci ($7.25 million annually) and Tuukka Rask ($7 million) with their peanuts salaries. They are the interns grinding in the basement while the stars puff on their cigars in their corner offices.

Last year, the Penguins took full advantage of cheap labor. In Game No. 81, when they secured a second-place finish in the division with a 4-3 overtime win over Washington, Pittsburgh had five players making less than $1 million: Matt Murray, Brian Dumoulin, Conor Sheary, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Oskar Sundqvist. Murray had replaced Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion) as Pittsburgh’s ace, a title he held throughout the playoffs. Bryan Rust and Derrick Pouliot, two other sub-millionaires, also logged postseason appearances.

In comparison, Ryan Spooner, Kevan Miller, and Jonas Gustavsson were the only Bruins regulars earning less than $1 million last year. Others playing lesser roles included Landon Ferraro (58 games), Zac Rinaldo (52), David Pastrnak (51), Joonas Kemppainen (44), Colin Miller (42), Max Talbot (38), Zach Trotman (38), Joe Morrow (33), Tyler Randell (27), and Noel Acciari (19).

This season, Spooner, Pastrnak, and Vatrano are the only three players earning less than $1 million that can count on varsity paychecks out of camp. Acciari, Riley Nash, and Dominic Moore are likely but not guaranteed to make the team. It’s possible that youngsters such as Austin Czarnik, Danton Heinen, Zach Senyshyn, Jake DeBrusk, Sean Kuraly, Rob O’Gara, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk could push for sniffs up top. But to count on full-time NHL participation from any of the prospects would be an act of finger-crossing from the Bruins bosses.

The challenge, then, is for the Bruins to find suitable bridges until their next generation of hopefuls is ready. It means improvement is essential from Spooner, Pastrnak, Vatrano, and Colin Miller — inexpensive under-25 players who have yet to reach their peaks.

Vatrano has his hand raised for more. He opened eyes last year with his high-volume approach to creating scoring chances. In Providence, Vatrano landed 187 shots on net in 36 games (5.2 per appearance). In Boston, Vatrano ripped off 99 shots in 39 games (2.54 per outing). Whenever he crossed the offensive blue line with possession of the puck, Vatrano usually winged a shot on goal.

Pumping pucks on net made him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the AHL. This season, the second-year pro plans on refining his approach. He’ll continue to sniff for shots. But if he carries the puck with speed into the offensive zone, Vatrano might drive deeper toward the circles to push defensemen back instead of releasing right away. This could lead to higher-quality chances closer to the cage.

“I’m used to just shooting from everywhere,’’ Vatrano said. “I think when you get to the next level, you’ve got to use more than just your shot. You’ve got to use your footwork and speed to get to those areas and drive D back.’’

The thing about 22-year-olds like Vatrano is how much white space remains on their résumés. They are not close to finished products, which means they have room to grow in manners their coaches see fit. The Bruins need more players with promise like Vatrano to freshen their roster. They are begging for a younger, cheaper, and more energetic forward, for example, to displace Jimmy Hayes and his $2.3 million annual salary from their payroll.

So the message is clear to the next wave of Vatranos: Jobs are available.

“The player determines where he’ll play,’’ said Kuraly, the rookie forward acquired from San Jose in the Martin Jones trade. “It’s up to me, really. They’ve made that clear. It’s going to be up to me to put my best foot forward every day, take those steps, see how quickly I can catch on and learn the new systems and the ways they teach the game. It’s up to me.’’

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.