The Bruins’ biggest offseason swing came on draft day, when Don Sweeney sent out two first-round picks to land JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth. Now the 24-year-old winger is talking about the move, and the theme from his end is simple: the second time around should be smoother.
Peterka said at the European Player Media Tour in Munich that a previous trade already taught him how to handle the disruption, and that the setup in Boston should make the adjustment easier. He pointed to the language in the room, his familiarity with some teammates, and a coaching staff that already includes a face he knows well.
“It’s definitely nothing new anymore, so you know what’s coming. Settling in will be easier for me in terms of the overall environment, since there is a German-speaking coach and a teammate there,” Peterka said in German.
“I also know a few players from my time in Buffalo. So, settling in will be much easier for me.”
He also said he has already found a place to live, though the furniture is still on the way.
Boston’s new winger arrives with a clear fit on paper. Sweeney has talked about adding “speed and skill,” and Peterka checks both boxes after finishing the 2025-26 season with 47 points (25-22-47) with Utah, following a 68-point season (27-41-68) in Buffalo the year before. He gives the Bruins another top-six option inside the window they’re trying to attack.
The coaching connection is just as notable. Marco Sturm, the first German-born head coach in NHL history, is now leading the Bruins, and Peterka said the two have already been in touch. He described those conversations as “really exciting.”
“[Sturm] told me how much he and the organization are looking forward to having me join and that they’re eager to get started,” Peterka said. “It’s not just him, though; there’s also his assistant coach, [Matt] McIlvane, whom I actually had as a coach back when I was 18 in Salzburg. So, I’m already very familiar with the coaching staff, which will definitely help me.”
He also shared a funny detail about one of those calls.
“[Sturm and I] talk in German. It’s a funny story: when he called me after the trade, we were speaking German, but the camera crew that was there asked us to speak English for a moment, too.
So we exchanged two sentences in English and then switched back to German (laughs). That was a cool moment.”
Peterka and Lukas Reichel are two of the eight active German NHL players, and both represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Peterka said they were on the same line in the USA game, and he sees Boston as a place where both players want to leave a mark.
“We definitely both want to make an impact on the team. We’re comfortable playing a defensive game, too, and we’ll give it our all every day,” Peterka said.
“Boston is an Original Six team with so much history. We’re happy to be here and want to play here for as long as possible.”
There’s also some built-in familiarity from Peterka’s time in Buffalo, where he played with Casey Mittelstadt on a line and on a power play unit. That kind of overlap matters when a player is trying to settle in quickly, and Peterka says he already has some of that comfort in place.
His offseason was spent in Germany, where he combined training with opening The Peterka Arena in Buchbach, about 40 miles from Munich. He said he skated there a few times a week, with speed a major focus of his summer work.
“In the summer, I place great importance on the fundamental skills, such as speed. That is where I focus my attention during the summer break, both on and off the ice, again this year.”
Sweeney said after the trade that Peterka is meant to “ help drive lines and complement our top-end players. ” Peterka said he’s especially excited about sharing a locker room with David Pastrnak, and he’s hoping for a shot to skate on his line.
“Just playing on the same team is so cool, because you can learn so much from him, in practice and during the preseason, about what he does in games, how he handles his body, and all that stuff,” Peterka said about playing with Pastrnak. “Getting the chance to play on the same line as him would be absolutely awesome!”
Peterka’s first chance to make that happen comes when Bruins training camp opens on September 16.
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