Dans Locmelis wasted no time making himself the name to watch at Bruins Rookie Camp.
In a setting where James Hagens also drew plenty of attention, Locmelis was the player who took over the conversation. The Latvian Olympian piled up three points in the first half of the game and looked in control shift after shift. The puck seemed to find him constantly, and he kept setting the tone whenever he was on the ice.
What stood out was that it wasn’t only about offense. Locmelis also made his presence felt at both ends of the rink, enough that the Sabres’ broadcast crew went as far as comparing him to Alex Tuch. That may represent the high end of what he can become, but it is the kind of comparison that immediately grabs attention.
Locmelis also said after day one of the Prospects Challenge that his shoulder felt really good. “Wasn't even thinking about it.”
He added that he wasn’t feeling any pressure after being out of action for months.
The Bruins’ camp picture, though, makes his path a tricky one. Even if Locmelis keeps turning heads, there may not be a clear opening for him on opening night. That is part of what made Fraser Minten such a useful reference point: last year, Minten impressed enough in rookie camp to force the issue, but Boston’s forward depth left limited room for him once camp decisions had to be made.
Locmelis is now staring at a similar situation, only with even more hurdles in front of him. He could still work his way up later in the season, but the road to doing it may be tougher than the one Minten traveled. Still, after one game, Locmelis has already put himself in the kind of position that gets a team’s attention - especially when the Bruins’ decision-makers are Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, and Marco Sturm.
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