B's prospects scrimmage at development camp

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By Joe Haggerty
CSNNE.com Bruins InsiderFollow @hackswithhaggs
WILMINGTONThe Bruins wrapped up Day No. 4 of their development camp with a team-wide scrimmage between a Black and White squad that had plenty of interesting developments among the players.

The Black Team finished with a 3-1 victory courtesy of goals from Justin Florek, Alex Fallstrom and Brian Ferlin. It was a pretty solid day from Florek and Ferlin as theyve flown under the radar at development camp.

Anthony Camara had the single score for the White Team proving hes more than simply a hockey brawler, and goalie Michael Hutchinson managed to get through the entire scrimmage without a single score against him.

It was choppy a little bit at the first start, but once somebody scores a goal you start to make some plays and guys kind of settle in," said Don Sweeney. "Thats where the hockey sense and the stuff that our scouts and people see all year long starts to materialize. Thats probably the enjoyable thing. Thats not the main focus of this camp, but its always a nice little piece towards the end of it. You kind of see these kids in the setting that theyre most comfortable in while the games being played.

I thought the Ferlin line created an awful lot and did a real good job on the cycle, and obviously Florek had the one opportunity and buried it. You like to see that from the big man down around the front of the net. I thought all of our D moved the puck pretty well today and got involved in the offensive flow. Obviously, Anthony Camara scored a goal, so you like to see that from a guy who plays with a lot of bite. He can play on both sides of it. I thought the overall pace, you know, especially when weve only got two lines, was really, really good.

Other observations after watching the Baby Bs get out and actually play a game:

Dougie Hamilton definitely looks like an 18-year-old kid in his first pro camp and its pretty clear there is still some development that needs to take place. He was aggressive taking the puck up the ice and quick to snap off shots from the point, but he also found himself caught out of position defensively. His inability to cut off angles led to several breakaways down the other end, he was caught running around in his own end a couple of times and there werent many instances when he picked his head up to pass after corralling at the puck at the point. The fluid skating and big shot are very clearly there in abundance, but another year of junior hockey will do wonders for Hamilton physically. The future is bright, but there is work to be done. It also helped Hamilton that he was paired with the very steady, heady Tommy Cross, who is the elder statesmen among the players at camp entering his senior year at Boston College.

Marc Cantin isnt a player that jumps out at you in drills or on the stat sheet, but its difficult not to notice him during the games. He drilled 6-foot-3 Brian Ferlin during one rush up the ice while stopping the rush of the puck, and he forced a puck through the pads of Lars Volden. Hes a kid that earned a job in development camp last year and continues to show the kind of in-game skills that coaches loves.

Alex Fallstrom was one of the stars of the game despite being held off the scoreboard. Hes worked closely with John Whitesides since the end of last season at Harvard University and has really picked up his skating speed to go along with the hands and physicality already part of his game. He showed off the hands while dangling the puck through defenders for a scoring chance stopped by Hutchinson, and appears to be getting physically stronger as well. Might not be a top six forward, but ultimately could be a third or fourth liner capable of potting double-digit goals at the NHL level.

David Warsofsky and Ryan Button showed a lot of shake and bake in their defenseman game and both had plenty of wiggle skating through defenders to make offensive plays. Warsofsky set up Justin Floreks rebound goal in front of the net after faking shot and then moving with the puck to the middle point areaits that kind of movement and creativity that was consistently missing from Bostons power play last season. Both guys will start the year in Providence, but could very easily be in Boston at some point during the season.

Justin Florek and Brian Ferlin used their size, strength and toughness to pile up some points in the scrimmage. Both players have gone virtually unnoticed by the media during the development camp, but each showed some offensive ability when it mattered most.

Michael Hutchinson looks well ahead of both Zane Gothberg and Lars Volden in his development as a goaltender, but thats to be expected given his age and AHL experience last year. Hutchinson made an outstanding stop on Josh Jooris during a penalty shot early in the scrimmage, and flashed a great glove hand for a 6-foot-3 goaltender. As Hutchinson matures he could provide a good young No. 3 behind Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, and will battle it out with Anton Khudobin for that distinction this season.

Joe Haggerty can be reached at jhaggerty@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Joe on Twitter at http:twitter.comHackswithHaggs

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