WILMINGTON, Mass – Joonas Kemppainen will forever be known as the first official move of the Don Sweeney era once the Bruins signed him just days after the big shakeup had been completed in the Bruins front office.
So in a symbolic sense it would be a boon for the Black and Gold if Kemppainen ends up panning out for the Bruins. Thus far in this training camp it’s been trending in that positive direction for both player and team. The 27-year-old Kemppainen looked like he belonged almost immediately during captain’s practices after he arrived in Boston, and is now really putting together a strong performance at main NHL training camp after a slow go at rookie camp.
He’s proven to be big, strong and smart while also bringing considerable face-off and penalty-killing abilities to the table as well. There’s even the added benefit that he’s a Finnish Elite League veteran, and arrives in Boston as a seasoned pro rather than an unsure kid straight out of the NCAA, or out of the junior ranks.
“Even if he hasn’t played [in North America] he’s 27 years old, so he’s played pro for a long time. He’s got a lot of things that works for him right now, and it gives him an advantage there. For us it’s just a matter of seeing in the long run if he’s a guy that we want in that position,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “With the guys we have left here, they’re just guys that every one of them probably could play at some point here or there in our lineup.
“So there’s going to be some tough decisions at the end. I like his size, I like his strength, he’s got a heavy stick, he’s a smart player and he’s an experienced player. For a guy playing in North America for the first time, he’s adjusting well. Those are all things that are playing in his favor right now. But there are other guys that we have to look at and [think about] short term and long term where we’d be better off.”
Above and beyond the skills, Kemppainen also fills a need as a big-bodied center among a group of fellow B’s centers that would be considered small-to-average-sized in Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Ryan Spooner. In that way he could step into the role vacated by Carl Soderberg, who was similar in size and stature as a bottom-six pivot for the Bruins. Kemppainen could be a defensive handful for some of the super-sized centers around the NHL. That’s something for the B’s coaching staff to think about while drawing up “pros and cons” on the dry erase board.
To his credit, Kemppainen still believes that he’s not quite playing up to his own standards. The Finnish center teamed with Chris Kelly and Max Talbot to create an impactful fourth line in Monday night’s loss to the Red Wings, and he’s even shown a little more offensive feel than perhaps was expected of him as a reputed defensive specialist out of Europe.
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The Big Finn certainly got the Kelly seal of approval following Monday night’s game if they do end up skating together once the regular season opens.
“He does a lot of the little things well. He’s a big, strong guy. Does well in the [face-off] circle and reads the play well,” said Kelly. “[Kemppainen] doesn’t cheat the game. He plays the game right. He works at both ends and Max [Talbot] and I are talkers, so we try to make the game as easy as possible for everyone. I thought he played well.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder Kemppainen admitted that he’s still a step behind the play at some points as he gets used to the faster pace of North American play on the smaller ice surfaces, so there’s improvement to be made.
But it’s getting easier for Kemppainen with each passing day, and that bodes well for him.
“I think it’s getting better and better every day, but I’m still not satisfied with my game so far. I can still play better. But when you get more games you get used to things,” said Kemppainen. “Timing is one of the biggest [things]. Sometimes I know that I’m too late because the game is so much faster here. You just have to keep going, and sometimes I think too much. So timing is definitely one of those things [to improve].”
It still remains to be seen how things shake out on the fourth line with Kemppainen, Kelly, Talbot, Zac Rinaldo and Brian Ferlin all worthy candidates for an NHL roster spot. But it’s looking more and more like the Big Finnish pivot will be one of the lucky ones throwing in with the final group in Boston once the roster is finalized at the end of this week.