After a day-and-a-half of grueling physical effort(fitness testing and a water training/team-building session this morning), the Boston Bruins’ prospects finally got a chance to show off their hockey skills, taking the ice at the Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington, Mass. Wednesday afternoon.

To the surprise of no one, Tyler Seguin was the standout at both sessions, demonstrating his ability to make plays at top speed, create instant offense and make something happen everytime the puck touched his stick. One one particular 2-on-1 drill, he made a good pass to linemate Alexander Fallstrom. The shot was saved and kicked out, and Seguin grabbed it at an almost impossible angle and fired it into the far side.

“It was good; it was nice wearing the logo for the first time on the ice,” Seguin said after two one-hour sessions had wrapped up. “It was great to be out there with the Bruins logo on, even if it was a practice jersey. It reminded me of the effort and commitment it’s going to take to be a successful part of this organization.”

 Seguin was extremely relaxed and loose, bantering with the media and joking about the regular chants of his name echoing throughout the building as he lived up to the hype that preceded him in front of the packed house at Ristuccia. In short, it may have been his first-ever chance to show the dedicated Bruins faithful there on a weekday afternoon some of the things to come, but in addition to the immense potential he showed for hockey, his interactions with the media had the feel of a polished veteran with years in the NHL already under his belt.

“That was pretty intense,” Seguin said with a laugh after being queried about the morning session involving aquatic fitness and team-building. “I learned that the word for ‘harder’ is challenging, so I’m not going to say harder again in my life.”

Jared Knight, the team’s second selection, 32nd overall in last month’s draft, expanded on Seguin’s comments about the pool time.

“That was something new,” Knight told hockeyjournal.com. “We were in the pool for about three hours today, treading water and it was something new. And, to go on the ice after was definitely tough, so I’m glad the day’s over.”

Knight, who scored 36 goals for the London Knights last season after being diagnosed with diabetes and getting treatment at midseason which allowed him to kick in the afterburners over the second half, showed off the impressive shooting skills GM Peter Chiarelli and amateur scouting chief Wayne Smith talked about at the draft, ripping three consecutive shots past Zane Gothberg at one point. His one-man show of lightning release and pinpoint accuracy showed why he developed into one of the OHL’s most lethal scorers last season.

“I think the killer instinct has just gotta be in you,” he said when asked if the pure finishing skills are born are learned. “If you want that puck bad enough, you’re gonna get it. I think the shooter aspect comes from just working in the basement shooting pucks over and over with my dad, shooting on the shooter tutor downstairs, things like that.”

A native of Battle Creek, Michigan, his minor team there was called the Bruins, so it seemed a nice fit for Knight to be a part of the NHL’s Bruins.  “A couple of years ago, I was a Bruin, and now I’m a Bruin again, so it’s awesome,” he said. “I came up here a couple of weeks ago and tested with them (the Bruins). I love Boston, and flying home, I told myself, this is where I want to be drafted and so I was drafted by them and I’m glad to be here.”

Knight’s positive experience in Boston before the drafted was aided by the fact that he was in town with old Detroit Compuware teammate (and 18th overall selection to Nashville Austin Watson) to go through the pre-draft interview and testing process. “It was great,” he said of being there with Watson. “It helped out because I hadn’t flown before by myself, so he was there to kind of help me get on the plane and get my seat and all that, so it was good. And, I hadn’t seen him in a while, so to come down here and test with him and meet with him, go to dinner with him was pretty cool.”

Knight wasn’t flashy, but had a solid first session. The third of the OHL trifecta of players from the first two rounds of Boston’s draft, Ryan Spooner of the Peterborough Petes, had a standout day as well, impressing onlookers with his speed, creativity and willingness to take the puck hard to the net.

“One of my biggest strengths is (creativity),” Spooner told hockeyjournal.com. “It’s something I rely on and I’ll try to use at the next level.”

Spooner, who lost significant time last year with a broken collarbone suffered in his first game after the CHL Top Prospects exhibition in mid-January, is realistic in his approach to the development camp and rookie/veteran main camp in September.

“First of all, I just want to make a good impression here,” Spooner said. “Secondly, if things don’t work out here, I’ll be back in a Petes uniform and I’m just going to try to make my team succeed as much as I can, try to get to the playoffs, maybe win a (Memorial Cup). I don’t know; the team’s going to be pretty strong next year.”

Spooner also talked briefly about new Peterborough GM Dave Reid, a former Bruin who was a big star for the Petes as a player when he was drafted by Boston. “I talked to him briefly at the draft,” Spooner said. “I’m aware of the connection and I’m looking forward to playing for him next year and having a chance to talk to him more about his experiences in Boston with the Bruins.”

If first impressions mean much, then all three of Boston’s picks in the first two rounds showed off the kind of talent and potential that the Bruins saw in them. All three face an uphill climb, but at least among their peers, they were clear standouts and looked every bit as worthy of the praise they received in the runup to the draft and beyond.

Left wing Matt Marquardt has been assigned from the Reading Royals of the ECHL today to the Providence Bruins by the parent organization, Providence announced in a team release.

The 22-year-old has struggled mightily this season, with just eight assists in 33 games with Providence between two separate assignments to the Reading. In six ECHL games, Marquardt has a goal and two assists.

The former Columbus draft pick was acquired by Boston in May of 2008 in exchange for defensive prospect Jonathan Sigalet.

Marquardt will likely take the injured Jeff LoVecchio’s spot in the Providence lineup for the time being.

Three of New England’s greatest NHL players and a gold medal-winning Olympic team full of players from the region (or with ties to it) were inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame tonight.

Tony Amonte (Hingham, Mass.), Tom Barrasso (Burlington, Mass.) and John LeClair (St. Albans, Vt.) were three of the NHL’s most recognizable talents over the past two decades, and took their place with the country’s greatest players already enshrined there.

All gave eloquent and moving acceptance speeches, and seeing the three of them together reminded everyone of the 1990s, when New England had a significant share of the star talent playing in the NHL.

Barrasso’s tremendous success as an NHL goalie with Buffalo, who won the Vezina and Calder Trophies after jumping straight from Acton-Boxboro High School, is an amazing feat- and one not duplicated in the almost three decades since he did it in 1983-84.

The American women, who captured a nation’s heart during the Winter Games in Nagano in 1998 by upsetting heavily-favored Canada, have a strong area thread that weaves them together, from New Hampshire and Rhode Island natives Katie King, Tara Mounsey and Sarah DeCosta, to those born outside of New England, but who played their college hockey there like Cammi Granato, Karyn Bye, Angela Ruggiero and Shelley Looney.

The late Frank Zamboni, whose ice resurfacing machine helped revolutionize the sport, was also inducted. His son, who looked remarkably like former college football head coach Lou Holtz, made the acceptance speech on behalf of his father. He reminded everyone that the Zamboni was invented and built in Southern California, not in hockey’s traditional hotbeds.

The ceremony is worth watching if the NHL Network rebroadcasts it as part of the Hockey Weekend in America celebration.

Hello, hockey fans!

I’m glad that you’ve managed to find the Kirk’s Call blog of hockeyjournal.com!

I’m excited for the opportunity to be able to bring you more detailed coverage of Boston Bruins prospects, NHL New England and other topics pertaining to hockey, especially as we approach the final five months leading to the NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles.

This blog will be a companion to Doug Flynn’s continued outstanding Bruins coverage and I’m looking forward to providing you all plenty of bonus insights and observations that we aren’t able to include in our feature stories.

Feel free to drop me a note if you have questions or want particular attention paid to specific players in Boston’s system, the New England region or beyond!