Training Camp Notebook: Kastelic Taking Pride in Bottom-Six Purpose

BOSTON –– Marco Sturm pushed his players through a one-on-one, board-battle drill at the end of each session on Friday at Warrior Ice Arena.

When the whistle finally blew following the numerous reps, knees were taken and water was grabbed. What did the Boston Bruins think of the training camp practice?

“There was actually no feedback – they couldn’t talk,” the head coach joked about his winded players. “That’s a good sign, though.”

Sturm’s focus for the day was on the importance of strong defense and how it can lead to Boston playing with the puck more. The high-intensity board battles were one way the Bruins started to bring that vision to life.

Here is what else you need to know from the second day of on-ice sessions:

Mark Kastelic and the bottom-six purpose

Mark Kastelic chuckled as he thought back to fighting now teammate Tanner Jeannot in 2023 when they were on opposing sides. Who won the bout? “Probably him,” Kastelic admitted.

The Bruins added Jeannot during free agency as another bruising forward who can add some edge to the bottom six. Kastelic welcomes it now that the two are wearing the same jersey.

“It’s always nice to have many guys who are tough to play against and not afraid to stick up for each other. I think the more the merrier,” Kastelic said. “I don’t think anything is going to change for me personally – that just comes with the nature of the style I play. But it’s definitely nice to have some size and toughness with Tanner and some of the guys we brought in.”

That sentiment holds true for Sturm, who said he plans to utilize his third and fourth lines a good amount throughout games and the season as a whole.

“I am a coach who relies on them a lot. If you look at everyone’s schedule this year because of Olympics, it’s going to be so many games,” Sturm said. “That’s why the third and fourth line, we need them, we need a lot of good minutes out of them. Not just playing heavy, but they’ve got to help us out.”

Kastelic has been building chemistry on a line with Mikey Eyssimont and Sean Kuraly during the first week of training camp. They are trying to play to the identity Sturm wants out of his bottom six.

“There’s always change possible, but as of right now, it’s been a blast playing with those two. I think we complement each other well out there,” Kastelic said. “A little bit of experience from those two guys – been around a little bit. I think they both play an honest, hard game and that’s something I really respect and appreciate."

Fabian Lysell learning from NHL experience

Fabian Lysell got a taste of the NHL last season with the Bruins. The 22-year-old forward played 12 games with the team, appearing in seven consecutive matchups in April. Lysell has leaned on that experience coming into training camp.

“It was obviously really nice to get that call-up and to be able to play a couple games in a row,” Lysell said. “That really helped with the confidence and just being able to see how everything works up here. It definitely feels good coming in with that in the back of my mind.”

The stint informed Lysell’s offseason training. He said he worked “a little bit harder” in the gym and always tried to go 100% when he skated to mimic the game tempo. Lysell wants to add a heightened physicality to his game, too.

“I feel now that I trust more in my body,” he said. “I feel like I can use it to my advantage, maybe more than I felt before.”

Lysell is now battling for a more consistent NHL role after his 34-point (11 goals, 23 assists) showing in the AHL last season. For the first two days of training camp, Lysell has skated on a line with Johnny Beecher and Fraser Minten.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Lysell said. “Trying to take it day by day and see all the older guys – how they work every day and how they prepare. I am just trying to follow and compete every day. We’ll see what happens.”

Pavel Zacha shares personal expectations

Pavel Zacha believes he has more to give.

The forward finished the 2024-25 campaign with 47 points (14 goals, 33 assists) in 82 games, but is working to inflate those numbers as game one of the regular season nears.

“I think every year you want to get better, but I think for sure it was a little bit of a decline performance-wise there. I wanted to be better offensively,” Zacha said.

“I want to go back to the numbers, even better than I had the first two years here. I think it starts in training camp. I feel healthy and good coming in, and it is something I focused on doing videos and all that stuff in the offseason and try to get better with where to be in the offensive zone and creating more chances around there for myself.”

Sturm has put Zacha at his natural center position to open training camp. Zacha said his new head coach likes him in the pivot position and, if need be, feels comfortable using him on the wing, too. Zacha skated between Matěj Blümel and Tanner Jeannot during the first two days of practice.

Zacha has gotten to know Blümel away from the ice – both are from Czechia. Blümel stayed with Zacha for a week when first arriving in Boston.

“He’s a great kid. He was great in the house, too. He cleaned his dishes and everything like that. That was nice,” Zacha said. “He seems very nice but hardworking. I see him at the gym here, one of the first guys. It’s great to see, especially on a team like Boston. We want hard-working people to come in and perform here. It’s a good step for him.”

Casey Mittelstadt coming into camp comfortable

Casey Mittelstadt had a quick and sudden introduction to Boston last season. The forward was dealt to the Bruins from the Colorado Avalanche at March’s trade deadline and skated in 18 games with the team to finish out the year.

Following a summer to settle, Mittelstadt feels more ready to take on the season in Black and Gold.

“Last year was a little crazy, but it’s part of the job. Just keep rolling with it and keep working,” Mittelstadt said. “I think it helped a lot to be here last year – get my whereabouts and get to know the guys. Coming in here, I feel comfortable and ready to go.”

Mittelstadt logged 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 81 games between his two teams in 2024-25 – six of those points came with the Bruins. While production is important, Mittelstadt said he takes pride in his play with and without the puck. As a center in Sturm’s system, Mittelstadt knows he will carry responsibility on both ends.

“More times than not, the centers are going to have a lot on their plate. I think he does a good job of explaining things, dumbing it down and making it simple. The rules are the rules, and if you follow them, you’re going to have success,” Mittelstadt said.

“You are going to have to play in all three zones, and you are going to have to play well defensively. A big thing he preaches is if you play well defensively, you are going to play with the puck a lot. That is going to be my focus.”

Up next: The Boston Bruins have a training camp scrimmage between Group A and Group B at Warrior Ice Arena at 11:10 a.m. on Saturday, which will be open to the public. The team’s first preseason game is Sunday at TD Garden at 5 p.m. against the Washington Capitals.