Wahlstrom, claimed off waivers Saturday, wore No. 71 and played right wing on Charlie Coyle’s line with Trent Frederic on the left side in Edmonton.
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EDMONTON, Alberta —
Oliver Wahlstrom lived out one of his childhood dreams Thursday night when he pulled on a Bruins sweater for the first time as the club wrapped up its five-game Western swing
with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers at Rogers Place.
Wahlstrom,
who was claimed off waivers from the Islanders Saturday, wore No. 71 and played right wing on
Charlie Coyle’s line with
Trent Frederic on the left side. He had two shots in 8:51 of ice time.
“I’m very excited,” Wahlstrom, a native New Englander, said following the club’s brief morning skate. “It’s a dream to play for the Bruins and it was nice to get to know these guys getting here, so I’m super excited for sure.”
“I think for sure just to keep things simple early on because I’m going to be pretty amped up and playing with some pretty skilled players and some new guys,” he said. “So, I think keep the first couple games simple and then when I do that, things will open up for sure.”
Wahlstrom was also set to man the elbow on the second power-play unit. He worked there during the morning skate and looked comfortable.
Though he’s had little practice time to build any chemistry, Wahlstrom has kept the lines of communication open.
“I had a couple of talks with Charlie on the power play and things like that,” Wahlstrom said. “So, I think I’ll lean on him a lot, ask a lot of questions and I kind of know him from when I worked out in Boston when I was little. He’s a really fun player. He holds onto the puck, and he makes plays. So, I think for me, just move my legs and try to find those open areas and engage my body.”
Wahlstrom said his conversations with coach — and fellow New Englander —
Joe Sacco have also been productive.
“Obviously a lot of new systems, so take them in but also just go out and have fun, enjoy it,” Wahlstrom said of Sacco’s message. “My whole family is pumped up that I get to represent Boston and play for this Original Six team. I’m pretty grateful for that.”
“We’ve gone over stuff that we feel is important for him to understand as far as how we want to play, but you have to be careful that you don’t get too much information,” said the coach. “You don’t want to paralyze the player. Just go out and play and we’ll correct the mistakes that happened from our structure, but otherwise we just want to see him play.”
Wahlstrom didn’t have any family on hand for his debut, but he is expecting a huge turnout for Saturday’s home game against the Sabres, including his sister,
Alexandra, who lives in Charlestown.
“Maybe it’s a free night for me playing if I’m in the lineup,” Wahlstrom joked. “But my sister’s there so that’s the most important thing that’s special for me is my sister. We’ve been close ever since we were little, so we’ll see what happens Saturday.”