BOSTON — There was a long pause as Dans Locmelis scanned the faces in front of him waiting for a reaction.
Standing in the Warrior Arena dressing room after the first day of rookie camp, the Bruins prospect was asked about his brief conversation with Sidney Crosby after Locmelis and Latvia faced Canada in the World Championships this summer.
“He said he hasn’t seen anything like that before. I could maybe be the next Wayne Gretzky,” Locmelis said. “He was impressed with me.”
The combination of Locmelis’ slight accent, his unrevealing straight face and the fact that the media doesn’t know him well enough yet left everybody wondering:
“What exactly did he just say?”
The former UMass standout then broke out in a smile.
“I’m just kidding,” he said as the group caught up and laughed.
It wasn’t the first time Locmelis surprised people.
Locmelis’ esteem within the sport and the organization has continued to rise since the Bruins selected him in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.
After a strong sophomore season at UMass last year, Locmelis, 21, turned pro and joined the Providence Bruins for the last six games of the AHL season.
He made an impression right away. He had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in six AHL games.
“Coming out of school, especially joining a team at that time of the season, it’s always tough. He did an amazing job,” said Providence Bruins coach Ryan Mougenel, who’ll lead the Boston team at the Prospects Challenge. “It surprised me how quickly he got acclimated to the American Hockey League and the physicality of it. He embraced that and he played with a ton of courage. That’s something that you can’t teach. It’s a foundation of being a Bruin. We want guys with courage. Sometimes that courage comes in different ways — the ability to make a play and get inside and not be shy. I was really impressed with Dans.”
While he didn’t actually compare him to Gretzky, Crosby did praise Locmelis. The 6-foot-0, 170-pound forward led Latvia with four goals in the tournament.
“He just said that I looked good and did a good job in the faceoffs,” Locmelis said. “Good to hear something like that from Sid.”
The whirlwind of playing in Providence and then for his country left Locmelis eager to build on it.
“I feel fresh and ready to go,” he said. “I just realized I can play at this level. You play against Canadian team with NHL players. I felt like I could keep up with them. Maybe not dominate them yet. I feel like I can play at their level.”
He’ll get a chance to prove it.
After the Prospects Challenge, he’ll be one of several players at Bruins training camp who are competing for the roster spots that are up for grabs heading into the season.
“There’s a couple of spots that a lot of players are fighting for,” he said. “My goal is to make the team. I’ll do what I have in my power to make it. … Everything is in my hands if I show myself really good.”
He’ll be competing against players with more experience and stronger pedigrees. But Mougenel said Locmelis makes himself hard to cut.
“I think as a player and a person. He’s fantastic to be around. He’s got a ton of energy and he loves the game and it really kind of showed in his play,” Mougenel said. “He’s super responsible … I think he’s gonna push. He’s a little bit of a coach’s binky in the fact that he does a lot of things well and he’s got a real good future.
”He’s super bright, has a great flair for offense, has a great mind for it,” Mougenel said. “I think they did a great job with him at UMass. I’m excited about his camp.”
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