

The Boston Bruins have plenty of players to keep an eye on as the preseason carries on. Among the most notable is forward Matej Blumel, as the 25-year-old forward has been making a real case for a spot on the Bruins' opening night roster.
It has become rather clear that Bruins head coach Marco Sturm has been impressed with Blumel, too. Blumel has been continuing to skate on what could be the Bruins' second line at the start of the season, with Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson as his linemates.
With this, Blumel has a golden opportunity right now to try to officially earn himself a spot in Boston's top six once the regular season is here, and he will be looking to take advantage of it.
Blumel demonstrated over the last few seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Texas Stars that he possesses offensive upside. In 2023-24 with Texas, the 2019 fourth-round pick posted 31 goals and 62 points in 72 games. He then followed that up by scoring an AHL-leading 39 goals and posting 72 points in 67 games with Texas last season.
Now, if the Bruins end up starting the season with the lines they have been using over the last few days, Blumel would get the chance to show what he can do in a significant role with Boston.
For Blumel to keep his spot on a line with Zacha and Arvidsson, he will need to continue to stand out as the preseason rolls on. It will be very fascinating to see if he can do just that from here, but there is no question that Sturm has been liking what he is seeing from him.
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