Matthew Poitras — former Guelph Storm — made the Boston Bruins out of training camp, but the Bruins have sent him to Sweden for the World Juniors. More on what he will bring to this team, and if he possibly returns to Guelph post-tournament.
What a year it's been for Matthew Poitras.
In the 2022-2023 OHL season, Poitras accumulated 79 assists. It's safe to say he's a pass-first player, and one of the best playmakers in junior hockey.
The Guelph Storm didn't exactly live up to expectations last season, losing in the first round of the playoffs after a good regular season. They were high in the standings, but they lost a lot of games they should have won last season.
The Bruins second round pick was flying under-the-radar the whole time.
Poitras attended Bruins development camp and training camp during the offseason, just as every other prospect. But Poitras did something that not many people saw coming — he made the big club out of training camp.
His team-oriented playmaking ability and pure skill earned him a spot on the Bruins starting lineup, and Poitras did not disappoint.
Sure, the Bruins weak centre depth may have played a part in this. But rarely do we see a mid-second round pick making their NHL clubs one year after they were drafted, and no one saw it coming.
Poitras didn't skip a beat jumping into the NHL, playing a middle-six centre role right away and filling a huge gap for the Bruins. He picked up an assist in his first game, and his first NHL goal came on October 22nd, where he scored two against Anaheim.
Poitras has become a phenomenal story out of the OHL, and a couple months later, he is on his way to Sweden to play for Canada at the World Junior Championships.
Canada only took twelve forwards out of training camp, in hope that they would get an NHL prospect sent to them. Poitras will fill this last forward spot, and he has just made Canada's centre depth a whole lot deeper.
Canada may not have as "strong" of a team as in recent years, thinking back to Bedard, McTavish, and Johnson leading them to gold. But Poitras is a huge addition to this group.
Poitras will undoubtedly step in as the first line centre on this team, and he will likely play with a lot of different players throughout the tournament. One advantage to Poitras' game; he can play with anyone.
His playmaking ability will generate loads of offence for Canada, something they seem to be lacking. Sarnia Sting Head Coach Alan Letang and his staff have picked a team that will be hard to play against, and all Poitras will have to do is step in and create like he has been with the Bruins.
Poitras will play at the World Juniors for the first time, and he has the opportunity to lead this team to it's third-straight gold medal in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Once this tournament concludes, Poitras' future is slightly in the air. There is a slight chance he returns to Boston, but due to his minimized role as of late, there is a good chance that he will return to Guelph.
If Poitras returns to Guelph, he will take the OHL by storm. More importantly though, he will be able to help out the Storm who have exceeded expectations so far this year. Adding Poitras back to this group would provide a significant boost to their offensive production.
Guelph will be identified as serious contenders if they are able to get Poitras back, and suddenly become one of the more well-rounded teams in the OHL.
The Storm get their offence from everywhere, there doesn't seem to be one superstar leading the way. Matthew Poitras will become this player.