be claimed for the Bruins it was a full-circle moment for Oliver Wahlstrom.
Boston’s rookie forward is from Yarmouth, Maine and played one season at Boston College before being selected 11th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Wahlstrom told reporters Monday that he was “pretty special ” knowing the Bruins claimed him off waivers from the New York Islanders, especially since he grew up a Bruins fan.
(Brad Marchand) called me the other day, and it was great. Obviously, I grew up watching him play, the 2011 Stanley Cup.” Wahlstrom said. “And (David Pastrnak), too. And I really don’t know if it’s sunk in yet. It’s a dream come true to come home to my family and friends.”
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Merchant praised the 24-year-old and called him “almost like a large pasta” because of the way he shoots the puck. The Bruins captain called Wahlstrom’s shot dangerous and praised his game as one he’s always liked.
“This is outrageous,” Wahlstrom said when told Marchand compared him to Pastrnak. “Pasta is pasta. Obviously, the shooting is there, but I’ve been working on a lot of other things in my game that maybe help get to those areas as well.”
When Wahlstrom was drafted, he was expected to be a big scorer. He could never find his groove, scoring just two goals in 27 games for New York this season.
While adjusting to a new team may take some time, Wahlstrom is familiar with Marc McLaughlin and Johnny Beecher. McLaughlin and Wahlstrom were roommates at BC and played “a lot of ‘Fortnite'” together while he played with Beecher at the World Juniors. He also meets Brandon Carlo.
Wahlstrom worked out with the Bruins on Monday in Calgary before their game against the Flames on Tuesday, and he’s looking forward to getting in on the action and seeing who he’s playing.
It’s unclear when Wahlstrom will make his Bruins debut. Interim coach Joe Sacco said he hasn’t made a decision on who will and won’t play Tuesday night.