BRIGHTON, Mass. — Fraser Minten and Dans Locmelis aren’t the type of young players that typically get fans or national pundits excited. 

They weren’t high draft picks, and they don’t usually make the dazzling offensive plays that go viral on social media. But what they do is everything well, and that’s what excites the Boston Bruins coaching staff. 

As the organization opened its rookie camp this week at Warrior Ice Arena, Minten and Locmelis are easily the two players of the bunch who have the best chance at making the NHL squad come the regular season.

“Every training camp is an opportunity to show what you got, and then let it play out and see what happens,” Minten said on Wednesday. “I’m excited to do everything I can, and play some really good hockey.” 

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Minten did that down the stretch last season with the Bruins, appearing in six games for the club after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

“When you draft or sign players, people are always willing to give input, and my phone absolutely blew up with random people that that were connected in hockey, not connected in hockey, that said fantastic things about Fraser,” said Providence Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel. “When you meet him, you can see why. He’s another kid that’s super young, and you wouldn’t know it if you talked to him. His maturity as a person shows in his game as well.” 

A responsible two-way center who’s good at taking face-offs and capable of killing penalties, the 21-year-old has the hockey IQ most players don’t develop until they’re established veterans. 

It’s helpful that Minten has already had the experience of one to his point in his young career. In each of the past two seasons, he’s played for four different teams, which exposed him to the sometimes harsh business side of life in the NHL. 

“Pro hockey is like that,” Minten said. “You’re on the move, and you’re an asset that gets moved around. To get to see that and understand that at a young age, I don’t think it hurts. It just gives you some motivation to really give yourself a good chance to stick somewhere.” 

Fraser Minten is just following orders pic.twitter.com/3ICmmhuPPD

— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) September 10, 2025

That experience, combined with his already solid foundation, is exactly why Minten is taking part in rookie camp. Not so much for himself, but for the other players participating. 

While he may not be much older than the rest of the group, Minten’s presence as a leader provides an example the group can follow. 

“I think that’s just part of who I am,” said Minten. “I try to lead the way a little bit. When I was first coming in, a guy I was playing with, like maybe the Nick Robertson, you’re looking up to him because he’s got some NHL games. Hopefully, I can be a good role model for some of the guys who are just coming in, the 18, 19-year-old kids.”

Minten’s route to the NHL may be one Locmelis can follow. 

In a similar vein, he too is the type of do-it-all player who relies more on his mind rather than skill to make an impact. As Mougenel put it, he’s “a little bit of coach’s binky.” 

P-Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel described Dans Locmelis as a “coach’s binky.”

“He’s super bright, and I think he’s going to push. He does a lot of a lot of things well, and he’s got a real good future…He plays with a ton of courage, and you can’t teach that.”

— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) September 10, 2025

Locmelis only just made his professional debut toward the tail end of last season after spending three years playing in the NCAA at UMass, but quickly acclimated and recorded 12 points in six games down in Providence.

“He played with a ton of courage, and that’s something that he can’t teach.” Mougenel said. “It’s a foundation of being a Bruin. We want guys with courage, and sometimes that courage comes in different ways. I was really impressed with Dans. I’m excited about his camp. He seems like he’s super excited, and I think he’s going to be a real good pro.” 

The 21-year-old from Latvia has had an unconventional career path to this point. While he’s only appeared in a handful of games at the professional level, Locmelis has already playing against some of the best competition in the world while competing for his country in the last three IIHF World Championships. 

“I just realized I can play in this level,” said Locmelis. “I can play against the Canadian [national team] with NHL players, and I felt like I can keep up with them. Maybe not dominate them yet, but I feel like I’m on their level.” 

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At the most recent tournament earlier this summer, Locmelis tallied a goal and an assist across five games and even earned the praises of the venerable Sidney Crosby. 

“It wasn’t anything much, he just said he hasn’t seen anything like that before and that I could maybe be the next Wayne Gretzky,” Locmelis joked. “No, that felt good. He just said I did a good job on face-offs. It was good to hear something like that.” 

Locmelis and Minten both have a long way to go before either one can say they’re one of the same level as the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of skates. 

But even in the short time they’ve been in professional hockey, they’ve already shown through their they have what it takes to have a career at the highest level and potentially be foundational pieces for years to come.

“We want guys who have futures in the NHL,” said Mougenel. “We want longevity in their game. What’s going to endear him to the coaching staff, are those small details. Coaches gravitate towards players that have those details, and I think the coaching staff is going to love [them], for sure.” 

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