As Sturm implemented his new systems, he knew there would be growing pains among players, staffers, and the diehards.

Three wins to start the season quelled concerns. A six-game losing streak that followed shook the faith of fans and had critics cackling.

In the face of it, Sturm remained steadfast. His systems would take time. Be patient, the muscle memory would come.

After an impressive win over the Avalanche to snap the skid, the Bruins bombed in Ottawa Sept. 27, then caught fire, reeling off seven straight wins.

After Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss to the Ducks, the Bruins are 12-10.

Sturm’s systems, which he likes to call “hybrids,” were taking hold and becoming second nature.

Offensively, the changes were subtle.

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“I would say as of right now, not too much is different offensively with the puck. Obviously, breakouts are different a little bit. I think what’s different is there’s a different mind-set. Maybe that’s the biggest difference with the puck,” Sturm told the Globe. “Where the tweaks came in was probably without the puck. I am a big believer even in offensive-zone forecheck, I pay lots of attention to where the guys should be without the puck. And then it kind of goes back to the track, how we come back to our own end.”

On defense, the layers that were always a Bruins mainstay were in place, they just had a different look. Boston’s box-and-one, which Sturm thrived in during his playing days, received a makeover.

“In the D zone, it’s being more aggressive. It used to be that everyone was in charge of their zone and that was successful, and they’ve been really good. I was part of that for a lot of years, and I loved it,” said Sturm.

Sturm calls it “the hybrid” because there are elements of multiple systems.

“Instead of just staying there the whole time — that in your box kind of thing — now if there’s motion, that’s when you go with your man,” said Sturm. “So, that’s the biggest change.”

The roster turnover in recent years is the main reason Sturm felt a change was needed.

“Again, I still love [the old system], but I also think in any system, it doesn’t matter what it is, you’ve got to have the right people for it,” said Sturm. “And we don’t have the Patrice Bergerons, the David Krejcis, and those guys anymore. We just don’t. So, that was the reason why I thought, ‘OK, we need a little bit of a tweak,’ so we can play to our advantage more than anything else.”

Sturm’s time in the Western Conference influenced his decision to make the tweaks.

“On the West Coast, we play the [Cale] Makars, the [Quinn] Hugheses, those defensemen are really good. So good in their end. They’re so good at getting lost and being effective,” Sturm said. “And one of the reasons why we did this on the West Coast was because of those guys, because they were so good and we just tried to limit their space, basically.”

Sturm has leaned on Viktor Arvidsson and Tanner Jeannot, newcomers to the Bruins but not the systems he preaches.

“I can tell you that those guys have been helping the other guys out, too,” the coach said. “So, it’s not just coming from me, and that’s why it’s helpful for me, too. Even in some video sessions we do, these guys speak up a lot of times because they know how good it is and how effective it can be. But yeah, they are a huge help.”

Arvidsson, who is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, has embraced the role.

“I’ve been trying to talk to people and tell them, ‘You got to stay patient, it’s going to come,’ ” said Arvidsson. “And it’s like, you have played a system almost your whole career and it’s hard to change. That’s muscle memory and mind memory that you have to change, and it can be hard sometimes.”

Sturm has used video tutorials to help get his messages across, but it’s his impromptu, in-practice white board sessions that have really helped. When he sees something that needs to be reinforced, he’ll halt the session and call his players over.

“You don’t want to stop all the time, but you still want to have a little bit of a flow. What I noticed is — and not just here but anywhere — players, even when I say something, they’re like, ‘OK,’ but they don’t really ask questions,” Sturm. “So, that’s why sometimes when it’s important to me — and being a former player, I’ve been in that situation, so I kind of know — I have a good feeling when I stop and I have to actually show them and explain, and they’re like, ‘Oh, OK.’ Then it shows me, ‘OK, I know, officially, they got it.’ ”

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him @globejimmcbride.