Lucic's sticking to it

WILMINGTON - It's time for 19-year-old Milan Lucic to move out of the hotel, find an apartment, and buy a car. He's here to stay.

Before practice at Ristuccia Arena yesterday, the Bruins rookie was told to pack his bags and stay. General manager Peter Chiarelli called Lucic into his office and told him he would be with the Bruins for the rest of the year, instead of returning to his junior team, the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League.

Lucic greeted the news with a broad grin - "Obviously, I had a smile on my face," he said. "This has always been a dream of mine, to play in the NHL, and now it's a reality." - and an attitude infused with humility and confidence.

"It's happened so quickly," Lucic said. "That's the most amazing thing of all. It goes to show, if you want something really bad, it can happen for you."

The 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound left wing, who has banged his way through the first nine games of the season for the Bruins, signed a three-year entry-level contract this summer, at $850,000 per year. A 10th game (today against the Flyers) automatically triggers the first year of his contract. Because of his age, he cannot be sent to the minors, though he could be returned to Vancouver if his performance falls off.

But it appears Lucic, who was the Giants' captain, MVP of the 2007 Memorial Cup won by Vancouver, and captain of Team Canada in this summer's Super Series, has done all he can in the WHL. It's time for him to tackle the big leagues.

Four years ago, Lucic didn't even make the "zone team" in his hometown of Vancouver. That's a bit like getting cut from the town travel team. He was a 15-year-old flop. "There were guys that didn't make Junior A [which I did the next season] that made the [zone] team over me," said Lucic.

Now, he's a regular for the Bruins.

Lucic, who has one goal and one assist playing on the third or fourth line, has made an impression with Boston, throwing around his bulky body with conviction. In one of his brightest efforts, he stepped up to fight veteran tough guy Raitis Ivanans and also scored his first NHL goal in an 8-6 victory in Los Angeles Oct. 12.

Watching him in games, in practice, and off the ice, Chiarelli was impressed with Lucic's maturity. "I told him he still has some things to work on, and he agreed, but we like what he's brought so far and he's progressed; he's something the Bruins were looking for," Chiarelli said. "He's improved as each day has gone by. He's like a sponge. If you bring up some deficiencies with him, he's done all we've asked him to. He fills the lane, he hits to hurt, which is great. He's big, he's strong, and he helps on the forecheck cycle."

Chiarelli said Lucic's fine fighting skills are a bonus in Boston.

"It's great for fans," said Chiarelli. "We like it, too."

Lucic has not had a day off from hockey since Aug. 20, after playing in the Super Series and then heading to Bruins training camp.

"He's had an incredible journey since July," Chiarelli said, "so it's nice to give him some peace of mind."

Lucic did not look stressed as he chatted in the Bruins' locker room at Ristuccia, fresh from making plans with Mark Stuart to share an apartment and beginning to think about what kind of car to buy. The call to his parents had yet to be made.

"I guess you could say it's kind of stressful since Sept. 10, with all the cuts going on," he said. "Then again, I had good focus coming into camp: I just want to be a player who's a hard worker and who gives 110 percent every shift."

Lucic formed his approach to the game early, when he deflected the rejections from teams he expected to make.

"It was discouraging at the time," said Lucic, "but being able to get over it at a young age helped me to deal with it later."

At 16, Lucic tried out for a junior team, the Coquitlam Express in the British Columbia Hockey League, but was cut in the rookie camp. "I didn't make the team at first; they cut me by mistake," he said. "I was really bummed. But two weeks later, the coach of that team called and said they wanted me. It was weird. That turn of events turned everything around for me."

He remains remarkably even-keeled, given the pressure of professional sports, the $850,000 that he could earn - or not.

"My thought process has been, 'It's just hockey,' " he said. "It doesn't change, you just have fun doing it. There's no reason to be nervous about it.

"Once I made that callback, I realized here was my chance. The summer I was 16, I barely went out, maybe one night. I had a good group of friends and we didn't get into the bad stuff; I'm from an area of East Vancouver where it's easy to do. Me and my buddy, who's a soccer player, every day we worked out together."

The payoff was a roster spot with Coquitlam, then two years with Vancouver. Now another big jump, to the NHL.

"He's got a good, physical presence, and he can shoot the puck, too," said coach Claude Julien. "He's already got a goal. We hope to be able to increase his ice time. It's only Game 9. We want to put him in a position to succeed and make sure he grows in a real positive atmosphere."

Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.