Finnish product

WILMINGTON -- Considering the source, the following statement could be considered heresy:

"I'm not putting a whole lot of stock in how many pucks he's stopping," Bob Essensa said yesterday at Ristuccia Arena.

The Bruins' goaltending coach, who's happiest when his charges are turning aside shots, was speaking of Tuukka Rask, the 20-year-old netminder who made his second appearance yesterday in the team's development camp (he missed the first day because he was traveling from a wedding in Finland).

The primary bullet points for Rask from now until September will be fitness and nutrition as he prepares for his first NHL training camp, not how many saves he can rack up against his fellow prospects.

"He's a confident kid," said director of player development Don Sweeney. "He moves very well. He still hasn't filled out and matured physically. When he grows into his body, he'll look even bigger in the net."

To this point, Rask has breezed through the development checkpoints, making a case for himself as the brightest goaltending prospect outside North America. In 2005, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Rask with the 21st overall pick of the draft. In 2006, Rask starred for Finland in the world junior championship, where he recorded a 2.11 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage and swiped top goaltender honors.

In 2006-07, Rask appeared in 49 games for Ilves Tampere of the Finnish League, posting an 18-18-10 record with a 2.38 GAA and a .928 save percentage. On May 5, Rask, who models himself after Finnish goalies Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, and Antero Niittymaki, signed a three-year contract worth the entry-level maximum of $850,000 per season, then joined the Providence Bruins for their playoff run, although he did not appear in any games.

But one area in which the 6-foot-2 1/2-inch Rask might fall short is his weight: a wispy 169 pounds.

"Just looking at him, you know he needs to put on a few pounds of muscle," said Essensa, who'll travel with Rask, Tim Thomas, and Hannu Toivonen for his annual goalie clinic in Calgary next month.

The Bruins project that once Rask's had his fill of steaks, protein shakes, and weight training, the goalie can fill out his frame and look even more imposing without losing quickness or agility.

"From a goaltending perspective, size is always a good thing," Essensa said. "So long as he's adding muscle and not losing any foot speed or flexibility."

The last few days, Rask has shown the Boston bosses (director of player personnel Jim Benning was the most recent arrival, taking in his first session yesterday) some flashes of what he can do. He's stood tall in the net, showing little daylight up top to shooters. He's dropped quickly into his butterfly, moved deftly from side to side, and repositioned himself in an instant after stopping first shots.

"I played against him at world juniors, and I knew he was good," said forward David Krejci. "But when he came to Providence and practiced with us, he was amazing. It was hard to score goals against him."

Rask arrived at camp with gold-and-white pads, blocker, and catching glove. Yesterday, Rask debuted his new mask, which boasts his last name on the chin piece and the Bruins' new spoked-B on the temples, while fellow netminding prospect Kevin Regan, who'll return to the University of New Hampshire for his senior season, wore his UNH-blue equipment.

Rask, however, will most likely start 2007-08 in Providence, where he should get the bulk of the work.

Even if he is assigned to Providence out of training camp, team officials believe he's capable of becoming a No. 1 NHL goaltender in short order. The Leafs, hungry for a big league goalie and deep in young netminding talent (Justin Pogge is considered close to NHL-ready), swapped Rask to Boston for Andrew Raycroft June 24, 2006.

It's a deal, however, the Leafs might regret. Raycroft buckled at times and was yanked in the critical regular-season finale against the Montreal Canadiens, and the Leafs traded three picks to the San Jose Sharks June 22 to obtain goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Mark Bell.

The Bruins upgraded their goaltending by nabbing Manny Fernandez from the Minnesota Wild for forward Petr Kalus and a 2008 fourth-round pick. But they also made the deal partly to use the 32-year-old Fernandez, who has two seasons remaining on his contract, as a bridge to Rask, who should be ready to contend for a big league job by then.

"Obviously, everybody holds him in high regard," Sweeney said. "Another team drafted him in the first round and we had him in the same place. He comes as billed."

The club's biggest fear is that Rask is rushed and doesn't fulfill expectations. In 2002, the Bruins used their first-round pick to select another hotshot Finnish goalie. But last season, they watched Toivonen struggle, and the 23-year-old is on the market with Fernandez and Thomas penciled into NHL slots and Rask scheduled for the majority of AHL starts.

The metal-loving Rask (he especially likes the early work of Metallica and noted the band will play in Helsinki this Sunday) acknowledges the Bruins have several goalies in front of him.

"But you never know," said Rask. "Something might happen. If you're good enough, you're going to play."

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at FShinzawa@globe.com.