Hamill has a summer job
He hopes to show brass a few things
BEDFORD - Of the 25 pups participating in this week’s Bruins development camp, 20-year-old Zach Hamill is younger than 11 of the players. Hamill, however, is the only player who spent all of 2008-09 as a full-time AHL pro.
Hamill, in town for his third development camp (the first session took place yesterday), is being counted on by the Boston bosses to help lead the way for younger prospects like recent selections Jordan Caron, Ryan Button, Lane MacDermid, Tyler Randell, and Ben Sexton. But one reason Hamill was brought back to the camp is because the Bruins are viewing this summer as an important window in the development of the center, the eighth pick of the 2007 draft.
Hamill, the WHL’s leading scorer (32-61 -93) in his draft year, was projected to be a top-two NHL center, with hockey sense one of his strongest attributes. But after suffering a thumb injury during an exhibition game last fall, Hamill started 2008-09 on the sideline. He was slow to produce after returning to the Providence lineup, and ultimately posted a 13-13 -26 line in 65 games, finishing the season as a third-line center.
Not bad for a first-year pro. But not the type of impact rookie season Hamill was hoping for.
“The injury obviously set him back,’’ said Don Sweeney, director of hockey operations and player development. “Anytime you take a hockey player and you take away his lifeline and being away from the ice for an extended period of time, and the fact that it’s his first year as a pro and trying to make that impression, that’s a difficult thing to adjust to.
“I think he made some progress over the course of the year. We had a real good talk at Christmastime about where he thought he would be and where he envisioned himself as opposed to where he was. I think the second half of his year indicated that he had made some strides.’’
The 5-foot-11-inch, 175-pound Hamill is clever at creating offense. He’s not afraid of going into the danger areas to fish out pucks and keep the attack going.
But Hamill ran into trouble going toe-to-toe against some of the AHL’s burlier defensemen. So in hopes of enhancing his blue-collar game, Hamill is using this summer to get stronger. After camp breaks Saturday, Hamill will remain in Wilmington for another week for extra work with strength and conditioning coach John Whitesides. Hamill’s target weight for training camp is 185 pounds.
“I think staying an extra week is going to be a huge benefit with Whitesides there,’’ Hamill said. “We’ll see what stuff he’s going to put me through, then take that back home with me to train even harder for training camp.
“Momentum’s a huge thing in hockey. I think if I can have a good training camp and if I don’t stay up, my goal is to produce at the start in Providence. You can’t control injuries, but if that doesn’t happen, my goal is to have a huge start in Providence.’’
“Lot of hard work,’’ the 6-6 forward said of gaining strength. “That was the main reason I went the college route, that I’d be working out three times a week. We have a great trainer down there. Since I’ve been home in the summer, I’ve been working out in Calgary six times a week. It’s nice to finally see the rewards.’’
At Denver last season, Colborne alternated between left wing and center. He scored 10 goals and had 21 assists in 40 games as the Pioneers advanced to the NCAA Tournament, falling to Miami in the first round. The 19-year-old Colborne will return to Denver for his sophomore season, then determine whether he’s ready to move on to the pro game.
“I’m ready to be a Bruin whenever I can be,’’ Colborne said. “But I’m not going to rush myself. I’m in a great situation back at Denver. Whenever we sit down with management, we’ll figure that out.’’
Fata, who will turn 26 later this month, split 2008-09 between San Antonio and Binghamton in the AHL. The 6-1, 215-pounder had a 7-9 -16 line with 141 penalty minutes last season.
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. 
