Sophomore Tyson Bruce tallied two assists in Saturday’s exhibition game against the CCHL All-Graduate Team, doubling his point total from last season.

Bruce appeared in three games last season for the Lakers, only scoring one goal throughout the year. Going into last season, Bruce was not in the shape that he needed to be going into camp. It made last season an adjustment for him, as he had to train harder than ever to get to where he needed to be.

“Last year was a tough year. I came into camp not so in shape,” Bruce said. “During the season, I tried to push myself to get to where I needed to be in order to play. Last year was an adjustment period for me.”

The main thing head coach Ed Gosek emphasized to Bruce at the end of last season was cutting his weight down and working on his quickness.

“We were honest with him. It’s all about accountability,” Gosek said. “For him to drop the pounds that he did so that he would be quicker, it’s a credit to him. I think he’s a great role model for younger guys.”

Gosek said that while Bruce had the hockey sense and the skill, the quickness was not there. The main difference between junior hockey and college hockey is the speed, and that is something Bruce had to adjust to as a freshman last season. Gosek praised Bruce’s ability to make these changes to his game even though he did not play much.

“Sometimes you have to make changes, and he did,” Gosek said. “That’s a hell of a sacrifice. Anybody can do it when it’s easy. For him to only play three games and for him to make that commitment is pretty impressive.”

During the offseason, Bruce skated more during the summer than any other summer before so that he would be up to speed to start this season.

“I worked on my skating more than anything,” Bruce said. “I had a skating coach over the summer. He helped me out a lot with my speed, my quickness, my edge work, my footwork, acceleration, you name it, we worked on it. I think that’s the thing that I noticed in my game changed from last year.”

Bruce already noticed these changes during the exhibition matchup against the CCHL All-Graduate Team. He was quicker at reading plays and getting loose pucks, which helped the Lakers score their first goal of that game.

“On the first one, I saw Kristoffer Brun got the puck at the point and I was behind the net and I knew he was looking to the net, so I made sure I got a stick on it and caused a scuffle and luckily, [Mitch Emerson] put it in,” Bruce said. “Things like that, quickness or ability to read the puck, get to the right area, things like that, I noticed [a change] for sure.”

Even though Gosek still thinks there is room for improvement, he liked what he saw in Bruce’s play and hopes that he can be a primary or secondary scoring option during the regular season.

“Can he continue to put up points? We hope so,” Gosek said. “For him to get two assists last weekend after playing three games last year, I think that’ll help with his confidence and help him continue to improve.”

For Bruce, the issues he faced internally led him to the highest level of play he has reached in his entire hockey career.

No matter what role Bruce has on the team this season, he wants to be productive whenever he is on the ice and help his team win.

“Whatever I can do to help the team win, that’s what I’ll do,” Bruce said. “I like to score goals, but if that’s not working and I’m called upon in another role, that’s what I’ll do.”

Photo: Dominick Lioto | The Oswegonian