Mark Kastelic has officially been a Bruin for less than a year, but he enjoyed the weekend’s cornucopia of Black and Gold memories as much as anyone.
Not only does he have the organization running through his blood – his grandfather, Pat Stapleton, was a short-term Bruin before moving on to the Blackhawks – but his style of play would not have been out of place on the Lunch Pail AC teams of the late 1970s.
When that team in particular was brought up to him, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Kastlic’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah, that definitely got me fired up, that era,” said Kastelic on Monday after the team’s optional practice. “I went back and watched it (Sunday) night with my family, they were in town. We threw the video back up on the TV and watched. It was a crazy game back then and cool to watch. I feel like, hopefully my style is appreciated here. Personally, I feel like I’m a great fit for this organization.”
In this up-and-down Bruins season, Kastelic is one of the few players who has exceeded expectations. At first, he seemed like a throw-in in the Linus Ullmark trade that garnered a first round pick (Dean Letourneau) and backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo. But Kastelic has been more throwback than throw-in – a relentless forechecker who, when his style upsets the opposition, is not afraid to punch someone in the nose to demand his ice.
For much of the season, he centered a fourth line with John Beecher and Cole Koepke. It was so effective that former coach Jim Montgomery was hesitant to break it up to help other lines that were struggling.
Current head coach Joe Sacco said on Monday that he wanted to see how Kastelic could affect the Charlie Coyle-Trent Frederic line so he decide to bump him up in Sunday’s game against the Canadiens. He was not disappointed. Kastelic had a hard-working assist on Charlie Coyle’s goal and another one on Coyle’s second goal of the game. He also had five hits and came flying in to assist Trent Frederic in his battle with Montreal tough guy Arber Xhekaj, bring a “pack mentality,” as Kastelic put it.
“When we decided to put Kasty with Coyle and Freddy, we were looking for some energy on that line. It worked well,” said Sacco. “I thought Kasty had a great game, especially right off the hop. He’s physical, he’s on top of people. He draws you into the battle, Kasty. It worked well and I thought he brought great energy to that line. They obviously got rewarded for it.”
Frederic, for one, appreciates what Kastelic brings.
“It’s never bad having a little security,” joked Frederic, not shy about dropping the gloves himself. “It’s more than that. He’s just a good player and he’s easy to play with. He’s direct. I enjoy playing with him. I feel like every time I’ve played with him, it’s been good.
“A lot of times he’s the F1 and he’s creating a lot of loose pucks and scrums. I think he’s underrated how skilled he is and how many plays he can make out there. He’s not really underrated to me but just in general I think maybe because (he) fights or he played in Ottawa that people don’t understand how talented he is.”
While Kastelic may have established an identity as a fourth liner, every player appreciates getting a bump up.
“It’s a good feeling, that the coaches trust me to play up and down the lineup,” said Kastelic. “To be able to be versatile just adds to my value as a player. Coming to the rink I wasn’t expecting it. But then nothing really changes. I love playing with anyone on this team so no matter who I’m with, I complement them really well.”
Kastelic feels he’s established a strong rapport with Sacco as well.
“I think he’s a great coach and great person off the ice as well,” said Kastelic. I love playgin for good people and people who are honest and fair and I think he brings that as well. He’s been a pleasure to work with since I got to Boston, even before he became head coach. He’s always working with me behind the scenes. I really love playing for him.”
The 25-year-old Kastelic, who is making $835,000 this year, is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after this season. With so many unknowns about this team, it’s hard to predict what will happen with anyone on the roster.
But as he recounted how much Sunday’s Centennial ceremony meant to him, it’s easy to picture Kastelic making a long-term home here.
“Partially because of my grandpa, that made it special,” said Kastelic, whose father Ed also played 220 NHL games with Washington and Hartford. “But whether he played here or not, that ceremony was super cool and it’s a huge honor to be in Boston and be a Bruin, just with the culture and the history here, just with the guys you saw on the ice. It was almost emotional. And I’ve only been here a short time. I can only imagine what the guys who’ve played here longer were feeling. It means a lot more, after watching that ceremony, to be a Bruin.”