Wheeler learns from sitting in the press box.

I saw this story while reading the illegal curve this morning. For the record I was surprised when Blake Wheeler made the Bruins roster out of training camp. As the season progressed I was mildly shocked that he became a legitimate candidate for the Rookie of the Year in the NHL, based on his three years of play in the WCHA. As the season wore on I have been impressed with Wheelers play and his contributions to the Bruins run towards a number one seed in the east for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Lately his line of Ryder, Krejci, Wheeler has fallen off a bit after a very dependable scoring threat. Here is a break down of the troubles of the Ryder, Krejci, Wheeler line; Davide Krejci has 2 points in 6 games, Wheeler has 3 assists in the past 6 games, zero points in the last 4 games, Ryder has one point in the past 5 games. I think one could make the argument that some of the Bruins struggles in the last 6 games (2-3-1 record) could be linked to the struggles of this line. They need to get on the score sheet more consistantly. If you shut the top line of Savard, Lucic and Kessel the other lines need to step up and contribute.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - On Saturday, while his teammates were scoring a 5-3 win over Chicago, Blake Wheeler was in the TD Banknorth Garden press box, sharing a ninth-floor suite with assistant coach Doug Houda. They watched the game, then studied and discussed replays of certain plays.

A day later, Wheeler was back on the ice with usual linemates David Krejci and Michael Ryder, recording two shots and two hits in 16:07 of action during a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. Yesterday, Wheeler was one of six Bruins to participate in a limited practice at Dispatch Ice Haus.

Such is life as an NHL rookie.
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The early guess, from management and the coaching staff, was that Wheeler would start 2008-09 in Providence, then perhaps be worthy of a midseason promotion. But from the start of training camp, Wheeler showcased excellent skating and strength on the puck that made him a scoring threat.

In the games leading up to being scratched, though, Wheeler's legs weren't whirring the way they were earlier in the season when he was among the league's brightest rookies. When he watched Saturday, Wheeler noticed right away that the most successful players - new teammate Mark Recchi had an especially high-energy game - were the ones skating effectively. (read the rest of the article here)