But, Marr said, it was immediately apparent that he had potential.

“He had a lot of talent, but he had some areas of his game that you questioned, would it get to this level? And then when he got to that level, would it get to the next level?” Marr said. “He came in and just let his play and his intelligence and his work do the talking for him.”

He took on Bedard. He took on the challenge of challenging himself against someone for whom so much was expected. 

“That’s a pretty courageous thing to do for a kid whose parents barely thought he was ready for that level,” Marr said. “It was fun to watch him push and challenge and chirp a little bit at Connor every day in practice, but he knew the more he antagonized Connor that Connor would raise his level and he knew that would benefit himself because then he was going to have to raise his level to match it and it was just kind of a seesaw of competition.”

It was a brilliant strategy.

“You started to recognize, ‘Wow, between the ears this kid’s got something special that a lot of kids that might be more talented don’t have,'” Marr said.

* * * * *

When Minten left West Van Academy, his next stop was in Kamloops, with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League. It was there he encountered Shaun Clouston, a coach with years of experience in the WHL.

Minten, once again, was not cowed. When he saw something, a different approach, a new play to try, an opening, he didn’t stay quiet. It was something Marr had seen at West Van Academy, and something he heard tell of once he joined the Kamloops staff this season.

“‘Minty’ was the guy that behind the scenes would be talking with me, the head coach, and recommending things that we do, like as a 15-year-old talking to an adult, giving me ideas about the team that I didn’t think of, or how to deal with this player,” Marr said. “That’s one thing our current head coach here with the Blazers (Clouston) always praised was, the three years he had Fraser – and he’s in the top six all time in wins in the Western Hockey League – and here’s an 18-year-old coming from a shift suggesting an adjustment to make systemically.”

It could have come off wrong, a kid getting out over his skis. 

It didn’t because, as Marr said, Minten “puts the ego aside” in those moments, his suggestions inevitably about what’s best for the team as a whole. 

“It was just normal to me,” Minten said. “The coaches I’ve had before were super collaborative, open to you being a leader, reading out, working together, like it only helps if you’re collaborating in a group setting, trying to work towards something together.”

He figured, if he had something to add, why wouldn’t he?

* * * * *

Minten’s personality is not loud. Neither is his game. 

It is defensively sound. It is reliable. It is unlikely to get him or his team in trouble. 

But there remains potential for more. In 79 games in his rookie season, Minten has 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists), and is averaging 15:33 on ice per game, though that number has ticked up as his role has increased and as the Bruins have come to depend on him more. Since the start of March, Minten is averaging 17:29 per game, with that number ticking above 20 twice.

There is a question about whether he may still have more upside offensively, more to give, more to score. As his good friend, former teammate, and tenant in the place he bought in Toronto while still with the Maple Leafs, Easton Cowan, said, “He has very good offensive instincts I feel like he doesn’t get credited for enough.”