WILMINGTON (CBS) – It’ll be years before we know if the collection of prospects the Bruins paraded onto the Ristuccia Arena ice last week will be benefit the organization.

This time of year, every team likes its prospect pool and how players who are two or three years from turning pro look in a practice environment. The only thing we know for certain is that the Bruins have increased the skill level in their prospects pool and the law of averages would lead us to believe that at least a few of the skaters we saw last week will make an impact in the NHL.

There were so many new guys wearing the spoked ‘B’ last week, it was tough to cover them all. Here’s a thumbnail look at some of the players I didn’t get to write longer about:

*One guy who flew a little under the radar was forward Justin Hickman. He signed with Boston in March while he was out of action after January shoulder surgery. He was injured just before attending Winnipeg’s development camp last summer and then tried to play through the injury in 31 games with Seattle of the Western Hockey League.

“It was tough,” Hickman said. “Obviously I wanted to finish up my career in Seattle with the guys and stuff. I think the hardest part was leaving the guys halfway through the season. But sometimes you’ve got to think about what’s best for your health. My shoulder, it was pretty tough playing in that state for a while. So it was a tough decision, but I think it was the right decision.”

Bruins development camp was the first on-ice competition for Hickman since the surgery. He’d only been back skating a couple weeks. The 21-year-old was a little surprised he was able to work out something with Boston while hurt, but he was excited to get into the organization and show what he could do. Development camp isn’t a time for hostilities, so the Boston brass didn’t get to see the entire Hickman package. In 2013-14, he had 154 penalty minutes and nine fighting majors.

“I think it’s definitely a part of my game. It makes me play better,” the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Hickman said about fighting. “But there’s definitely other parts of my game. I wouldn’t say I’m there just to fight. I consider myself kind of a third-line role player that can make plays in every situation and kind of bring a little aspect of everything to the game.”

*Hickman should have some competition in training camp, and possibly a partner in crime when the season starts, with Colton Hargrove turning pro after three seasons at Western Michigan. The 23-year-old forward, who was drafted in the seventh round in 2012, had 80 penalty minutes in 34 games for the WMU despite the absence of fighting in NCAA hockey. Hargrove’s looking forward to dropping the gloves as a pro.

“I mean it’s going to be a challenge for sure. There’s some good fighters,” the 6-1, 211-pound native of Texas said. “But I think I can hold my own. I fought in juniors quite a few times. There’s good fighters but I think I can step up to the challenge.”

You add Hickman and Hargrove to returning players Tyler Randell and Anthony Camara with the Providence Bruins and opposing players might start calling in sick to avoid the P-Bruins.

*General manager Don Sweeney was impressed not only by first-round pick Zachary Senyshyn’s on-ice abilities but by the kid’s thick skin. You’ll remember that the Bruins were ridiculed by many draft experts for selecting Senyshyn 20 or more spots ahead of where he was ranked.

“Well I think he stood up in front. Some of the little things that I had read, he knew some attention had been thrown his way,” said Sweeney, who also noted that Senyshyn was also picked with the selection that was traded for Dougie Hamilton. “But I would think any first-rounder sort of feels that attention being thrown their way. They’re excited one minute and then to have a barrage of questions that sort of ask why, and he’s just going to go about his business. He’s a young kid that you love to see that enthusiasm. For a player with his talent and the position he was in to score the goals he did in a somewhat reduced role on a really good team, I think there’s upside there and we’re excited about it.”

*Sweeney also loved second-round pick Brandon Carlo, who’s a mountainous 6-5, 196 pounds at just 18 years old.

“Well he touches one side of the ice to the other in terms of his wingspan, so that’s exciting, for a guy that can only touch partway off the boards in myself,” Sweeney said. “So I think right away how much area and territory he can defend. He’s got athleticism and skating ability. He shoots the puck really hard. I was impressed with Brandon during the World Juniors because they gave him a role and he really did a good job. He went out and was more of a shutdown (guy), he made his first pass, identified. At times other guys get thrown into, when they go back to their team and they try to do too much, and I think he understands where his strengths are and he’ll just continue to get better. That first-pass execution piece will be very, very important for him. But he’s a guy that covers a lot of ice. So we’re really excited about Brandon.”