At 18, David Pastrnak is the youngest player in the American Hockey League. He�s also one of the best.

At 18, David Pastrnak is the youngest player in the American Hockey League. He�s also one of the best.

He leads the Providence Bruins with 13 points in 12 games. His plus-12 is first in the AHL. And if there were a way to measure his passion for the game, he�d probably lead the league in that, too.

In the first semester of his education in North American pro hockey, the Boston Bruins� 2014 first-round draft choice is earning straight A�s.

�Outstanding some nights, very good most nights,� says John Ferguson Jr., Boston�s executive director of player personnel.

Which begs the question: How long will he be in Providence?

A shoulder injury kept Pastrnak out for a good chunk of training camp. He was sent to the AHL in part so management could decide on the best place for him to play this season. Aside from Boston, the options are Providence, Belleville of the Ontario Hockey League and Sweden�s Sodertalje.

Six weeks into the season, the logical choices have been narrowed to either Providence or Boston. Spending most of the season in the AHL, with some NHL games sprinkled in, could be a perfect scenario for his development. Let there be no doubt that his opportunity in Boston is coming. It�s only a question of when.

For now, at least, there�s no hurry.

�Everything�s been positive [in Providence]. There�s really no urgency right now to change it up,� said Ferguson.

Whether for a practice or a game, the Czech rookie shows up ready to work.

As his teammates skated around at the Dunkin� Donuts Center before a scheduled 10:30 workout on a recent weekday morning, a mildly impatient Pastrnak could be heard saying, �It�s 10:31, why hasn�t practice started yet?�

His enthusiasm is refreshing. �He�s got a great attitude. He comes to the rink every day with a smile on his face,� said Jay Pandolfo, Boston�s player development coach.

�It�s fun to have a young guy like that around,� said 24-year-old teammate Jordan Caron, who is currently living with Pastrnak in a temporary team apartment across the street from The Dunk.

�We go to movies, play video games a little bit, just hang out and watch TV. Normal stuff young guys do,� says Caron.

According to Ferguson, the Bruins are closely monitoring Pastrnak�s nutrition and off-ice training and are pleased with his dedication and hard work. Pastrnak said this week that he has gained six pounds since the start of training camp, when he was listed at 167. Caron and Pastrnak split cooking chores, along with frequent visits to the prepared foods section of Whole Foods.

The Bruins are looking into moving Pastrnak in with a family for the season, but he hasn�t made up his mind on that. �I�ve been living by myself since I�ve been 15, so I�m used to it. Maybe [living with a family] is good for me. It�s a good idea from Boston. We�ll talk about it and I�ll think about it, too,� he said.

When he�s on the ice, Pastrnak�s speed and skill jump out at you. A pair of plays in last Sunday�s Providence win over St. John�s demonstrated his potential not only as a game-breaker but as an all-around player.

First, he intercepted a pass at the red line and fed a perfect pass to Rob Flick for a goal.

�That individual play is what he�s capable of and what we�ve seen. He really finds pucks � he knocked that puck out of the air, froze the goalie and the defenseman with a fake shot, put it on Flick�s stick and gave him a chance to score,� said Ferguson.

Later Pastrnak hustled back to thwart a St. John�s scoring chance. �It was impressive. He backchecked in the right lane, he got his stick in and broke up the play. He broke up probably three passes [on Sunday]. His ability to find space, do good things with his stick, go in both directions.

�To me, it indicates not only a willingness to play at both ends, but he�s got a hockey IQ that is very impressive and beyond his years,� Ferguson said.

Providence coach Bruce Cassidy said Pastrnak rebounded on Sunday after two average games.

�He was getting knocked off pucks Friday and Saturday, one hand on the stick at times. He�s going to have to be heavier if he�s going to go into traffic, which he always does. [Sunday] he was able to free up some ice for himself. Good players � you�re not going to keep them down forever.�

Pastrnak�s play without the puck is a work in progress, as you�d expect with an 18-year-old kid. But he�s committed to getting it right.

�He�s going to learn some of the other things about the game, just little habits that he�ll get better at and that he wants to get better at,� said Pandolfo. �I�ve been most impressed with that sort of stuff � that he wants to get better at the little things. He�s plus-12. That says something. He competes all the time. For an 18-year old kid, it�s impressive.�

He�s been a good teammate, too.

�That I have points, that�s not my work, it�s work from the guys. I would not have the assists if they would not score,� said Pastrnak.

How this season will turn out remains to be seen, but Pastrnak has a goal in mind.

�To move up to Boston and stay there as long as I can. Right now I�m here and focusing on my game here. Then the way that I have to go will show up. Some day it�s going to come. Right now I�m just playing games here and working for the team and do my best,� he said.