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“A few more games in the American Hockey League never hurt anyone. He’s just one of those guys that’s knocking on the door and is very, very close. We’ll just have to see what kind of summer he has and how he progresses.”

Brannstrom has been skating with a couple of other hockey players in his hometown a few days a week and may return to taking a twirl with his former club team HV71 Jonkoping in late July. He is leaving Ottawa armed with a training program from strength coach Chris Schwarz and the staff to help him prepare for main camp.

“They’ve got a good plan for me on what I need to work on this summer and what I need to develop,” said Brannstrom. “I’m trying to get more explosive and have a bit more power in my body.”

When Brannstrom talks about power, he’s pointing to the fact he needs to get stronger, and that’s something that will partially come with age. He’s a smart player who makes good decisions with the puck and the biggest decision will be whether he’s ready to play full-time at this level. Naturally, that doesn’t need to be made right now.

“From a strength perspective, he has shown he can handle the North American game,” Mann said. “It’s just little habits and intricacies of the game that make him effective on a shift-to-shift game basis.

“Sometimes you can’t force (the player) through the door, either, and you want to make sure they’re coming through at the right time. Erik Karlsson played some games in the AHL and it helps the progression of where we want him to be because we don’t want him to be struggling while he’s here.”

Brannstrom is hopeful he can make the jump.

“I felt good when I was up here for two games, but it’s 82 games and I’m hoping that I am ready for this next step. I’m really excited for the future here.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

Twitter: @sungarrioch

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