When Bruins general manager Don Sweeney took office on May 20, the buzz words from his introductory press conference were “speed” and “skill.”

When his two biggest acquisitions to date were introduced at the Garden yesterday — left winger Matt Beleskey and right winger Jimmy Hayes — three words kept coming up: “Big, Bad Bruins.”

Beleskey and Hayes are not exactly perfect fits into the old Black ’n’ Gold mold. Though Beleskey plays an aggressive style and seems a little bigger than he is, he isn’t all that imposing at 6-foot, 204 pounds. Hayes has the size at 6-6, 221, and he’s learning to use it to create offense, but he’s not a classic drop-the-gloves Bruins type. He has four professional fights, according to hockeyfights.com.

However, Sweeney also said he wants players excited to be Bruins. Well, he certainly has that in both the Dorchester-bred Hayes and Beleskey.

And you don’t have to tell Hayes about the history of the B’s identity.

“They’re known as the Big, Bad Bruins, and it’s always a heavy game when you’re playing against them,” the 25-year-old Boston College product said. “They’re a team that’s always had a ton of size and a lot of power forwards as well. I think we’re going to continue to go in that direction, adding a guy like myself and Beleskey.

“And there’s a lot of skill up front as well.”

Hayes comes with the stamp of approval from former Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton. The two played together with the Florida Panthers.

“I love that kid,” Thornton said after the trade. “He’s a hard-working kid, a great team guy, and I’ll tell you, he’ll be a guy that’s proud to pull on that sweater.”

While Beleskey grew up in Barrie, Ontario, it sounds like he’s every bit as excited to be here. With the departure of Milan Lucic, he’ll have a chance to play on David Krejci’s left wing. But Beleskey didn’t necessarily cherry-pick his landing spot because of certain holes in the B’s roster.

“It’s the Boston Bruins. It’s an extremely attractive place to be,” the 27-year-old Beleskey said. “I looked at their team, I talked with my agent and my family, and it’s always been a place I’ve liked. I didn’t really look at the situation. Any team you go to, you’re going to have to earn whatever you get.”

What is it about the Bruins that attracted him?

“It’s an Original Six team, the Big, Bad Bruins, they play that physical style, they’ve always been a team I’ve liked watching,” Beleskey said. “Cam Neely in the front office, watching him play was exciting. It’s been a team that I’ve always been drawn to.”

Both Hayes and Beleskey are coming off career seasons. In a career-high 72 games, Hayes notched 19 goals and 35 points.

“Last year was basically my first opportunity to play a full season in the NHL,” said Hayes, who signed a three-year extension worth $2.3 million annually. “I got the opportunity to play with some pretty good players and capitalized on my chances. It took me a while. That was my fourth year pro. Hopefully, I’m coming into it now.”

While playing for your hometown team can present pitfalls, Hayes is undaunted.

“I’ve probably played more games in this city than any other in my whole career,” Hayes said. “I don’t think it’s pressure. I think I can handle it. It’s going to be a great opportunity for (me to) be able to wear a jersey I’ve dreamed of wearing.”

With 22 regular-season goals and eight more in the postseason, Beleskey really popped for Anaheim last season. The Ducks reached the Western Conference finals.

“I think I got off to a good start, which helped, and coach Bruce Boudreau put me in good positions,” Beleskey said. “I played on the power play and played a lot with Ryan Kesler. He works extremely hard. He was a great player to work with. And I think I took some confidence strides in my game, and I knew that it was time for me to be more than just a grinder that was going to help out the team. I wanted to be a guy that was going to lead in situations. I think I took those steps.”

With the Bruins retooling on the fly, they’ll need both Beleskey and Hayes to keep taking those steps forward.