theathleticuk
BOSTON Peter Haney had an emergency.
The Boston Bruins team chef had ordered 20 pounds of striped bass and 20 pounds of halibut for delivery at Warrior Ice Arena on June 27.
The fish never arrived.
The dinner he was planning to serve was scheduled for the next day.
The following morning, Haney started his workaround at local supermarkets.
He could not find enough striped bass.
Halibut, at retail prices, would blow his budget.
Advertisement So he switched part of his menu to salmon.
By his fourth stop of the day, he found a Whole Foods that could accommodate his massive order.
Haney hustled to the rink where he and colleague Spencer Thompson started cooking.
That night, in a third-floor function room, Bruins prospects sat down for a welcome dinner to start their annual development camp.
To accompany the last-minute salmon, Haney and Thompson made steak, chicken breasts and couscous salad with tahini.
Thirty-one players filled their stomachs to begin four days of on- and off-ice activities.
They never knew there was a problem.
Best Ive ever eaten Development camps are important events around the NHL.
Prospects dash through crash courses of training, drills, skills work and team-building.
There are usually multiple on-ice sessions per day.
Scrimmages bring out competitiveness.
For collegians like the Montreal Canadiens Michael Hage (University of Michigan), it could be the final opportunity to skate in a prospect-only setting.
For ex-NCAAers starting their pro adventures, such as the Minnesota Wilds Charlie Stramel, development camp serves as a platform for main camp in September.
To maximize all these activities, clubs have to make sure players are topped off.
In the Bruins case, 14 of their 31 attendees were teenagers.
Its a cohort that is not always straightforward to satisfy.
Not only do NHL prospects require a restaurants worth of carbohydrates, protein and fat, their sense of culinary enterprise may not be expansive.
Its younger kids.
Theyre not as adventurous as eaters, said Haney.
We try to keep it approachable.
We have to have enough carbs because theyre burning a lot of calories.
A lot of vegetables.
Not only that, a junior hockey players nutritional needs differ from those of an NHL veteran.
Jacob Vandeven, drafted by the Bruins in the fifth round in 2026, is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound defenseman.
The 18-year-old wants to gain 10 pounds before he reports back to the OHLs London Knights for 2026-27.
Caloric intake is one of Vandevens priorities.
Advertisement Ive got to put on weight, said Vandeven.
Ive got to eat lots.
Im working real hard in the gym a lot of times in the gym.
So just eating, putting on weight, getting more muscle, getting stronger.
Following the introductory dinner, Haney and Thompson, with guidance from Bruins sports nutritionist Julie Nicoletti, were responsible for preparing breakfast and lunch for four high-activity days.
They also had to cook for approximately 40 staff members, ranging from hockey operations officials to performance coaches to team services representatives.
On the first day, breakfast featured scrambled eggs, bacon, turkey bacon, sausages, oatmeal, gluten-free pancakes, gluten-free muffins, berries, pineapples, kiwis and avocados.
Haney believes first-day nerves related to fitness testing explained some of the leftovers.
Its gourmet.
Its the best Ive ever eaten, said Vandeven.
Theyve got every protein you can think of.
Theyve got everything to help your body recover.
Its been amazing.
Like Vandeven, Vashek Blanar is pursuing weight gain.
The 19-year-old is a 6-foot-5, 187-pound defenseman.
Blanars objective is to approach the table habits of fellow camper Dean Letourneau, the 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward who regularly raises his hand for three steaks at dinner.
Ive been hearing it all week from all the guys: Youve got to eat.
Eat,' Blanar said.
I was with Deano.
What that guy eats is insane.
Probably not going to get on his level.
But a little bit closer.
To start the third day of camp, Blanar, the Bruins 2025 fourth-rounder, ate eight pancakes, eggs, bacon and fruit.
The food is incredible, said Blanar, who was back for his second camp.
Ive got to say, that was one of the most things I missed once I left, the breakfast and lunches.
Everythings great.
During the regular season, Haney and Thompson have all year to familiarize themselves to player preferences.
For example, Haney learned that on game days, ex-Bruin Charlie Coyle liked eight eggs for breakfast.
Advertisement At development camp, the chefs were meeting some of the players for the first time.
Not only that, the prospects all arrived at once via the bus from the hotel instead of reporting one by one.
To handle the breakfast rush, Haney and Thompson were at work by 5 a.m.
On June 30, the second day of camp, they cracked and scrambled 200 eggs.
They sliced open 30 avocados.
They made more oatmeal than necessary.
There was no such issue with bacon.
Theyll crush all the bacon I made, said Thompson with a smile.
It could be 200 pounds of bacon.
Theyll find a way to consume it all.
Healthy fare Haney and Thompson made the same breakfast every day at camp.
They let more of their creative hair down at lunch, designing menus around 70 to 80 pounds of protein.
On June 30, they whipped up General Gao-style offerings with chicken breasts and thighs, sesame salmon and sweet chili shrimp at their two-oven setup.
They cooked 15 pounds of white rice.
They roasted a dozen heads of cauliflower, nine heads of broccoli and blanched green beans.
The players did not turn their noses up at the vegetables.
In the real world, teenage boys are not known for their selectivity around fast food and sweet treats.
But by the time players arrive at development camp, their junior clubs, college programs and personal trainers have educated them on the value of healthy eating.
They know to eat gluten-free pasta to prevent inflammation instead of DoorDash-ing pizza and potato chips.
By 2 p.m.
that day, Haney and Thompson were already thinking about the following days menu: gluten-free gnocchi in a pink vodka sauce with chicken and pesto.
For the last day of camp, they were planning gluten-free chicken breasts dredged in flour, eggs and corn flakes and pan-fried in olive oil.
Haney hoped to have better luck sourcing striped bass to give the players a taste of New England.
Advertisement At the Bruins training facility, Haney and Thompson have to work around restrictions.
Unlike a typical restaurant kitchen, they do not have a walk-in refrigerator to stock ingredients.
The produce delivery they expected at 10 a.m.
had yet to arrive.
You deal with this stuff at restaurants on the regular.
But were not a restaurant, Haney said.
We have a loading dock that closes at 4.
At a normal restaurant, theres people there until midnight.
Its no big deal.
Here, theres a little more pressure.
We dont have the refrigeration to really store much ahead of time.
We have to get stuff in the day before or that day.
Whatever stress Haney and Thompson were feeling during camp was not evident to their diners.
In fact, the players were sad they had to say goodbye.
Blanar was not keen on preparing his daily menu on his own: breakfast, snack, first protein shake, lunch, snack, dinner, second dinner, protein shake.
If I had this at home, said Blanar with a smile, Id be 220.
No problem.