A stronger Matt Poitras is ready to stake his claim on the Bruins' roster

Matt Poitras returned to the Warrior Ice Arena ice for development camp on Monday. *(Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)*

Matthew Poitras turned 20 less than four months ago.

But the playmaking center entered the Bruins’ locker room at Warrior Ice Arena as the team’s senior Monday — at least as far as NHL officials are concerned.

Although he’s still one of the youngest players in Boston’s development camp, Poitras has a leg up on the rest of his teammates in that he’s already established himself as a promising contributor at the highest level of hockey.

But after spending most of the spring recovering from season-ending surgery in February, Boston’s top prospect has no plans to follow suit during the team’s four-day camp.

“I’m just trying to keep doing my job,” Poitras said. “I’m a little older. This is my third camp now. So, trying to lead and make sure our level is maintained. Just trying to be there for everybody.”

Beyond trying to set the tone for the rest of Boston’s latest crop of prospects, Poitras is focused on making this summer a true stepping stone toward what could be a fruitful 2024-25 campaign with the Bruins.

Despite having surgery in February to correct his sore shoulder, Poitras was a full participant in Monday’s practice at Warrior – showing no restrictions when it came to shooting twine pucks.

“I feel good, I don’t have any pain or anything. (…) Obviously, we can’t rush,” Poitras said of his shoulder. “We’re still at the beginning of July and we still have two months before camp starts, so there’s no need to rush.”

Poitras’ composure and vision allowed him to shatter his previous developmental timeline last October, avoiding an assignment to junior hockey after flashing his talents in Boston’s preseason and first nine regular-season games.

For a long stretch of October and November, Poitras looked poised to make a real run for a top-six spot, scoring 13 points in his first 27 games while averaging 14:06 of ice time per game.

But whether it was the demanding schedule, the increased competition or the physical aspect that comes with being at the highest level of hockey, the rookie forward quickly found himself hitting a wall.

After hitting his shoulder on the ice following a collision with Coyotes defenseman Sean Durzi on Dec. 9, Poitras played eight more games — recording three points and averaging 11:18 of ice time — before being sidelined for the remainder of the year.

“I needed to bulk up a little bit,” Poitras said of his offseason priorities. “I was definitely undersized in camp last year. There were some bigger guys that maybe I couldn’t defend against.”

“So I think this year I have to go a little harder, a little bigger, kind of pick my spots a little better – because sometimes I take big hits that aren’t necessary and hurt me a little bit and maybe that’s why I didn’t have a chance to finish the season.”

Although his shoulder surgery initially hampered some of his offseason work, Poitras has already added eight or nine pounds since his rookie campaign ended prematurely.

While he doesn’t profile as a lethal presence in the heart of an NHL lineup, that extra weight could be the difference between a patented reverse hit and a crushing collision in the endboards.

“I feel a little stronger. I want to be able to win those one-on-one battles because I’m a guy that likes to have the puck in the zone,” Poitras said. “So that’s kind of where it comes from.”

Poitras still has other goals to set before training camp begins in September. In addition to adding more muscle, he also needs to refine his faceoff shooting skills (43.7 percent last season).

The 2022 second-round pick could still be considered Boston’s top prospect. But a prominent role with the Bruins this winter is far from guaranteed — an assignment to Providence is an option if he doesn’t outperform other pivots in the preseason.

But after traveling such a long stretch of ice, Poitras is ready for the challenge that awaits him.

“I’ve been in the offseason for almost five months now,” Poitras said. “I’m looking forward to getting through the summer — I’m still going to take it day by day — but I’m looking forward to getting to camp and starting to play games.”

Dean Letourneau makes a strong impressionnot

Poitras presented a succinct scouting report on Boston’s 2024 first-round pick Dean Letourneau.

“He’s a big guy,” Poitras said of the 6-foot-7 center.

Although Monday’s first practice of Boston’s development camp focused primarily on skills, Letourneau’s skating prowess was evident – the Boston College commit not necessarily looking like a player encumbered by his larger frame.

Of course, the real barometer this week for how Letourneau will fare against stiff competition will come Thursday in the full-squad practice game — where the 18-year-old forward will look to hold his own against prospects four or five years his senior.

“I realize I’ve got it figured out a little bit,” Letourneau said Monday of being drafted by Boston a few days earlier. “I’m finally here and the dream is just beginning. So I have to keep working every day to make it happen.”

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