Johnny Beecher is ready to play

Johnny Beecher surprised some people last year by winning a job at Bruins training camp. This year, more was expected from Michigan’s 2019 first-round pick.

The former Wolverine is ready for the moment.

Beecher, who is expected to work on a fourth line again with new center Mark Kastelic, has impressed coach Jim Montgomery with his training camp performance so far.

“He’s been really good,” Montgomery said before heading to Philadelphia on Saturday. “He came back with the idea that he knows what he is and he has really progressed in all areas – winning battles with the puck, his intensity. His skating has always been elite. And he makes more plays. Give him credit. He had a really good summer and I think he thought about what he needs to be every day to be a really good Bruin and help us win hockey games.

One of Beecher’s main summer goals has been physical preparation so he can keep up with the 82-game schedule. He returned to Boston around July 4 and has been working there since then at Warrior Ice Arena. Although his goals were long-term, he has already seen the benefits.

“Comparing this time to last year, I feel a lot better,” Beecher said. “I also have a lot more confidence. It’s nice to be comfortable here when we walk the halls and when we go on the ice. I think the summer was a huge success and big thanks to the coaching staff here for that.

Beecher had a good start to the season last year, but hit the rookie wall and was sent to Providence midway through the season. He eventually made it back, but he said his time in Providence helped him a lot.

“It was huge,” Beecher said. “It allowed me to come down and get back to my game, just refocus and reset. It’s a very long season and being a young player in the league, it’s just something you have to get used to. I had started to let my game slide a little bit there. But I went out there and (Providence coach Ryan Mougenel) and all those guys did a great job with me, just helping me get back to where I needed to be. By the time I got up, I was so excited to be here again and I’m ready to run.

Beecher was scheduled to play with Patrick Brown and Fabian Lysell in Philadelphia on Saturday night, but he gained some chemistry with former Ottawa senator Kastelic, who got the Philadelphia game. A Kastelic-Beeecher duo would not only give the fourth line two big bodies capable of skating well, but also two good faceoff men.

“I think we play pretty similar styles,” Beecher said. “He’s a big body that can skate fast and does all the little things right in the D zone and O zone, so it’s easy to read whether it’s putting the puck behind the net or to leave the area. We have pretty similar habits and we clicked right away, which is nice. He’s also an animal, so it’s nice to have him by your side.

Beecher had seven goals in 52 games with the B’s last season. Although Montgomery doesn’t expect Beecher to become a 30-goal scorer, he thinks a 15-goal season isn’t out of the question.

Beecher hopes the little things will solve these kinds of numbers.

“I don’t really think I’ll start the season with a number,” Beecher said. “It’s not really something I want to focus on too much. I think if you’re focused every night and you do your best, good things happen. We have a lot of talent coming in this year with guys like Kasty. I already have pretty good chemistry with him, so I think it’s just a matter of bringing your A-game every day and seeing what happens.

Nikita Zadorov was caught off guard and scored a breakaway goal in the B’s loss Thursday in New York. When asked what he thought the Zadorov-Charlie McAvoy duo looked like overall, Montgomery said the evaluation process was ongoing.

“It looked good in practice, but the game wasn’t great, was it? But our team wasn’t great. It was obviously not a good match for us. But we see what it looks like, and then we’ll see how it evolves. It’s too early,” Montgomery said…

Jackson Edward, a physical defender who brings upside, missed the first week of training camp with an upper-body injury, but returned in time to play at least one preseason game. He was to be paired with Frédéric Brunet against the Flyers on Saturday.

“I told him, ‘I can’t wait to see you play.’ This is someone we’re excited about, so show us why we’re excited,” Montgomery said….

On a possible third line on opening night, Matt Poitras centered Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic…

Georgii Merkulov was back in the lineup Saturday, centering Riley Tufte and Vinni Lettieri…

The plan was for Joonas Korpisalo to get the full game on Saturday against the Flyers.