When Bruins players took to Ristuccia Arena for voluntary captain's practice earlier in the month, so too did a young, yet experienced forward acquired in the offseason in a deal with the Panthers. He may have been meeting some of his teammates for the first time, but he made it out to the lot of the practices and seemed excited to be there. Nathan Horton was also in attendance.

No, the player referred to above was not Horton, but Florida teammate Gregory Campbell. Though Horton was the big name in the deal that sent Dennis Wideman, the 15th overall pick, and a third-rounder to Florida, he isn't the only one getting a fresh start. Like Horton, the 26-year-old Campbell spent each season of his NHL career in Florida before the trade brought him to a far bigger hockey market. He's already seeing the difference. 

"It's been great so far. I had the opportunity to come in early and get acquainted with the guys on the team here," Campbell told WEEI.com. "Everybody's been extremely welcoming, from the staff, to the coaching staff on down to the players. The season hasn't even started yet and I can feel the enthusiasm from the fans and just the buzz around the team here. They're expecting a lot of good things from us this year and I'm just excited to be a part of it."

Much has been made of the transition for Horton as he goes from playing for a team that's missed the playoffs for his entire career to being expected to lead an offensive strike that propels the Bruins to the Eastern Conference finals after two straight semifinals exits. Peter Chiarelli noted that the he would face an adjustment period as he gets acclimated with Boston and the fans. 

The same goes for Campbell, though perhaps without the pressures that Horton faces as a goal-scoring winger. Having played for just one team his career, Campbell used captain's practice to get a head start on getting to know his teammates and getting a feel for Bruins hockey, but still will take the quirks of a new team and town as they come.

"It's something that I've never gone through, obviously, so once it happens there's a lot of adjusting," Campbell said. "Everybody here's made it an easy transition for myself and I'm sure Nathan too. It's an exciting time. It's uncharted waters for me and I'm looking forward to the opportunity and challenge ahead."

Drafted a year before Horton, Campbell was made an early third-round pick when Florida selected him 67th overall in the 2002 NHL draft. After three years in the OHL, the first two of which were as a member of the Plymouth Whalers (a popular junior team around these parts thanks to Tyler Seguin), the forward played two years in the AHL before playing five seasons with the Panthers. 

"He works hard," Horton, who has played with him for five years and faced him while a member of the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. "He had a lot of skill in juniors, he's always been pretty good with the puck and in good shape. He does everything. He's known for being a hard worker, obviously, with blocking shots. He's pretty good with the puck, he's got really good hands, he can chip in with goals, and I think he's a good player to have on your team. … He fights, he does everything. I think it's nice for me to come with him."

A fourth-liner with ample experience killing penalties, Campbell figures to do just that in Boston. Considering he's posted more than six goals just once in his career (13 in 2008-09 as a third-liner), Campbell, who is the son of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell, embraces playing a style of hockey that won't cost his team. 

"For me, the first thing is that I have to be a responsible player," he said. "All the so-called intangibles in the game is something I have to take pride in doing. The face-offs, the penalty kill, things like that. I feel like once that's taken care of, the offensive opportunities come."

Campbell did admit that he sometimes may be overly cautious in his own end and would like to be "more assertive," but for the role in which he figures to be used, his skill set and style of play seems pretty a very good fit for the team going forward.

Horton knows very well what the 26-year-old will bring his new team, and, similarly to his case, feels the rejuvenation that accompanies playing for a contender will only make it better.

"I think he's happy for a fresh new start," Horton said. "I think it's going to be good for him too."

Campbell and Horton will both face their former team at the Garden on Saturday night. Both played in the team's preseason opener on Wednesday in Montreal and thus missed Thursday's exhibition with the Panthers. Claude Julien intimated Friday that those who skated in the day's morning session (a group that included both Campbell and Horton) would play Saturday.