Bruins winger Jordan Caron got a taste of everything last season, but he's hungry to do something he couldn't do a year ago: keep a job in the NHL. 

Those who began following the B's in the middle of the season and into their playoff run may not know much about Caron, but as hard as it may be to remember, it was he -- and not Brad Marchand -- who was the original rookie on that second line with Patrice Bergeron. It was he who some thought might end up with more goals than Tyler Seguin. 

The 25th overall pick in the 2009 draft, Caron made the Bruins out of camp last year. After Daniel Paille played himself out of a job with a downright ugly season-opener on Oct. 9, the B's inserted the rookie into the lineup for their 3-0 win over the Coyotes the following day. Caron would remain in the lineup and end up playing in 19 consecutive games. 

The rookie scored three goals in his first seven games, but seemed to hit a wall and regress over time. He was eventually sent down to Providence, and after being recalled in February saw some more action in Boston before going back down. By the end of the season, Caron had played 23 NHL games, scoring three goals and picking up four assists. He had 12 goals and 16 assists in 47 AHL games, but after a year experiencing plenty of the NHL and AHL (his first professional season after playing the previous four in the QMJHL), he'd like to stick with the former. 

"I think I'm much more mature," Caron said Friday of where he stands now vs. last year. "I learned a lot last year, starting the season here and getting sent down. I think it was pretty tough for me to accept that, but I think it was good for me to go down there and play big minutes. I think I had a good season overall."

For him to consider this coming season a success, Caron wants the whole campaign to be played with Boston. He has increased expectations on himself, as he says he would be disappointed if he were to miss the cut this year, but the B's have also heightened their expectations. In their eyes, the struggles that Caron encountered over time in Boston need to be a thing of the past. 

"It was more about he didn't have experience at the pro level, and we felt his game dropped probably a month in," Julien said Friday. "After a year of playing at the pro level, if he's able to maintain what he's doing right now, that will give him a much better chance. Then when he does, he's got to sustain it. That's what his challenges are going to be."

Caron said that he's the same size, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing in at just over 200 pounds, but that his main focus this offseason -- in addition to spending some time with the Stanley Cup when Bergeron had it in Quebec -- was becoming a stronger skater. 

The 20-year-old has never particularly dazzled with his skates, and it's a knock of which he's aware. He hopes that going forward, it will be a knock that no longer applies to him. 

"I think I did improve my speed a little bit, just my explosion," Caron said. "Every summer I try to work on that, and I think I did improve again this summer."

When Mark Recchi retired and Michael Ryder departed as a free agent, the fact that the Bruins had only signed forward Benoit Pouliot suggested that Caron would have a very good shot at earning a job in Boston this year. Yet as the preseason approached, the B's invited veteran winger Chris Clark to camp on a tryout, and though the Bruins have discussed keeping the maximum of 23 players on the roster, it's no secret that Clark and Caron are both vying for the same job. Though Max Sauve and Lane MacDermid remain in camp, Caron and Clark figure to be the two who stand the best chance to begin the season in Boston.

"They all bring different elements," Julien said of the forwards competing for jobs. "You never know what can happen one to another, what type of player you need. Those guys are all worthy of being evaluated properly. Right now, I think both [Caron and Clark] have proven that they deserve that chance. I've been happy with Caron. Clark has gotten better every game we've seen him and gotten more comfortable. Everything, I think, in regards to those two, is going in the right direction. We're seeing some real positive things from both those guys." 

Caron knows that he faces stiff competition in Clark. The Bruins have long spoke highly of the gritty veteran, who once served as captain of the Capitals. In Caron's eyes, proving more valuable than a guy like Clark won't be easy, but he'll have to if he wants to achieve his goal of spending the whole year in Boston.

"He's got a lot of experience and is a good leader," Caron said of Clark. "In the end, I just need to focus on my part of the game. They're the ones who are going to make the decision, so I just need to play hard and make it tough for them."