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Chiarelli wants Hamilton in the NHL

Dougie Hamilton

Dougie Hamilton #27 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on April 10, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. The Bruins defeated the Devils 5-4. (April 9, 2013 - Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli says the “goal” is to have defenseman Dougie Hamilton playing in the NHL, not the AHL, this season.

However, that doesn’t mean Hamilton is assured of playing time in Boston. Per CSNNE.com, Chiarelli confirmed the 20-year-old will compete with fellow d-men Torey Krug, 22, and Matt Bartkowski, 25, for two spots on the B’s blue line. Which means -- barring injuries to regulars Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, or Adam McQuaid -- one of the three will be left on the outside looking in.

Hamilton played 42 games for the Bruins last season, scoring five times and adding 11 assists. However, he had his share of rookie struggles, most notably in the playoffs when he appeared in just seven games -- none past the second round -- as Boston made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Ideally for Boston, Hamilton will earn a regular spot in the line-up, since sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch wouldn’t do much for his development. The ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft, Hamilton has the potential to be a franchise defenseman in the NHL.

“I thought Dougie had a good game [Tuesday versus the Capitals],” said Chiarelli, “he was strong on the puck and made some good plays and closed well as the game progressed.”