Camp Underway for North Reading's Ryan Fitzgerald

Growing up, Ryan Fitzgerald spent enough time in the Ristuccia Arena locker room to watch firsthand as players were swarmed by members of the media. But on Wednesday, it was Fitzgerald who sat in front of his stall with camera lights shining on him as he answered the onslaught of questions.

“I remember running around this locker room, so it’s kind of weird being on the other side of it now,” said Fitzgerald, who spent time at Bruins practices when his father, Tom, was a member of the team. “The last few months I’ve gotten used to (the media attention), so it’s nothing new.”

Fitzgerald, a North Reading resident, suited up in a black jersey with a “spoked B” on the front along with a the No. 53 and his name stitched on the back Wednesday as he took part in the first day of development camp at Wilmington’s Ristuccia Arena. He was recently drafted in the fourth round of the NHL draft.

The young forward was one of the most popular players among the large group of reporters. Fitzgerald and goalie Malcolm Subban were each swarmed by waves of media members in the locker room following practice.

Bruins Assistant General Manager Don Sweeney leads the camp annually, bringing in young players from the organization and running them through on-ice and off-ice drills.

Sweeney said he believes having a father who played professionally is something that will benefit Fitzgerald as his career develops.

“I think with bloodlines, history dictates that a lot of those guys have gone on and had success,” said Sweeney. “He has a dad who knew what it took, and Ryan has a lot of the same attributes.”

Fitzgerald began taking summer classes at Boston College, where he will play hockey for the Eagles before he is eligible to officially skate for the Bruins organization.

The North Reading resident said it was a rush to skate for the team he grew up rooting for.

“To grow up watching this team and finally be able to wear the logo, it’s something special,” said Fitzgerald. “To be skating around in front of all those people and to have a lot of people from my hometown out there, it was big.”

Sweeney said that Fitzgerald, and all of the team’s prospects for that matter, have a long road ahead of them before they reach the professional level. But the longtime Bruin said Fitzgerald already has a leg up on the competition.

“It’s a healthy dynamic to have your dad to be able to turn to in that situation,” said Sweeney. “(Tom) has a wealth of knowledge being around the game and the pro environment. (Ryan) knows the steps along the way, and most important he knows how hard it is to have a realistic approach that some kids don’t have the benefit of.”