Those of us who have watched Ryan Spooner since he was 8 or 9 aren’t really surprised but the shifty centre wowed the Boston Bruins with his performance at the rookie and main camp.

Yes, Spooner was sent home to the OHL Peterborough Petes on Tuesday, but not before reminding the Bruins what kind of talent they scooped with this 45th overall pick in the draft.

” I was really nervous when I first came here, but I kind of surprised myself with how I played,” Spooner told NESN.com. “I’m only going to take it as a learning experience, go back there, play good, solid hockey and come back next year even more prepared.”

Spooner played in two preseason games for Boston, collecting an assist and finishing with four shots. He also had both goals, including the overtime winner, in a 2-1 rookie game against the Islanders at the Garden. Those performances had Bruins coach Claude Julien gushing about him earlier in camp.

“He’s one of those players that has really impressed me with the fact that he’s got unbelievable hockey sense,” said Julien last week. “Sometimes you get a player that has a lot of talent and a lot of skill, but the little details of the game, he still has to figure out. This player, to me, has already got it figured out. He’s an extremely smart individual, and he does little things right now that sometimes it takes us 2-3 years to really teach one of our players at this level, and that’s something he’s really got going for him right now that is really impressive, to my eyes anyway. I’m not saying that means he’s ready, but I’m saying that’s something that’s not always easy to teach, and that’s sometimes what gives certain players the opportunity to be great players in this league.”

Bodes well for Spooner, the Bruins, and the Petes.