BRIGHTON — Sometimes, a trip to Providence can be used for a confidence boost. For Danton Heinen, his first stint with the Baby Bruins gave him that added morale.

Following a strong training camp, the former University of Denver product earned a spot on the Bruins opening night roster. As the games progressed, however, Heinen became more passive in his decision making, particularly when it came to shooting the puck.

After the first month of the season, GM Don Sweeney and Bruins management decided to send him down to Providence. Their message to the 21-year-old? Get more pucks to the front of the net and be more assertive away from the puck.

Heinen got the message loud and clear. In 13 games down I-95 south, he averaged exactly a point per game tallying seven goals and six assists for the AHL club. As a result, he’s back up in Boston and will be in the lineup for the first time since November 1st.

“He’s been down there for awhile and the feedback I got was that he was playing pretty well,” head coach Claude Julien said about Heinen following Saturday’s morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena. “So hopefully he’ll be able to play well here also and I’ll tell you tonight whether he succeeded or not.”

Julien and company seem to have faith in Heinen following his Providence stint. In preparation for Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs – the second of four matchups in 2015-16 – the 21-year-old British Columbian skated with David Krejci and David Backes on the second line. That alone should lead to an increase in ice time from his last game against the Panthers (11:04) where he notched just 14 shifts, which can only improve the chances of Heinen finally earning his first career point with the big club.

“I think I got my confidence back,” said Heinen about his 13 games in Providence. “I was put in a good position down there and got a chance to play quite a bit, so yeah, the confidence was a big thing.”

Looking to make an impact upon returning, Heinen won’t be making many adjustments to how he’s approaching things the second time around. Even if nothing showed up on the stat sheet in Round 1, Heinen at least learned a thing or two about the speed of the NHL game and will take that into account as he enters his Game No. 8 of his Boston tenure.

“I think it’s the same approach but I have to work on getting more confident,” Heinen said about his focus prior to his second go-around with the Black and Gold, “and now I know a little more what to expect and I guess the second time around [I’m feeling] a little more comfortable.”

In addition to Heinen, the Bruins also recalled Noel Acciari following his one-game conditioning stint in Providence. The Providence College alum, who missed over a month of action due to a left knee injury, will slot in on the fourth line with Tim Schaller and Dominic Moore. That would leave Jimmy Hayes as the odd man out as he’ll likely get scratched for the fourth time in 2016-17.