BOSTON — They can’t make up for lost time, but nothing prevents them from getting a head start on what’s ahead.

That means that Anders Bjork and Urho Vaakanainen are both healthy and in Buffalo to compete for the Bruins in this weekend’s Prospects Challenge, a round-robin tournament with the Sabres, Penguins and Devils. Two of the Bruins’ higher-profile prospects, they’ve had their progression interrupted by injuries, and hope that two or three [...]

BOSTON — They can’t make up for lost time, but nothing prevents them from getting a head start on what’s ahead.

That means that Anders Bjork and Urho Vaakanainen are both healthy and in Buffalo to compete for the Bruins in this weekend’s Prospects Challenge, a round-robin tournament with the Sabres, Penguins and Devils. Two of the Bruins’ higher-profile prospects, they’ve had their progression interrupted by injuries, and hope that two or three games in Buffalo will get them ready for the Bruins’ main training camp, which begins next Thursday.

Bjork, a diamond-in-the-rough draftee in 2014 (fifth round, No. 146 overall) who blossomed over three seasons at Notre Dame, is especially eager to get into games. The winger has been on the Bruins’ season-opening roster for two straight years, but didn’t finish either season because of shoulder surgery. Presuming he’s in Friday’s lineup for a 3:30 game against the Pens’ prospects, it’ll be Bjork’s first live competition since last Dec. 30, when he sustained his season-ending injury while playing for the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

“My agent, family, different people thought (competing in the Prospects Challenge) was a good idea, to get some games and to get into that flow, because I’ve been out for so long,” said Bjork, 23, who has 50 games on his NHL resume (5 goals, 15 points). “In two years, I’ve barely played a full season of hockey (72 pro games, counting 22 with the P-Bruins), so I think any extra games will help, even from just a conditioning standpoint.”

Vaakanainen, 20, hasn’t had it quite as bad as Bjork, but he does know what it’s like to lose a shot at an NHL job — and considerable development time — because of injury.

There wasn’t room for the Finnish defenseman on the Opening Night roster last year, but when injuries started to chip away at the Bruins’ defense corps early in the season, Vaakanainen was the first blue-liner recalled from Providence to help out. He joined the injured list almost immediately, though, when he sustained a concussion in his second career NHL game on Oct. 23 in Ottawa.

Vaakanainen didn’t play again until around Christmas, when the B’s allowed him to join Finland for what proved to be a gold medal-winning effort in the World Junior Championships.

"He came back after that and was playing fantastic hockey in Providence,” said B’s Player Development Coordinator Jamie Langenbrunner. “Then he kind of sidetracked a little bit again. He did have a tough, broken-up year.”

A shoulder injury sustained in early March cost Vaakanainen most of the last month of the AHL season, “and after that I didn’t feel so good,” he said. “I didn’t think I played real well. I probably had my worst games in the (AHL) playoffs.”

Vaakanainen was healthy enough to practice with the Bruins’ Black Aces taxi squad during last spring’s playoff run, and even joined practice when injuries started to deplete the blue line in the Stanley Cup Final.

Now “100 percent, ready to go,” Vaakanainen will be competing for one of multiple spots that may be open in training camp. The Bruins haven’t re-signed Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo yet, and veterans Kevan Miller and John Moore are still recovering from injuries.

“I think this year will be a big opportunity for (Vaakanainen) to take that next step,” Langenbrunner said. “I feel he has that ability.

“This will be a good training camp for him to be a more impactful player, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”