If the Bruins have suddenly become, after the roster-devouring trade deadline, the little engine that could, then Vinni Lettieri embodies that narrative. A 30-year-old veteran of 140 NHL games and 323 AHL contests who was undrafted out of the University of Minnesota and has been in four different NHL organizations (he’s on his second stint with the B’s), Lettieri has surely seen a few things. But he comes to the rink like its his first day, every day. On Wednesday after Boston’s thrilling 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers, Lettieri was the first Bruin on the sheet at Warrior Ice Arena. That is typical of the 5-foot-10, 184-pound Lettieri, who is constantly in motion. Since last Friday’s Great Sell-Off, Lettieri is now playing on a line with fellow Minnesotans Casey Mittelstadt and Cole Koepke. Mittelstadt has been one of his best friends for the past eight or nine years. While Lettieri doesn’t know Koepke quite as well, he “has about 100 mutual friends, so I feel like I know him better than I actually do.” Mittelstadt called Lettieri “a character,” which can mean just about anything. What does it mean about Lettieri? “If you knew his whole family, you’d understand. They’re pretty heavy Italian and so he’s always got something to say and something to do. I don’t know if he can sit still for more than 30 seconds. But he’s a great person and I’m very happy to have him here,” said Mittelstadt, who does just about everything with Lettieri in the summer. “Dealing with that it pretty crazy. He’s a busy body. He’s always running around. But, honestly, his work ethic is pretty insane. He pushes me a lot and I’m lucky to have him, here and (in Minnesota).” Apprised of Mittelstadt’s assessment, Lettieri said with a laugh, “Oh, he’s grilling me now?” But he couldn’t disagree, and he believes his energy can useful to the B’s given the situation they are in. “I think it does help,” said Lettieri. “You lose some guys that are pretty vocal in the room and have a lot of energy like (Brad Marchand). He brings it every single day and that’s why he’s such a staple in this organization, such a great leader and you try to learn from him. He brings it every single practice, no matter if you’re on a 10-game winning streak or losing streak. That’s what makes him so great. I think you just learn from him and try to bring the energy on and off the ice and just bring positive emotions everywhere.” While Lettieri was undrafted, he’s got an impressive pedigree. His grandfather is Lou Nanne, the long-timer Minnesota North Star. His father, Tino, immigrated to Montreal from Italy, played soccer internationally for his adopted home in the 1976 and ‘84 Olympics and in the 1986 World Cup as well as professionally, which eventually brought him to Minnesota, where he met Nanne’s daughter, Michelle. Lettieri has had to fight his way onto the NHL roster no matter what organization in which he’s played, but his family background gave him a good base from which to work. “I lean on them a lot,” said Lettieri. “They’ve done it. They’ve played in the Olympics, they’ve played in the World Cup, played in the National Hockey League and it’s just good for me to always learn from them. I’m obviously not at their level and I just try to learn the little things they do, and they always try to make me better every day. I’m very lucky to have them in my life.” Lettieri’s at a spot in his career where he’s thankful he learned some things early on. “I think times are different and my dad’s in soccer and I’m in hockey, so there are different things,” said Lettieri. “But the bottom line that doesn’t change is the work ethic and determination and making sure that you’re working harder than everyone else, putting in extra reps before and after practice. That type of stuff, you don’t need a coach for that, you don’t need someone to tell you that. That’s just got to be driven into you from a young age and ultimately that’s what keeps you at your best … I think that’s the biggest advice I’ve got from them but its also something I’ve learned about myself through the years, making sure I’m that guy.” Lettieri is still the top scorer in Providence with 20-28-48 totals in 46 games. He’s got two goals in 11 games in Boston this year. He didn’t pick up a point on Koepke’s goal in Tampa that held up as the game-winner last Saturday, but his tenacity at the net front made it happen. “Vinni is a guy that a guy you can depend on when you bring him up,” said interim coach Joe Sacco. “You can put him in different situations. He’s playing right now on the second power play and playing with Mittsy there. He’s got some experience under his belt and he’s been through some different experiences throughout his career. He’s got energy, he skates well, he can shoot the puck. It’s hard when you bounce up and down a lot like that, but he’s a good pro, he takes care of himself and he’s a good character guy. There are a lot of positives that he does bring.” And at the moment, all the things Lettieri bring are a piece of the puzzle the B’s need. Loose pucks Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm did not practice on Wednesday but Sacco said they will be available for Thursday’s big matchup in Ottawa. … The Senators have won their last four and have grabbed the first wild card spot, five points ahead of the Bruins with two games in hand. … Sacco said he’s leaning toward playing Jeremy Swayman in net.