The Boston Bruins picked five players on Day 2 of the Upper Deck NHL Entry Draft at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This is after the Bruins being quiet on Day 1 with no first round pick due to the trade for Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov that sent the pick to the Washington Capitals. The Capitals would then trade the pick to the Maple Leafs with Erik Gustaffson in exchange for Rasmus Sandin.
They didn’t pick until the third round due to the second round pick being sent to the Anaheim Ducks in the Hampus Lindholm trade, which also cost them a first round pick last season.
Due to the Bodton Bruins losing Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno earlier this week, and Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron both aging. The Bruins needed attackers for the future that will continue their success.
The Bruins picked centers for their first three picks in the draft. This is one of the things that the Bruins have struggled for the last 15 years as they failed to draft and develop them. However, they were able to get away with it because Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci have been productive for so long.
Two recent draft picks — Matthew Poitras (second round, 2022) and Brett Harrison (third round, 2021) have developed nicely and someday could be solid NHL role players at center.
Poitras has been playing for the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League for the last two season where he has scored 40 goals. Poitras had signed an amateur contract with the Providence Bruins in April for the remainder of the season, however he would not appear in any games for the Bruins affiliate. He is expected to play for Providence for the 2023-24 season.
Harrison played one game for the Providence Bruins last season after signing an entry-level contract with the Bruins where he earned an assist. He also split time with the Oshawa Generals and the Windsor Spitfires which are both based out of Ontario.
So this proves that it was not very surprising to say the least that the Bruins decided to spend their first three picks on centers.
Boston Bruins spend their first three picks on centers
The Bruins started drafting with the no. 92 pick in the third round on center Christopher Pelosi. Pelosi is a 18-year old player who is 6’1 and has split time between NAHL and the USHL. He had 12 goals and 6 assists with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL last season.
Before moving to junior hockey, he played for the Rhode Island powerhouse Mount St. Charles. Pelosi is considered a raw talent whose physicality and netfront presence were his major strengths.
He was ranked 127 overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Skating and was projected as a fourth-round pick. So, I would consider this a reach in the draft.
Pelosi is committed to national-champions Quinnipiac but may still be in Sioux Falls before heading up to the collegiate ranks.
In the 4th round, The Bruins picked another center in Beckett Hendrickson with the 124th pick. Hendrickson is the son of former NHL player and Minnesota Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson. His uncle Dan Hendrickson was a standout for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Hendrickson played for the United States National Development team last season where he scored 34 points (13 goals and 21 assists).
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Hendrickson is undersized but still has an advanced passing ability the opens up lanes for his teammates. To move on to the next level, he will need to bulk up a bit. He could be successful as a bottom-six forward at the NHL level.
Hendrickson will join Pelosi at Sioux Falls for the 2023-24 season before following in the footsteps of his father and uncle and will play for Minnesota.
In the 6th round with the No. 188 pick is center Ryan Walsh who comes from Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. He set a team record for most points as he scored 79 points last season (30 goals, 49 assists). He ranked 2nd in USHL scoring only behind Chicago Steel forward Macklin Celebrini, who is projected to be the no. 1 pick in next year’s draft. Walsh will play for Cornell this fall.
Boston Bruins pick two Swedes in the 7th round
The Boston Bruins had two 7th round picks with no. 214 pick being acquired from a trade that the Bruins sent a 7th round pick last year to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for this pick. The Kings would draft Kaleb Lawrence with the pick.
The Boston Bruins used the No. 214 pick on right winger Casper Nassen from Sweden. Nassen played for Västerås in Sweden’s U-20 division last season, posting 40 points (23 goals, 17 assists) over 48 games.
The scouting report for Nassen was that he has one of the best pure shots in the draft, but his skating is heavy so he won’t be creative on offense.
Nassen will likely spend another year in Sweden before going to Miami (OH) for the 2024-25 season.
The Bruins also had the no. 220 pick which they used to pick defenseman Kristian Kostadinski who is a 6’5” physical defenseman.
He played 43 games for Frolunda in Sweden’s U-20 division last season where he amassed 7th leading 69 penalty minutes.
Boston Bruins made uninspiring picks
These picks were not necessarily bad, however we don’t know for sure if any of these players will make an impact on the ice for the Bruins or the NHL in generals.
Most of these players will not be on the team until one or two years have passed. However, since Marchand and Bergeron may very well be retiring soon, some of these players like Pelosi may very well be needed.
However, they may not live up to any hype that they may have simply because they’re drafted so late in the draft. However, it’s not to say that these players have no potential, is that they’re not exciting. This is why I will call this draft class a C.