With their second pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Bruins continued to restock their center prospect pool, this time with the selection of Beckett Hendrickson with the No. 124 overall pick.

A 6-foot-2 pivot, Hendrickson’s selection by Don Sweeney & Co. came following a 2022-23 season with the U.S. Development Team program, and with seven goals and 16 points in 21 games in the USHL.

Hendrickson also appeared in action for the U.S. U-18 NTDP, with 13 goals and 34 points in 52 appearances, along with two assists in seven games for Team USA at the U-18 World Juniors.

• With the 124th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the #NHLBruins have selected Beckett Hendrickson.
  
  Welcome to Boston, Beckett! pic.twitter.com/pAmLl3gOIS

  — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 29, 2023

• Ranked as the 67th-best North American skater available in this year’s draft by NHL Central Scouting, it would appear that the Bruins got strong value with their selection of the Minnesota-born forward.

  This is a sample of Beckett Hendrickson’s game.
  
  First clip: Centering pass for a goal. Great wraparound play for a slot pass, have noticed he loves these types of passes.
  
  Second clip: Hendrickson in a great position defensively, ends up with a steal, then a breakaway goal. pic.twitter.com/kFPL6DuUom

  — Robert Chalmers (@IvanIvanlvan) June 29, 2023

  “Hendrickson exhibits a combination of passing skill and lane creation in all three zones,” the EliteProspects 2023 NHL Draft Guide scouting report on Hendrickson read. “He hooks pucks around sticks, slips them under, and sauces them over sticks with no wind up, even off the backhand. But he doesn’t just take open lanes; he creates them with multiple layers of deception. He slows down and angles away from his eventual target, baiting the defender. The second they pivot or reach, he passes.”

• 

  PLYMOUTH, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 16: Nathan Tobey #10 of the United States shoots the puck against Beckett Hendrickson #23 during the third period of the 2023 BioSteel All-American hockey game at USA Hockey Arena on January 16, 2023 in Plymouth, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

• Hendrickson also comes to the Bruins with NHL bloodlines to his name, as his father, Darby Hendrickson, was a veteran of over 500 NHL games from 1994 through 2004. The elder Hendrickson, who was fourth-round selection himself back in 1990, had an NHL career that included stops in Toronto, New York, Vancouver, Minnesota, and Colorado, as well as two seasons in Austria to close out his playing career.

  Darby also has NHL ties in the moment, as he has been a member of the Wild’s coaching staff as an assistant coach since the 2011-12 season. The B’s selection of Beckett was enough to get a remark out of ex-Bruins forward and current Wild general manager Bill Guerin when discussing the 2023 NHL Draft.

  Bill Guerin on Beckett Hendrickson going to #NHLBruins: “Minnesota kids always want to go to Massachusetts.”
  
  😂

  — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 29, 2023

• 🎥 #NHLBruins fourth-round pick Beckett Hendrickson: "I mean, you’re just sitting there with your family and friends and there is just so much going through your mind and when it finally comes…I honestly have no words for it, it’s just such an honor. I’m so excited.” pic.twitter.com/sbSFO6ExEO

  — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 29, 2023

• Hendrickson, who will not turn 19 until next June, will play for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL next season, and is committed to playing at the University of Minnesota beginning in 2024-25.

  In the post-lockout era of NHL hockey, defenseman Ethan Bear is the most successful player taken with the No. 124 overall pick. Bear has played 251 games between the Oilers, Hurricanes, and Canucks in his pro career.

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