Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Feb 7, 2024; Plymouth, MI, USA; USAís Cole Hutson (23) skates up ice with the puck against Finland during the third period of the 2024 U18ís Five Nations Tournament at USA Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

When Monday began, general manager Don Sweeney and the rest of the Bruins’ management group had weekend plans that saw them set to sit back and watch the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft.

But with a Linus Ullmark trade completed just before the puck dropped on Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins pocketed themselves a first-round pick by the night’s end, with the No. 25 overall pick moved from Ottawa and back to Boston after a 15-month odyssey featuring a stop in Detroit.

And now, with Boston’s entire front office and scouting staff out in Las Vegas and ready for Friday night at The Sphere, where the club is set to make their first first-round pick in three years, the real fun (or agony depending on how the board breaks) begins for the B’s.

“Ideally, we provided a shock to the scouting staff in a good way,” Sweeney said of the Bruins moving up into the first round of this year’s festivities. “And we’re happy to get back into the first round. The players, the board, what it looks like, whether or not we move back. It’s unlikely for us to probably try to move up, but you never cross it out because there might be a guy our guys are excited about. But getting back into the top part of the draft was important for us.

“The opportunity was there and hopefully we take advantage of it.” 

  • For the Bruins, the obvious need appears to be at center. But given the near-constant trading of quality draft picks over the last few years, the Bruins know better than to box themselves into thinking they have just one need when it comes to infusing more pure, high-end talent into the organization’s pipeline.

    “We’re going to try and find the best player we possibly can and there’s always an eye towards positional needs if it presents but it’s a dangerous prospect to just go into the draft thinking you’re just targeting us particular position,” Sweeney admitted. “I think it’s ill-fated at times. And you can make some mistakes. We all make them, they’re 18-year-old kids and there’s a lot development to be done. We want to find the best player that fits some of the things that our prospect pool may lack, but ultimately find the best player.”

    But just who might that player be for the Bruins when the dust settles on Night 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft?

  • Cole Beaudoin

    MONCTON, CANADA - JANUARY 24:Cole Beaudoin #29 of Team Red shoots the puck during the warm ups of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024 in Moncton, Canada. (Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    MONCTON, CANADA – JANUARY 24: Cole Beaudoin #29 of Team Red shoots the puck during the warm ups of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024 in Moncton, Canada. (Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    A 6-foot-2 center, Cole Beaudoin has turned heads throughout the scouting process for his ability to play a strong two-way game and play a motor that makes him a tough player to defend. On top of the two-way game and high intensity, Beaudoin was on the board with 28 goals and 62 points in 67 games for OHL Barrie this past season.

    Beaudoin seems like a typical Bruin if the Bruins are intent on finding the next Patrice Bergeron-type talent in the draft. (I hate comparing teenage prospects to a player like Bergeron because it often comes back to bite you in the ass. Remember when everyone thought Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson was gonna be that guy? Yeah. Let’s just avoid using that comparison.) But even if he’s not Bergeron (he won’t be), Beaudoin seems to fit a potential need for the Bruins given how the Atlantic is stacked down the middle, and with centers who can play a strong two-way game like Auston Matthews in Toronto, Anthony Cirelli in Tampa, and the Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell combo in Florida. Given the grind down the middle this division is going to be for the long haul, you need a center who can do it all.

    “His offensive game is not particularly exciting, but he plays a brand of hockey that helps teams win games,” Flo Hockey’s Chris Peters wrote earlier this month. “Beaudoin is an extremely aggressive, physical forward whose relentlessness in puck pursuit is truly remarkable. He’s a dogged competitor who never quits on plays, wins a lot of battles and has the physical strength to outmatch many of his age peers currently.”

    The biggest question mark on Beaudoin seems to be skating, however, and whether or not it will translate to him being able to be a legitimate top-six center at the NHL level.

  • Jett Luchanko

    MONCTON, CANADA - JANUARY 24:Jett Luchanko #7 of Team White stick handles the puck against team Red during the third period of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024 in Moncton, Canada. (Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    MONCTON, CANADA – JANUARY 24: Jett Luchanko #7 of Team White stick handles the puck against team Red during the third period of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024. (Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    I don’t necessarily believe this to be an exact science by any stretch, but one of the things I’ve always looked at when it comes to potential prospects for the Bruins has been their amateur pipeline. The Bruins won’t outright say it, but there are programs they prefer over others, and there are pathways they prefer over others. One thing working in Jett Luchanko’s favor on that front is the fact that he plays for OHL Guelph, the former home of B’s prospect Matt Poitras.

    A 5-foot-11, 187-pound righty, Luchanko put up 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games for the Storm this past season, and added two goals and seven points in seven games for Canada at the WJC-18. At just 17 years old, too, there’s a lot to like when it comes to the continued growth of Luchanko in a league that gets faster and faster.

    “Luchanko’s an average-sized player with above-average skill and impressive skating ability, but it’s his on-ice intelligence and knowhow that defines him,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote. “He’s also a superb athlete (one of the better in the draft), who performed exceedingly well at the combine. He understands timing, spacing and puck movement at a very advanced level, always finding his way into good spots.”

    Lauded for his on-ice vision and smarts, most scouting boards have shot him up to the late teens and early twenties, meaning it’s entirely possible that he is simply not available to the Bruins at No. 25.

  • Sacha Boisvert

     

    A Quebec-born forward, Sacha Boisvert has qualities that make him a downright tantalizing prospect. There’s not just the size (6-foot-2, almost 190 pounds) or the background led by off-ice work in boxing gyms, but there’s also the fact that he seems to have the makeup that allows him to do just about everything well. From his offensive toolbox, which features an ability to score in a variety of ways to his vision in the passing game, Boisvert seems like a definite candidate for the Black and Gold if he’s still hanging around after the first 24 picks of this draft.

    A North Dakota commit for next season, Boisvert wrapped up his USHL career with 36 goals and 68 points in 61 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks this past season, and has experience playing in New England, as he played for Rhode Island’s Mount St. Charles Academy before joining the USHL.

    One thing to watch with Boisvert, however, and one thing that could turn the Bruins off is the hot-and-cold nature that appears to come with his game, according to some scouting reports.

    “Boisvert loves to abuse his long reach and will make nice slip passes, or booming cuts to get his shot off. Those moments are great and if they’re enough to convince one of Boisvert’s upside, that’d be fair,” David Saad wrote earlier this year. “There are just as many moments where Boisvert can leave you wanting. This player that is being laid out: the big, skilled, intelligent center with serious offensive skill should look more active then Boisvert is.”

  • Emil Hemming

    Entering the 2024 offseason, the Bruins have stressed the need for the club to get some scoring help behind David Pastrnak. And while a player like Emil Hemming will not help the B’s in accomplishing that next season (or maybe even the season after that), the Finnish-born right-shot, right wing is a player that certainly knows how to put the puck in the back of the net at a rate that should intrigue the Bruins.

    Playing in the TPS (Liiga) program, Hemming scored 11 goals and 18 points in 13 games for the TPS U20 club, and even added seven goals and 11 points in 40 games for the club’s pro team while averaging just 10 minutes per night.

    Lassi Alanen on X (formerly Twitter): "Two minutes of Emil Hemming being one of the better shooters in the #2024NHLDraft. A diverse shot selection, great accuracy from defender's legs, can beat goalies from longer ranges more than your average prospect, a legitimate power play threat with his one-timer. pic.twitter.com/A4heXBwDVB / X"

    Two minutes of Emil Hemming being one of the better shooters in the #2024NHLDraft. A diverse shot selection, great accuracy from defender's legs, can beat goalies from longer ranges more than your average prospect, a legitimate power play threat with his one-timer. pic.twitter.com/A4heXBwDVB

    “Hemming has clear tools as a 6-foot-1, 200-ish-pound winger with real individual skill as both a handler and a shooter and good skating,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote. “His fitness has at times been a question (sounds like he’s the kind of player who adds weight more easily than others, so he has to watch his nutrition carefully) but he’s a very strong kid who looks like a pro athlete already and actually performed well in the endurance testing at the combine.”

    This is where it’s also worth noting that the Bruins have made a relatively strong investment when it comes to European scouting, almost certainly making Hemming a player they are aware about at the B’s draft table.

  • Cole Hutson

    Feb 7, 2024; Plymouth, MI, USA; USAís Cole Hutson (23) skates up ice with the puck against Finland during the third period of the 2024 U18ís Five Nations Tournament at USA Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

    Feb 7, 2024; Plymouth, MI, USA; USA’s Cole Hutson (23) skates up ice with the puck against Finland during the third period of the 2024 U18ís Five Nations Tournament at USA Hockey Arena. (David Reginek/USA TODAY Sports)

    If the name sounds familiar, it’s because you’re either a HUGE fan of the U.S. development program or (more likely) you’re aware of his older brother, Lane Hutson, who recently played for Boston University before turning pro with the Canadiens. And similar to his brother, Cole Hutson comes into the NHL Draft with some sensational offensive-zone skills for a defenseman. Now, the obvious concern is the size, at just 5-foot-10. In fact, Hutson would be the shortest defenseman drafted by the Bruins in years. But the on-ice results have been almost undeniable.

    Skating for the NTDP in 2022-23, Hutson set the record for the most points by a defenseman in a U17 season (68) as well as the NTDP’s record for most points by a defenseman in any single season. Hutson then built off that this past season with 15 goals and 51 points in 51 points, setting the NTDP record for career points by a defender, with 119.

    Steven Ellis on X (formerly Twitter): "Cole Hutson, the younger brother of Lane Hutson, is one of the top defensive prospects for the 2024 #NHLDraft.Just watching him, you can see similarities between how the two handle the puck.Cole's 68 points last year was the most in a single season in USNTDP history. pic.twitter.com/K1qVSJLXbY / X"

    Cole Hutson, the younger brother of Lane Hutson, is one of the top defensive prospects for the 2024 #NHLDraft.Just watching him, you can see similarities between how the two handle the puck.Cole's 68 points last year was the most in a single season in USNTDP history. pic.twitter.com/K1qVSJLXbY

    The kid can absolutely dazzle with the puck on his stick, and after drafting and building out a future defensive unit of behemoths, Hutson just might be the kind of game-breaking offensive threat from the backend that the Bruins would in the future be built to properly manage within their unit’s six-defender construct. Especially if Charlie McAvoy isn’t going to be the power-play quarterback everyone wants him to be and if the Bruins aim to make Mason Lohrei a more ‘complete’ defenseman with a three-zone presence that spreads his workload out.

    Something else to consider with Hutson: He’s going to be playing in Boston’s backyard — and for old friends Jay Pandolfo and Kim Brandvold — at Boston University beginning next season. The Bruins have always loved having their top prospects in their backyard and building that relationship from the ground up. (Who among us wouldn’t want some post-practice catch-ups at Raising Cane’s or even the new Ziggy Bombs on Amory St?)

  • Sam O’Reilly

     

    Another center prospect, Sam O’Reilly is coming off a strong season with OHL London, with 20 goals and 56 points, along with a plus-32 rating, in 68 games played for the Knights. The 6-foot-1, right-shooting O’Reilly also added five goals and 12 points during London’s 16-game playoff run.

    Considered a gritty two-way type with a knack for physical play, what has to intrigue the Bruins (and every other team for that matter) about O’Reilly is the fact that he’s playing in the Dale Hunter system in London, which has proven to be a developmental dream for players of that ilk. (Think I’m kidding? London alums currently in the NHL that would fit that bill include Matthew Tkachuk, Nazem Kadri, Bo Horvat, and Max Domi.)

    And similar to Guelph, the B’s have some familiarity with London’s development plans, with defensive prospect Jackson Edward officially considered a graduate from that program after this past season.

    O’Reilly might not project as a traditional top-nine center, but if it’s some scoring AND snarl that the Bruins want to add to their forward group (think Sam Bennett), O’Reilly may be the move.

  • Dean Letourneau

    Standing at an insane 6-foot-7, center Dean Letourneau has to be considered one of the biggest (see what I did there? I hate myself more than you ever could, don’t you worry) boom-or-bust candidates in this year’s draft.

    Playing in the prep ranks a year ago, Letourneau posted 61 goals and 127 points in 56 games, which are obviously eye-popping totals. But with that level of competition being considered a step below some of the other leagues available to kids his age, there’s legitimate questions as to whether or not he is the real deal. It probably doesn’t help when every scouting report seems to compare the Ontario-born forward to Tage Thompson.

    Daniel Gee on X (formerly Twitter): "I wouldn't say Dean Letourneau is the most physical player (he could leverage his size to a much higher degree than he does), but 6-foot-7 is 6-foot-7, which means pain if you get in his way. A breakdown of his actual game is coming soon. #2024NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/1NcpRbAYMV / X"

    I wouldn't say Dean Letourneau is the most physical player (he could leverage his size to a much higher degree than he does), but 6-foot-7 is 6-foot-7, which means pain if you get in his way. A breakdown of his actual game is coming soon. #2024NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/1NcpRbAYMV

    “The debate on Letourneau will be how real his offense is,” The Athletic’s Corey Pronman wrote back in May. “The athlete is obvious, but is he actually NHL smart or does he have NHL scoring ability? It’s so hard to pinpoint at the low level of competition he faced all season. He could be Tage Thompson, but he could be Joe Colborne or Riley Tufte.”

    If the Bruins were to draft him at No. 25, it’s because they clearly see the offensive upside, and think that he could live up to those Thompson comparisons. One thing that would give the Bruins some comfort post-draft is the fact that Letourneau will be playing just down the road from Warrior Ice Arena this next year, with Letourneau slated to join Boston College (instead of USHL Sioux Falls) following the departure of Will Smith from the Eagles.

  • Liam Greentree

    MONCTON, CANADA - JANUARY 24:Cole Beaudoin #29 of Team Red stick checks Liam Greentree #66 of Team White during the third period of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024 in Moncton, Canada. (Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    MONCTON, CANADA – JANUARY 24:Cole Beaudoin #29 of Team Red stick checks Liam Greentree #66 of Team White during the third period of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024. (Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    Standing at 6-foot-3 and already an offensive menace, it’s admittedly hard to imagine Liam Greentree falling down to the Bruins at No. 25 overall.

    But every year, there’s always someone who slips down the board because of a few unexpected moves here and there, and if that were to happen with Greentree, the Bruins would find themselves going full The Hangover in Vegas because they’d be celebrating so hard.

    Playing for a straight-up bad Windsor team in 2023-24, Greentree led the Spitfires in goals (36), assists (54), and points (90) in 64 games. the left-shooting Greentree also served as their team captain, and had two goals and four points in seven games for Team Canada’s U18 squad. 

  • John Mustard

    If we’ve learned one thing about the Bruins throughout the years, it’s that their draft board might look nothing like that of the consensus and the experts in the media and scouting world. In fact, it rarely does. Now, sometimes that’s worked in the Bruins’ favor and other times it’s absolutely blown up in their face. And one thing about the Bruins is that they’re not afraid of being what they think is early to the party when it comes to a player’s true value and stock.

    With that in mind, forward John Mustard may fit that bill for the club at No. 25 overall.

    Playing for USHL Waterloo this past season, the 17-year-old Mustard put up 29 goals and 56 points in 60 games en route to winning USHL Rookie of the Year honors, and is committed to Providence College for the 2025-26 season.

    In the now, Mustard seems to fit an identity that the B’s have often zeroed in on when it comes to their forward picks in the last two years, with energy and tenacity being the name of the game with Mustard.

    “It’s hard not to notice him when he’s on the ice,” NHL Central Scouting’s Pat Cullen said of Mustard. “He backchecks extremely hard, works defensively. But yet when he’s in the offensive zone and around, he gets open, he is perpetually in motion. He’s a guy that seems to utilize what he does well, very well. He skates and competes hard. And then, to top it off, he has good sense to get open when he doesn’t have the puck.”

    Most projections have him slated to go somewhere in the second round of this year’s draft, but if the Bruins believe in the player and believe that the best is yet to come, they’ve proven willing to take that gamble.

  • Michael Hage

    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 27: Commentator John Buccigross presents Michael Hage with the E.J. McGuire Award during the 2024 NHL Awards at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on June 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 27: Commentator John Buccigross presents Michael Hage with the E.J. McGuire Award during the 2024 NHL Awards at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on June 27, 2024. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

    Another center prospect who may not make it to the B’s pick, Michael Hage seems to have everything the Bruins would covet out of a top-six center prospect.

    “He’s got pro size and skating, he’s got dual-threat skill as a shooter and passer, he’s naturally talented as a handler, he can create for himself or elevate a line, he plays hard, he stays on pucks, he battles, and he reads the game at an advanced level with an intelligent approach to the way he maneuvers around the ice,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote. 

    The numbers back that up, too, with the 18-year-old Hage on the board with 33 goals and 75 points in 54 games for the USHL’s Chicago Steel in 2023-24. Hage also won the the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence for this past season, which is presented annually “to the NHL Draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.”

  • Ryder Ritchie

     

    The son of former NHLer Byron Ritchie, the 17-year-old Ryder Ritchie is considered a dual threat talent as both a shooter and passer. His stats with WHL Prince Albert tell you that story, too, with 39 goals and 99 points over 108 games with the Raiders over the last two seasons. A winger, Ritchie would give the Bruins a much-needed jolt of life in their prospect pool, especially with the talent in the system falling off a cliff on the right side beyond Pastrnak.

    “When he gets a look at the net in the offensive zone he has the ability to one-time pucks with authority,” Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala wrote. “He’s the kind of player who’s always around the play. Ritchie doesn’t sacrifice defence to produce offence.”

  • Andrew Basha

    MONCTON, CANADA - JANUARY 24:Luca Marrelli #19 of Team White stick checks Andrew Basha #34 of Team Red in front of Carter George #32 of Team White during the second period of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024 in Moncton, Canada. (Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    MONCTON, CANADA – JANUARY 24:Luca Marrelli #19 of Team White stick checks Andrew Basha #34 of Team Red during the second period of the 2024 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game at Avenir Centre on January 24, 2024. (Dale Preston/Getty Images)

    When you look at where the Bruins are right now, a sneaky-big need for the club may very well be on the left wing. Brad Marchand isn’t getting any younger, and the Bruins appear to be set on moving on from Jake DeBrusk this summer. There are other lefties in the pipeline, sure, but when it comes to talent that you’d feel confident plugging into the top nine of your NHL roster in the not-so-distant future, it’s a bit of an unknown.

    So if it’s left-side help that the Bruins seek towards the end of the first round, Andrew Basha may be the move.

    In what was his third season with WHL Medicine Hat after just barely missing the cutoff for the 2023 NHL Draft, Basha had his best season yet, with 30 goals and 85 points in 63 games for the Tigers. The 18-year-old’s 30 goals were tied for the 33rd-most in the WHL, while his 55 assists ranked 21st. One thing that stands out about Basha’s game is his vision, and his ability to basically sneak into a prime scoring area.

    One thing that may be slightly concerning with Basha is that he’s been paired with some pretty damn good linemates in Medicine Hat, so there is the natural fear that he’s not exactly a prospect capable of driving play in a top-six role. But the total package he brings to the rink is something that has its value as a late-first selection.

    “Basha is a fast-moving, dynamic winger with playmaking and scoring ability. If that fails, he has the checking game to provide significant value as a bottom-six energy forward, too,” EliteProspects wrote. “With his swift crossovers and handling moves, Basha carries the puck across blue lines. He cuts east and west, evades defenders, finds the gap in their coverage and gets in. And as soon as he crosses into the offensive zone, he looks for outlets. Defenders converge on him, opening up great potential play.”

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