As part of our series on the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, we will now take a look at the Boston Bruins. The Bruins had 6 picks in this year's draft.
boston bruins
Urho Vaakanainen poses for photos after being selected as the number eighteen overall pick to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center. (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)
The Boston Bruins added six players to their system in this year's NHL Entry Draft.
They had a first rounder, a second round pick, a fourth rounder, and three picks in the last two rounds.
The Bruins lost their third round pick in the Zac Rinaldo trade a couple of years ago and traded their fifth pick twice (once to Carolina conditionally, once to Vegas).
And the Bruins also moved their second round pick for Lee Stempniak last year but got a second rounder in return for Edmonton's hiring of former GM Peter Chiarelli.
Third rounders and fifth rounders are usually bigger risks, so the Bruins remaining with two picks in the first two rounds was critical.
And the Boston Bruins knew not to waste their picks, fulfilling their biggest needs.
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Urho Vaakanainen, D – 1st Round, 18th Overall; Original NHL Central Scouting Ranking: #8 EU
Vaakanainen, one of the best names in this year's draft, is also a defenseman with high potential defensively with some puck moving skills.
Boston is currently in need of that.
With an aging Zdeno Chara still playing over 20 minutes a night for Boston, and the Bruins needing defense, they should have found it in Vaakanainen.
Vaakanainen posted 6 points in 41 games in the Liiga (top Finnish league) this year.
Liiga isn't that high of a scoring league – Vaakanainen's 6 points would have placed him in the top 10 for defensemen last year.
Vaakanainen should be ready for the NHL sooner rather than later but will continue to play in Finland next year.
When Vaakanainen does come over to the NHL, he should be able to play a top 4 role for the Bruins. Maybe as a more stay at home pairing for either Torey Krug or the young Charlie McAvoy.
Jack Studnicka, C – 2nd Round, 53rd Overall; Original Ranking: #120 NA
The Bruins must see something is Studnicka that no one else sees – the only ranking high on the young center was International Scouting Services, who had him at #43.
And it's not like Studnicka can't live up to a second-round pick. He posted 52 points, including 18 goals with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL last year.
His first season in the OHL, Studnicka had 26 points and just 4 goals. He doubled his point total and exploded in terms of goal production from his first year to his second year.
Still, Studnicka was just 72nd in points among all players in the OHL this season, which means he's not exactly setting the league ablaze.
But he's a better two-way player, something that fits with the traditional Boston Bruins style. Studnicka is light though – at 6'0″ he weighs just 171 pounds.
If he gains mass and continues to develop he can be a good two-way depth center for the Bruins.
Jeremy Swayman, G – 4th Round, 111th Overall; Original Ranking #12 NA (Goalie)
The Boston Bruins don't necessarily have a need at goaltender. Boston is waiting on Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre to develop, and have been for a couple years.
But there's nothing wrong with an insurance pick. There's also nothing wrong with having three competent goaltenders – it just means you can trade one of them at a high price.
Maybe that's what this pick is. Swayman had a decent year in the USHL posting a 2.90 GAA and .914 SV%. That's not good enough to crack the top 10, but it isn't necessarily bad either.
And again, with two prospects in the system already, the Bruins may be looking for an insurance goaltender. Or they may just have lost all the skaters ahead of Swayman on their draft list.
Cedric Pare, C – 6th Round, 173rd Overall; Original Ranking: #146 NA
Pare wasn't a highly touted prospect – this is about where Pare should have gone. Still, he has the chance to be a Marcus Kruger type player – well-rounded defensively but can't do much damage offensively.
In Pare's first full year in the QMJHL, he posted 16 points, 5 goals, with three more points coming in the playoffs.
Pare actually had zero penalty minutes through 18 playoff games – that could be crucial too. If your shutdown center can play his role cleanly, well, that's a boon to your team.
At 6'2″ 205 pounds, Pare may be more NHL-ready, at least physically, than most prospects. But it will take him choosing to accept his defensive role to make him a threat in the NHL.
Victor Berglund, D – 7th Round, 195th Overall; Original Ranking #109 EU
The seventh round is where teams dive on risks they're willing to take. Maybe that's why Boston took Berglund, 109 spots down the European list, at 195th overall.
The defenseman had 15 points, including 5 goals, in 37 games with MODO of the SuperElit league. That's the Swedish Hockey League's Minors division – its all U20.
Which means that Berglund was playing against the best in Swedish youth. The Bruins needed to continue picking up defensemen, and Berglund (assumably) fit the profile of what they were looking for.
Plus, if Berglund develops into the mold of other Swedish defensemen, then the Boston Bruins didn't make a bad pick at all.
Daniel Bukac, D – 7th Round, 204th Overall; Original Ranking #173 NA
Boston drafted another defenseman nine picks later, getting Bukac from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
In his first season with the WHL team, Bukac posted 17 points, including 2 goals, in 72 games. That's not a ton of numbers, and in the minors, offensive defensemen explode for points.
Which means the Boston Bruins loaded up on defensive defensemen in this draft. That's certainly a need for them, as puck-moving defensemen on the Bruins roster are currently young.
But it also leaves the 2017 draft for the Boston Bruins lacking for points. Which is something the Bruins are going to need sooner or later.
Final Draft Ranking: B
The Bruins addressed their biggest need – defense – time and time again. That includes their first pick Urho Vaakanainen. They also took some risks on defensemen in the later rounds.
But aside from Studnicka, the Bruins are totally lacking for point production in this draft. They took a lot of defensive defensemen, a goaltender, and a two-way forward.
And that's without a lot of proof in terms of young players producing points in the Boston Bruins system. This draft may end up hurting the Bruins if their defensemen don't pan out.
