CHICAGO — After surging into the playoffs under a new head coach, the Boston Bruins selected six players in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft June 23-24 here, continuing to add to an organization flush with talented young prospects.
The initial feeling was that while this latest draft haul doesn’t have a lot of "pop" or "sizzle," there’s enough there to perhaps allow the team’s front office to move assets throughout the organization for more immediate help. It’s a deep organization, but at some point, decisions will need to be made given the glut of talent vs. realistic job openings with the NHL club over the next several seasons.
The team’s top choice came in the opening round, when the B’s tabbed Finnish two-way defender Urho Vaakanainen with the 18th overall selection, standing pat after there was thought that Boston GM Don Sweeney could trade the selection for an instant NHL upgrade or perhaps move down in the draft for extra assets.
"I was on record beforehand saying we would be offering up our first-round pick for targeted, specific players and we did do that," Sweeney told assembled media after Friday night’s opening-round festivities ended. "I don’t blame teams for not wanting to do it, so we were comfortable with our pick and continuing to build what we think is a good group of guys."
The B’s entered the draft weekend a little leaner than in years past, when Sweeney and Co. made nine total selections in the first two rounds in 2015 and 2016 alone. In an allegedly shallower draft pool than the past three seasons, the B’s had fewer picks to make but are still hoping for enough bang for the buck in Vaakanainen and other choices like second-round centerman Jack Studnicka taken with the compensatory pick the B’s received from Edmonton for Peter Chiarelli) and goaltender Jeremy Swayman, taken in the fourth round. The B’s closed out the 2017 draft with three more projects in a big, grinding center in Cédric Paré plus two complementary defensemen from Europe: Swede Victor Berglund and Czech (by way of Brandon of the WHL) Daniel Bukac.
There wasn’t a lot of flash here, but the Bruins added another two selections in the first two rounds to give them 11 total picks in rounds 1-2 since 2015. Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo already have started paying dividends, but it will be a while before we know if the Class of 2017 talent can work their way into an increasingly crowded picture in Boston at every position save for goaltender.
"It was a good day; both days were real good," said Boston assistant GM Scott Bradley, who also returned to the position he held from 1997-2008 as amateur scouting director after Keith Gretzky was hired away by Edmonton last August. "We targeted several specific players and we came away with some real good prospects."
2017 BOSTON BRUINS DRAFT SELECTIONS AT A GLANCE
Urho Vaakanainen
â–¸ Selection: First round, 18th overall
Born: Jan. 1, 1999 | Pos.: LD | Size: 6-1, 181
2016-17 team: JyP Jyvaskyla (Finland)
2016-17 stats: 41 gp, 2 g, 4 a, 6 pts
Scouting report: Steady, mobile defender wasn’t the flashiest player available to Boston, but he represents the kind of player the team has made an effort to load up on in recent seasons. At just 18 years of age, the fluid-skating Finn already has two seasons of pro hockey playing against men on his résumé, which could mean he’s closer to making an NHL impact than many of his junior hockey-playing peers. A veteran of Finland’s top international teams, he can break out pucks efficiently but hasn’t shown much in the way of high offensive potential to date. Still, there were enough differences of opinion on Vaakanainen that he could in fact be a key two-way cog in a future Boston defense for folks to get excited about.
Draft buzz: "I’m a great skater; I can move the puck, I have a great first pass. I’m a complete package — a twoway defender and steady guy." — Urho Vaakanainen
"He’s a confident kid. I think he understands what his strengths are, in describing himself as a very, very good skater. … We think there’s a lot of upside on both sides — as a 200-foot player, get ting back, being able to transition pucks and also being able to cover the ice." — Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney
Jack Studnicka
â–¸ Selection: Second round, 53rd overall
Born: Feb 18, 1999 | Pos.: C | Size: 6-1, 171
2016-17 team: Oshawa Generals (OHL)
2016-17 stats: 64 gp, 18 g, 34 a, 36 penalty minutes
Scouting report: Skilled, playmaking center with decent size also is a capable two-way pivot with a lot of room to grow and fill out. Smart and industrious, Studnicka fits the Boston values set to a ‘T’ and boosted his draft stock late with strong OHL playoff and Under-18 world tourney performances. He was probably undervalued as we closed in on draft day, but he’s talented enough to project as a third-line center with potential to provide valuable production down the road. He’s going to need time to get stronger, but he’s got the work ethic to improve on his shortcomings and brings the kind of versatility to play any forward position that the B’s place a premium on.
Draft buzz: "What you can expect from me is someone who takes pride in the defensive zone and can be trusted in all three zones, but at the same time can contribute on offense and put up some numbers." — Jack Studnicka
"He had a very good U-18 at worlds and is very skilled ‘D.’ … We were looking for the skill, too, and we addressed a need there. We think he can play both wing and center. There’s room to develop. He’s close to 6-2, but he’s light." — Bradley
Jeremy Swayman
â–¸ Selection: Fourth round, 111th overall
Born: Nov. 24, 1998 | Pos.: G | Size: 6-2, 187
2016-17 team: Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
2016-17 stats: 32 gp, 1,883 min; 2.90 GAA, .914 save percentage
Scouting report: Big, highly athletic goalie was a bit of a surprise pick as he was not as much of a name talent as other players at his position but checks all the boxes in terms of what you need there: size, talent, good hands and hockey IQ. The Anchorage, Alaska, native will play next season at the University of Maine and will get a chance to take his game to the next level after putting up solid numbers on a non-playoff USHL club this year. He’s still quite raw and will need a lot of time, but there’s a payoff there if the team invests the patience to wait for it.
Draft buzz: "He’s an athlete; he moves well and has very good hands. He’s a competitor. He has some things to work on, too, but he reminds me of Charlie Lindgren." — goalie coach Dave Rogalski
"We got a goalie today that we really like and that (Bruins goaltending coach) Bob Essensa is excited about. We scouted him and most of our staff was on board with the goalie. We heard good things about him from the (Sioux Falls coaching) staff and did our due diligence on the background." — Bradley
"There’s no question that Swayman has NHL ability in terms of the physical aspects. He faced a lot of shots and played well at Sioux Falls this year. I’d like to have seen him maybe spend another year of junior, though. He also needs to be more patient at times — he can get too aggressive and it’s something he’ll need to address." — NHL scout, Western Conference
Cédric Paré
â–¸ Selection: Sixth round, 173rd overall
Born: Jan 24, 1999 | Pos.: C | Size: 6-2, 205
2016-17 team: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
2016-17 stats: 64 gp, 5 g, 11 a, 26 penalty minutes
Scouting report: Big-bodied project pivot played on lower lines for Danny Flynn’s Quebec League champion Sea Dogs and didn’t have much draft bounce coming into it. At this stage, he’s a capable, below-the-dots kind of presence who does honest work along the walls and in front of the net but doesn’t bring a lot of skill or wiggle in terms of longer-term upside. On an unrelated note, he bears an interesting physical resemblance to B’s forwards Patrice Bergeron and Ryan Spooner. It will be interesting to see if he earns a more prominent top-two line role in the ‘Q’ going forward and how he produces.
Draft buzz: "It was awesome. My family was there. My mom, my brother, my grandparents. I was surprised a little bit, yeah. It’s nice. I don’t have words, I’m just excited." — Paré
"Interesting pick by Boston there. He’s got size and there might be something more ahead offensively, but he’s just another guy in terms of what he is right now, and based on what I know, the Bruins have a lot of those types in their organization already." — NHL scout, Eastern Conference
Victor Berglund
â–¸ Selection: Seventh round, 195th overall
Born: Aug. 2, 1999 | Pos.: RD | Size: 6-0, 165
2016-17 team: MoDo (Sweden Jr.)
2016-17 stats: 37 gp, 5 g, 10 a, 16 penalty minutes
Scouting report: The 109th-ranked European skater was an under-the-radar pick that many other scouting sources did not list or have much information on. According to the B’s he’s a skilled, offense-minded puck mover who will need a lot of work to build up his light, average-sized frame. There was a movement among the Boston European scouting contingent to get the unheralded Berglund, so it will be interesting to see if he justifies their faith in him.
Draft buzz: "Our Swedish guys were on top of him. They think he’s a mobile ‘D.’ He’s skilled, ultra-skilled, and he skates well. Small. Six-footer, but P.J. (Axelsson) and Sven (Svensson) and Victor (Nybladh), they were pounding the table for him and we went along with it and I think we might have something there. Talking to his strength coach after the pick, he’s got him working on putting some muscle and weight on, so we look forward to seeing him, too, at development camp." — Bradley
Daniel Bukac
â–¸ Selection: Seventh round, 204th overall
Born: April 29, 1999 | Position: RD | Size: 6-5, 189
2016-17 team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
2016-17 stats: 72 gp, 2 g, 15 a, 32 penalty minutes
Scouting report: Long, lanky Czech defender had a tough start and transition after coming over to North America this season but finished strong and represents intriguing value at the end of the draft for Boston. He’s a pretty mobile skater for his size and has terrific reach and underrated puck skills, too. While not a consensus prospect to get overly excited about on the top end, he resembles a former B’s draft pick and defender Milan Jurcina in terms of style and potential, and when you figure he went off the board this late, is an intriguing player to watch if he makes the NHL one day.
Draft buzz: "He’s raw; it’s a project…. From the start of the year he’s come leaps and bounds with his development. In talking to the people — coaches and GM in Brandon, they’re very excited about him coming back to Brandon — they’re expecting big things from him and we’re looking forward to seeing him in camp." — Bradley
"6-5 D-men with strong puck movement get noticed." — Red Line Report 2017 NHL Draft Guide
