Boston Bruins 2016 NHL Draft: Jake Bean

Boston Bruins 2016 NHL Draft: Jake Bean Would Be A Valuable Puck-Moving Defenseman For The Boston Bruins

The NHL is trending in a new direction on defense that is seemingly centered around players who excel at puck-moving. Mobile defensemen are highly valued in today’s NHL, and as a result, Jake Bean of the Calgary Hitmen looks like he can be a big contributor to any team that drafts him this June.

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The 6-foot-1, 180 pound Jake Bean excels in many different aspects of the game of hockey, but his smooth-skating and impressive vision are certainly his most-impressive traits. The Boston Bruins have struggled over the last few seasons on defense, and they’ve also struggled at effectively moving the puck out of their defensive-zone and into the offensive-zone. Jake Bean shows a lot of promise in that aspect of the game, and his impressive point totals make him an even more valuable commodity.

In 2014-15, his first season in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen at the age of 16, Jake Bean played in 51 games and scored five goals while adding 34 assists for 39 points. He also posted a plus-20 rating and managed to stay out of the penalty box effectively, logging only two penalty minutes on the year. In seven playoff games that season, Bean scored two goals and added four assists for six points in just seven games played.

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In 2015-16, Jake Bean posted even more impressive point totals as he posted career highs in games played with 68, goals with 24, assists with 40, and points with 64. He also found himself in the penalty box far more frequently than he did in his first year as he logged 28 penalty minutes. He also remained a plus-player with a plus-8 rating this season, which is a testament to his ability to play important minutes without being a liability defensively to his team. In five playoff games this season, Bean posted two assists and two penalty minutes. What’s most impressive about Bean’s goal total this season is the fact that he ranked second on his team in goals-scored which is impressive coming from the back-end.

Jake Bean doesn’t turn 18 until June ninth,which gives him two more years of junior-eligibility. While it would be wise to let him develop properly and not rush the process, if he continues to develop at the rate he has so far in his CHL career, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make the jump to the AHL or NHL sooner rather than later.

Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects had this to say about the young Canadian defenseman:

"“A shifty and intelligent defenceman that plays with panache and poise. An excellent skater that is a good puck-carrier up the ice. Makes very good decisions with and without the puck, and plays strong positionally. Works hard and doesn’t give the opposition much to work with, but could stand to be a bit more assertive during high pressure situations. That being said, he is not a one dimentional player. He displays natural talent in the offensive end, but also plays a complete defensive game in his own end. He has a proactive stick and boxes the opposition out, limiting lanes. All-in-all, the type of all-around defenceman that you want to have on the ice as much as possible.” (Curtis Joe, EP 2016).Original quote can be found here."

While most offensive-defenseman are classified as one-dimensional players who usually have serious defensive-deficiencies, Jake Bean seems to have all the makings of a complete-package defenseman who can excel in all aspects of the game. Bean might be more valuable on the power play than on the penalty kill early on in his career, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to earn the trust of his future NHL head coach by displaying consistent defensive abilities and awareness.

The following video shows Jake Bean at his finest. Whether it’s his shot, his skating, or his ability to make a positive play occur out of nothing, Bean can do it all:

Next: 2016 NHL Draft: Logan Brown

Jake Bean is ranked 15th among North American Skaters which should put him right in between the Boston Bruins two first round selections this season. Based on how well-rounded Bean is, and due to his age, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get taken somewhere closer to the Bruins 14th overall draft pick, however. Teams can never have too many smart, talented defenseman who have the offensive-instincts that Bean has, and although the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft projects to be very defense-heavy, Jake Bean will likely be too valuable to pass up in the first round this June for at least one NHL franchise.