Boston Bruins: NHL Draft Rounds 2-7 Reaction
By Mike Cratty
Boston Bruins: NHL Draft Rounds 2-7 Reactions and Thoughts
The 2016 NHL Entry Draft wrapped up on Saturday with the Bruins making 6 picks. All of their picks from rounds 2-7 look to be pretty solid, with some closer to the pros than others and coming from different leagues and backgrounds.
The Picks
The Bruins first pick after day one was in the 2nd round at #49 overall, one of the picks that the B’s acquired in the Johnny Boychuk trade back in early October of 2014. The B’s took defenseman Ryan Lindgren (6 foot, 198 pounds.) with the pick.
Kirk Luedeke, scout for the Red Line Report and NHL prospects writer for the New England Hockey Journal, raved about Ryan Lindgren after he was selected by the B’s. A couple things he had to say about Lindgren were
"“All around D & fierce competitor/leader. Guy you go far with.” and “Not all that big but plays big. Smooth, refined & smart. Captain-leads by example. Showed off impressive pace & offense @ U18.” – Kirk Luedeke"
That’s always good to hear. What is interesting about Ryan Lindgren is that he is friends with Bruins 29th overall pick, Trent Frederic as they played on the U.S National U18 Team together, and his brother is former St. Cloud State stud goaltender and Montreal Canadiens prospect, Charlie Lindgren.
What is most interesting are the similarities between the Lindgren’s and the Subban’s. Malcolm Subban is a goalie in the Bruins system, Charlie Lindgren is a goalie in the Canadiens system and Ryan is a defenseman in the Bruins system and P.K. Subban is a defenseman in the Canadiens system.
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Ryan, 18, tallied 4 goals and 12 points in 25 games with the U.S. U18 development program and 6 goals and 25 points in 61 games with the U.S. National U18 team where he was the captain. Like his buddy Trent Frederic, Lindgren is NCAA bound as he is going to be playing hockey at the well-known hockey powerhouse, the University of Minnesota. It sounds like the Bruins put their 2nd round pick to very good use.
The next Bruins selection didn’t come until the 5th round. After a long waiting period, Joona Koppanen (6 foot 5, 194 pounds.) was taken 135th overall by the Bruins. Koppanen is a big-bodied center that hails from Finland and was a part of the 2016 WJC gold medal Finland U18 team. He had 0 points in 7 games in the tournament. While playing for Ilves U20 team in the Jr. A SM-liiga in Finland this past year, he tallied 9 goals and 26 points in 40 games.
Cameron Clarke (6 foot 1, 170 pounds.) looks to be a sleeper pick on the blue line that was taken the pick right after Koppanen at #136. Kirk Luedeke loves the pick and projected Clarke as a draft sleeper. Clarke, 20, had a great year with the Lone Star Brahmas of the NAHL, scoring 9 goals and 50 points in 59 games. Like many Bruins prospects, Cameron Clarke is also NCAA bound, he will be continuing his hockey career at Ferris State University.
The last pick of the 2016 NHL Draft for the Bruins came in the 6th round at pick #165, when they selected a 5 foot 9, 187 pounds. center from Sweden named Oskar Steen. Steen, 18, put up 8 goals and 32 points in 33 games with Färjestad BK J20 and 2 goals and 3 points in 7 games with Sweden’s U18 team. For the 2016-2017 season, Steen will play with the Färjestad BK J20 team for a third straight season.
More from Causeway Crowd
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- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
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- McAvoy, Lucic named to “Historic 100” list over the weekend
No Trade for Defense, RW Position Not Addressed
The Bruins left their fans in disappointment and shock when they didn’t execute a trade for a defenseman on day two. It’s not like the lack of defensive talent is new, it’s been an issue for quite some time now. To be fair, it sounds like the asking price for Kevin Shattenkirk was not appealing to Don Sweeney and was just too high.
The next biggest area of improvement is the right wing position, which they didn’t address once in the draft. The only prospects that stand out in the B’s right wing prospect core are Zachary Senyshyn and Seth Griffith. You need more than that, especially when considering that they are pretty well-rounded in every other position.
More College Prospects
The Bruins absolutely love bringing in past, current and future NCAA guys and added a few more this year. Here’s a list of NCAA players that the B’s have drafted or signed out of college in recent years.
Frank Vatrano (UMass Amherst), Ryan Fitzgerald (Boston College), Rob O’Gara (Yale University), Cameron Clarke (Ferris State University), Torey Krug (Michigan State University), Kevan Miller (University of Vermont), Danton Heinen (University of Denver), Matt Grzelcyk (Boston University), Charlie McAvoy (Boston University), Wiley Sherman (Harvard University), Ryan Lindgren (University of Minnesota), Trent Frederic (University of Wisconsin), Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (Boston University), Austin Czarnik (Miami University-Ohio), Noel Acciari (Providence College), Sean Kuraly (Miami University-Ohio), Zane McIntyre (University of North Dakota), Brian Ferlin (Cornell University), Ryan Donato (Harvard University), Anders Bjork (University of Notre Dame), Colton Hargrove (Western Michigan University), Cameron Hughes (University of Wisconsin), Jack Becker (University of Wisconsin), Matt Benning (Northeastern University), and Tommy Cross (Boston College). There are more within the organization on top of this list.
Next: Boston Bruins Showing Poor Asset Management
Besides not addressing the right wing position, the Bruins did pretty well with their selections from the sound of it. But we will have to wait and see how the newest Bruins develop over the years.