To the displeasure of many fans, the Boston Bruins actually drafted 13th overall during this year’s NHL Entry Draft. Their pick – a defensemen.
Many fans yearned general manager Don Sweeney could conjure a deal with possibly Arizona in an attempt to draft the highly proclaimed defenseman Noah Hanifin from Boston College. Once Jack Eichel had subsequently been drafted within seconds of Buffalo being on the clock, the Coyotes were still paced to draft third. Nothing changed, and the Bruins were left with three consecutive picks all in the first round. To some fans, it was a disappointment. The hope was Hanifin, a Massachusetts native, would be drafted by Boston via their draft pick capital after dealing away both Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic.
With their first pick in the draft, Boston selected Jakub Zboril from Saint John of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. It was an understandable pick after not only losing Hamilton via trade, but also from failing to move up in the draft to pick arguably the No. 1 ranked defensemen, Hanifin. TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button projected Hanifin to be drafted fifth, exactly when he was picked by Carolina. Button’s mock draft predicted Zboril to fall off the board at 18th overall with Ottawa. Instead, courtesy of L.A.’s pick, Boston landed the 6-foot-1, 184 lb defenseman five picks earlier.
Button’s scouting report gives Zboril a 4/5 in both skating and smarts. He received a 3/5 in both hands and shot. His compete level was given a perfect 5/5.
Zboril’s abilities as a puck-moving defenseman made him a valued commodity in the eyes of Boston. With Hamilton playing elsewhere, the Bruins are still in search of an active defensemen to coexist with Torey Krug on the blue line. Zboril is know more for his puck transporting. He moves extremely well with the puck, but can also be valued with his shot. While playing in 44 games last season (served two suspensions), Zboril scored 13 goals and added 20 assists. He was second in scoring by a defensemen to be drafted in the first round, with Ivan Provorov (15 goals, 46 assists) drafted 7th overall.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Sweeney certainly was impressed by the defensemen’s scoring abilities. With his activeness and good shot, Zboril also infiltrated on the power play. As a prospect with Saint John, Zboril was a top three defensemen and bears down on opponents. Classified as an offensive defensemen, Zboril can still be nasty, as evident by the suspensions.
Zboril compiled 33 points last season with the Sea Dogs and finished third in scoring among rookie defensemen in the QMJHL. In five playoff games, Zboril added 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points. His 13 goals broke a franchise record for rookie defensemen in one season. Prior to being selected by the Sea Dogs in the 2014 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft with the fifth overall pick, Zboril played for HC Kometa Brno in his native Czech Republic. During his tenure with Kometa Brno, the defensemen compiled 21 points (5-16 – 21) in 36 games back in 2013-14.
Modeling his game after former Red Wings blueliner Nicklas Lidstrom, Zboril plays the position with on offensive mindset. He makes it hard on opponents with not only his brass, but also his ability to produce points.
Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr noted Zboril’s skills with the puck, but was also cognizant of his skills without it. “We think he’s a solid two-way player. His game with the puck, without the puck, there aren’t many holes in his game”, Marr said.
The Bruins and Sweeney feel a similar way. Boston hopes he’ll play to that of Chicago’s Niklas Hjalmarsson. While Hjalmarsson is not nearly as potent offensively as Zboril, both play with a similar edge defensively and are solid puck movers. Because of Zboril’s deftness as an offensive defensive who does not shy away from physicality, his progress in the AHL could lead him to the NHL squad in a matter of several seasons.
“I like to play physical and I like to hit guys hard and maybe get them off their game”, said Zboril to CSNNE.com. “…I think I play a little more defensively , but I like to join the rush too. I think I might be about two years , it’s really hard for a young defenseman to play against some of those guys. When I was still in Czech I was just practicing with the ‘A’ team, and it was really different. It was really hard”.
Follow Christopher Bokum on Twitter @ChrisBokum