Boston Bruins: Top 10 Draft Picks From The Last 20 Years
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins have drafted some incredibly talented players over the last 20 years, including current Bruins, former Bruins, and retired NHL players. Selecting only 10 players from 20 years of drafting is a tough task, but the following list includes some of the best names to ever wear a Bruins jersey; even if their respective tenure as a Bruin was short-lived.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-32 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup /
Over the last 20 years, the Boston Bruins have employed four full-time General Managers and one interim General Manager. Harry Sinden was the team’s General Manager from 1972 until the year 2000, and he saw some very successful teams over that time. While he never won the Stanley Cup — Sinden took over for Milt Schimdt after the 1972 Stanley Cup victory — he did build teams that made appearances in the Stanley Cup finals in 1974, 1977, 1978, 1988, and 1990. When Mike O’Connell took over as the Bruins’ General Manager in 2000, he didn’t see much success in terms of playoff appearances or wins, but he certainly made some solid draft picks which helped the Bruins even to this day. Jeff Gorton was the interim General Manager in 2006 before Peter Chiarelli took over, and out of each General Manager listed above, only Chiarelli can boast a Stanley Cup winning team during his tenure as the team’s General Manager. Don Sweeney only took over for the Bruins in 2015, and while he had a very busy first draft, it’s too soon to determine whether or not any of his draft picks will end up being booms, or busts.
Without further delay, here are the top 10 draft picks that the Bruins have selected over the last 20 years.
Next: #10 - One of the Bruins More Recent Draft Picks
Despite struggling in Calgary after being traded there at the draft, Dougie Hamilton has shown promise in his career and is one of the NHL’s best developing young stars. There aren’t many players on the Calgary Flames roster that aren’t struggling right now, so this slow start shouldn’t take away from the potential that Hamilton has shown in his four seasons in the league.
Hamilton is on the brink of becoming an elite defenseman and he possesses many factors that make him a very desirable player. At only 22 years old, Hamilton has shown he has the size — 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds –, he can move the puck effectively, play in all three zones, and has a knack for finding an open lane for passes as well as firing the puck on net. In 178 games in the NHL, Hamilton has posted 83 points. Dougie Hamilton has had solid possession numbers so far over his young career as well, and he’s expected to only get better as time goes on.
Next: #9 - Another Former-Bruin Who Also Plays Defense
With 40 points in 283 career games with the Bruins, and a total of 88 points in 592 games, Mark Stuart has never been known as an offensive threat from the back-end. Nobody has ever been confused about Mark Stuart‘s role on a hockey team though. Over 592 games in the NHL, Stuart has been the definition of a physical, stay-at-home defenseman who gets the job done in his own zone. Stuart has never been afraid to use his 6-foot-2, 213 pound frame to his advantage and he has remained effective even four years after being traded away from Boston alongside Blake Wheeler to acquire Rich Peverley (and Boris Vlabik) for their playoff run in 2011 which ultimately resulted in a Stanley Cup victory.
Next: #8 - One of the Few Russian's in Recent Bruins History
There aren’t many Russians in the recent history of the Boston Bruins, but Sergei Samsonov was one of the better players on the roster during his tenure with the Bruins. In 514 games as a member of the Boston Bruins, Samsonov put up an impressive 376 points as well as four 20 goal seasons including two consecutive seasons with 29 goals. Samsonov finished his NHL career with 571 points in 888 career NHL games.
It’s hard to compete with a name like Joe Thornton, who was drafted just seven positions before Samsonov with the first overall pick in 1997, but Samsonov was no slouch as a member of the Black and Gold.
Milan Lucic was a fan-favorite from the second was drafted to the Bruins in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. With a huge 6-foot-4, 240 pound frame, and a true power-forward style of play, Lucic fit into the typical Boston Bruins’ role that fans have grown to love over the franchise’s history. With a career 356 points in 589 games including a 30 goal season and two 20 goal seasons, Milan Lucic brought so much more than just his size and strength to the game. For years, fans of the Bruins enjoyed watching Milan Lucic skate alongside David Krejci in what was one of the team’s best lines in recent history.
While Milan Lucic had a temper and fell out of favor with some of the Bruins faithful over time due to his lack of production and costly penalties. With that being said, his contributions to the team will ensure that he will always be a fan-favorite in the hearts of most of the Boston fanbase.
Brad Marchand has been one of the Bruins best players since being drafted in 2006 and joining the main roster full-time in 2010-11. With four 20 goal seasons in as many full years, and an 18 goal season in the lock-out shortened season, Brad Marchand has shown that he has a knack for finding the back of the net. Brad Marchand currently has 244 points in 397 career games, and is currently the leader in goals for his team once again this season as of the writing of this article.
While his goal scoring prowess is impressive, his speed, two-way ability, and ability to get under the skin of his opponents are what he’s truly known for. Widely considered one of the biggest pests in the NHL today — and maybe of all time — Brad Marchand has built a career on instigating opponents into making mistakes or drawing penalties; this also works against him as well as he is often near the top of the Bruins’ most penalized player lists consistently every season. Brad Marchand may be a pest, but he brings so much to the table that it’s hard to imagine him playing in any jersey other than a Bruins’ jersey at any point of in his career.
Next: #5 - Another Current Bruin Who Should Remain On the Team For a Long Time
After coming into a top-six role due to a Marc Savard injury in 2008, David Krejci immediately showed that he had what it took to be a top line center for an NHL franchise. With his natural playmaking ability, and knack for setting the pace of a game every time he’s on the ice, David Krejci has been one of the more effective players to suit up for the Bruins in the last 20 seasons, and even beyond. Krejci has posted 433 points in 573 career NHL games, and has consistently been one of the team’s better players away from the puck as well.
David Krejci might not be as gifted in the art of two-way hockey as his counterpart Patrice Bergeron, but that doesn’t mean he’s bad by any measure of the term; in fact, Krejci has been one of the best two-way players on the Bruins roster throughout his entire career. With his smooth skating, good vision, and high hockey IQ, David Krejci has always been able to make plays offensively and defensively, and he has truly earned a role among the top five Bruins draft picks of the last 20 years.
Next: #4 - Love Him or Hate Him, He Has Tremendous Talent
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports. The Penguins won 5-1.
Almost immediately upon joining the league, Phil Kessel became one of the most prolific scorers in the entire NHL. With five consecutive full seasons of 30 goals or more, including 20 goals in between during the lockout shortened season — 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points in 48 games — Phil Kessel has always been known as one of the best goal scorers in the league. His worst statistical season came during the 2014-15 season when he scored 25 goals and added 36 assists for 61 points in 82 games, which isn’t bad at all in today’s NHL. Phil Kessel currently has 254 goals, as well as 281 assists for 535 points in 691 career NHL games, and once he find chemistry with either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, there’s no telling what his ceiling could be.
Phil Kessel fell out of favor with Bruins’ head coach Claude Julien early on in his career, and that resulted in a trade that shocked the hockey world between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs just three seasons into Kessel’s career.
Next: #3 - Trade to Shock the Hockey World? This Guy is No Stranger to That
The Boston Bruins drafted Tyler Seguin with the second overall pick of the 2010 NHL draft; a pick they received as a part of the trade between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs involving Phil Kessel. What nobody could have predicted was the fact that Tyler Seguin would be a part of a similar trade just a few years later at the age of 21.
Tyler Seguin has been one of the NHL’s best players since being drafted in 2010, unfortunately for the Bruins, most of his success has come as a member of the Dallas Stars. Winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 — his rookie season — was certainly a good way to start the career of Tyler Seguin, but his best statistical years were yet to come. After scoring 29 goals and 67 points in 81 games in his sophomore season, and 16 goals and 32 points in 48 games the following year in the lockout-shortened season, Tyler Seguin was traded to the Dallas Stars in a seven-player deal that once again shocked the entire hockey world. Since being acquired by the Dallas Stars, Tyler Seguin has become an offensive-machine, scoring 37 goals in two consecutive seasons.
Tyler Seguin currently has 143 goals and 316 points in 378 career games, and he will forever be the one who got away from the Boston Bruins.
Next: #2 - Also Part of a Shocking Trade In the Last 20 Years
Joe Thornton was drafted with the first overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and has lived up to that billing throughout his career. Although he has been criticized throughout his career for his inability to perform at a higher level in the post-season, as well as being called out for his leadership ability, Joe Thornton has been one of the best players in the history of the NHL.
Joe Thornton has posted a jaw-dropping 1259 points in 1285 NHL games including 820 points in 776 games with the San Jose Sharks. Additionally, Thornton has played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009 (as a captain). He won the Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophies in 2006, making him the first player to ever win the Hart Trophy during a season in which he played for two different teams. Joe Thornton is also an Olympic Gold Medalist having been a member of Team Canada during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
The Bruins have made quite a few shocking trades in the last 20 years, starting with Joe Thornton’s in 2005.
Next: #1 - This Should Be a Surprise To Absolutely Nobody
At only 29-years old, Patrice Bergeron has earned a place on the all-time great list for the Boston Bruins. Having played in 11 NHL seasons, appearing in the Stanley Cup Final twice, and winning once, Bergeron has been a fan-favorite since he first skated for the Bruins in 2003 at the age of 18. Bergeron is widely considered one of the best all-around players in the league, and his three Selke Trophy wins, combined with his consistent point totals can attest to that.
Bergeron is consistently the best face-off man in the league, and one can only assume he is the heir-apparent to the Bruins captaincy once current-captain Zdeno Chara‘s tenure with the Bruins is over. Having reached the thirty goal mark twice, and scoring over 50 points in 7 of his 11 seasons (some of which were shortened by lock-out, or concussion issues), Bergeron has consistently been a clutch player for Boston, scoring timely goals and providing energy on each and every one of his shifts. Bergeron’s contract runs until the 2021-2022 season, meaning he has the potential to continue impressing and earning his place on this list.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports
