Boston Bruins: Looking At The Rest Of The Draft

The Boston Bruins had a decent first round draft this year. The Bruins chose to take defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center Trent Frederic at the 14th and 29th pick.  A lot of people seemed solid (myself included) on the McAvoy pick. Others were less enthused with Frederic. We’ll see how valid those two choices were in the fullness of time.

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But how did the Bruins do with their remaining picks at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft?

The Bruins went back to the US National Development Team for their second round selection.

Pre-draft scouting reports talked highly of Lindgren. They saw him as a player that was more than willing to block shots or do whatever was necessary for his team. He’s regarded as competent and quiet. While he’s certainly not ready to join the NHL ranks at the moment, the Bruins are betting on Lindgren being able to grow into that role over the next few years.

The Bruins headed off to Finland for one of their fifth round picks. They went to the North American Hockey League for the other. Joona Koppanen is a 6’5″ kid who brings a large body and the ability to play a very physical game.

When they called his name at the draft, I thought it was going to be another Joonas Kemppainen . Their names sound the same, their about the same size, and they play the same kind of game. Hopefully, Koppanen will be less tentative on NHL ice.

Clarke is a young player that should fill out well as he heads off the Ferris State. The Bruins feel this is a down the road player that will contribute to the organization in years to come.

From Don Sweeney:

“We knew there were teams that were there [ready to take him], and our guys really liked him. He’s gained a lot of weight in a year-and-a-half, but we know he’s going to take some time. We’re good with that. Our guys really liked him, so we took him.”

Finally, the Bruins went to Sweden for their final pick of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

It looks like the Bruins were looking for a Swedish Brad Marchand with this pick. He’s only 5’9″, but he’s a solid 187lbs. He’s been in the SuperElit League these last two seasons playing for Farjestad BK. In 69 games, he’s put up 45 points (15 goals). He doesn’t have the pest skill set that Marchand brought to the NHL, but he’s got the potential to be a Marchand-type of player down the road.

One of the biggest surprises was that the Boston Bruins chose not to recruit any Canadians. In fact, more Americans than Canadians were grabbed in the first round.  This certainly speaks of the rise of American hockey, especially with a Southwestern-born taken as the overall first pick this year.

Hopefully, the Bruins will find a few players that can make a big difference in the seasons to come.