Do you think Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm has some influence in the organization? Since joining the team last summer, the Bruins have acquired German forwards Lukas Reichel and JJ Peterka and hired Matt McIlvane as an assistant coach, a former head coach in the German professional ranks and assistant coach for Team Germany. Now, the first player we see any rumors of the Bruins scouting for the 2027 draft is the top German prospect in the DEL.
Bruins were in attendance to watch German top #2027NHLDraft prospect Max Calce today per a social media post on Instagram. Calce is one of the younger players in the DEL pic.twitter.com/8k4E9aSPRi
— Robert Chalmers (@robbatwo) September 23, 2026
Max Calce is a 17-year-old playing in Germany's top professional league for Adler Mannheim, one of the country's top programs. He isn't just a top prospect getting to play in his home country for exposure; he has been a major contributor for the team with three goals and an assist in his first three games. It's a big jump in his draft year after playing 14 games in the league as a 16-year-old and scoring just two goals.
Calce has an opportunity to be a first-round draft pick this season and will likely stay on that trajectory if he continues to perform so well in the DEL. With his early production, it's entirely possible that he will climb higher than his current projection as a late first-rounder. Earning a spot with Germany at this year's World Junior tournament and having a good tournament would only further that.
The German center was also taken in the first round of the CHL Import Draft this past summer, 57th overall, by the Brantford Bulldogs. However, after becoming the youngest player in DEL history to score a goal, nine months younger than the fifth-youngest player, Marco Sturm, it's easy to see why he'd want to stay in his home country.
Would the Bruins have a chance to draft Max Calce?
Consensus rankings currently have Calce going in the 23-31 range of the first round, which would be the approximate drafting position for the Bruins if they have similar results to the 2025-26 season. Boston originally had the 23rd overall pick in this past year's draft before trading it to the Utah Mammoth for JJ Peterka.
Daily Faceoff has Calce ranked 13th, which could closely reflect his actual ranking if he continues to prove himself in Germany. Fans hope the Bruins won't be drafting in that range this season, but early projections have them going through a bit of a falloff. While the front office doesn't believe in those predictions, it's always good to do your due diligence in case the chance to draft Calce does arise.
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