Whenever the topic of the Boston Bruins' drafting under Don Sweeney, you would get a big eye roll from fans. It wasn't surprising, as during his tenure as GM, drafting has been a struggle, to say the least.
Over the last number of years, the Bruins have ranked near or at the bottom of the NHL in most, if not all, prospect rankings. How did they get there? Poor drafting is one way, but also trading your first round picks at different NHL trade deadlines over time waters down the depth of the pool.
However, don't look now, but the Bruins are rising and actually, rising fast among rankings from different analysts, and Corey Pronman of The Athletic is moving the Black and Gold up, coming off what many feel was a very successful 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Boston Bruins rise in The Athletic's prospect pipeline
Pronman ranked the Bruins 20th out of 32 teams in his most recent rankings, and while it may not seem like much, for the Boston Bruins, it is. For once, Sweeney got some draft luck, if you will, in the first round. After falling to the lowest spot they could in the Draft Lottery in May, they had James Hagens, once seen as the No. 1 pick of his draft class, fall to them at No. 7. He immediately shot up as their top prospect in most rankings.
Pronman's second-ranked Boston prospect? That would be Fraser Minten, who was acquired from their heated Atlantic Division rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, as part of the trade package that sent long-time Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo to Toronto. That was a nice piece for Sweeney to acquire. Not ranked, which is surprising, is prospect Will Zellers, who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche as part of a deal that sent Charlie Coyle to the Western Conference powerhouse.
Ranking should give Bruins fans more hope for the future
This isn't something that Bruins fans are used to, seeing them near the middle of the prospect rankings entering a season. Minten is someone who should make an impact this year, along with Matthew Poitras. Fabian Lysell? Well, the jury is still out on him as to whether or not he'll ever be the player that a lot of fans hope for.
Currently, the Bruins own a few first-round picks in the upcoming drafts over the next couple of seasons, and maybe they can add some talent and improve the ranking. Sweeney has also said that he wouldn't be afraid to use some of the picks in trades to improve his team in the moment. If he holds onto them, then we could be looking at a ranking inside the Top 20 sooner rather than later, and that is something that not many fans, if any, ever thought they would say under the Sweeney tenure.