There were a lot of Boston Bruins fans googling the name Vashek Blanar when the team selected him at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The issue is that his name didn't garner any search results, as he recently changed his name from Vashek Richards when he moved from Colorado to Sweden. It left many wondering who exactly this guy was, and he answered the doubters quickly at this week's development camp.
The Bruins have been very clear that Blanar is a work in progress. He hadn't been playing at a high level, as he mostly played in the U18 league in Sweden last year. Most picks in the NHL Draft come from players who had graduated to the pro ranks in Europe, or at least played in the U20 league.
Did some video at dev camp, and this scoring chance by Vashek Blanar was awesome. His story coming into camp is really cool. Bruins 4th rounder pic.twitter.com/t2GVMzF748
— Robert Chalmers (@IvanIvanlvan) July 3, 2025
Many were to quick to jump on the fact that Don Sweeney made another reach in the draft and it was another fail of a pick. However, once Blanar took to the ice at Warrior this week, many realized what the Bruins' scouting staff had already seen: this kid has tons of potential as an offensive defenseman.
Where Blanar lacks is his defensive skills. He didn't need to focus on defense when he was one of the best players in the Swedish Junior ranks, but he'll need to sort out those deficiencies if he wants to one day play in the NHL for the Bruins. While it feels like Blanar is a long way away from achieving that, his offensive upside tells us that it isn't an unattainable goal.
Adam McQuaid's School of Defense
Adam McQuaid has been a fine addition to the Bruins' player development staff. We remember him well as the enforcer for the Bruins throughout the 2010s, but he also played an underrated defensive game. It's clear that he understood the defensive game well, as he has been teaching some of the Bruins' brightest blue line prospects how to play the game at the NHL level.
McQuaid was impressed by Blanar’s defensive skills. Said the player has focused a lot on his offensive game throughout his youth but he shows solid defensive traits despite being raw #BruinsDevCamp
— Bruins Breakdown (@TCalauttis) July 3, 2025
McQuaid will be front and center for the rest of Blanar's development, and if he does one day play in the NHL, the development coach will play a massive role. If he can turn Blanar into a valuable NHL player, he will have earned his pay.