The Boston Bruins entered the 2026 NHL Entry Draft with one first-round pick, No. 23, and a handful of picks in rounds 2-7 on Saturday. Before the draft got underway, general manager Don Sweeney shipped his first-round pick to the Utah Mammoth for right wing JJ Peterka.
That left the Bruins quiet on the first night of the draft after they did not trade back into the first round as some fans had hoped they would. Instead, they made seven picks on Saturday to fill a number of areas, and it began with an eye-opening pick of a goaltender. Here is the 2026 Boston Bruins Draft class.
Boston Bruins 2026 NHL Draft Class
- Second Round: No. 56 Yuri Ivanov - Goalie
- Third Round: No. 88 Nils Bartholdsson - Right Wing
- Fourth Round: No. 104 (from Panthers) Matvei Kotkov - Right Wing
- Fourth Round: No. 122 (from Lightning) Oscar Olsson - Left Wing
- Fifth Round: No. 157 (from Canadiens) Jacob Vandeven - Defenseman
- Sixth Round: No. 170 (from Penguins) Roberto Henriquez - Goalie
- Seventh Round: No. 216 Cullen McCrate - Defenseman
Boston did make one trade on Saturday, sending the Pittsburgh Penguins their 111th overall pick in the fourth round for a sixth-round pick on Saturday, which was used to pick Henriquez, and a 2027 fourth-round pick the Penguins had acquired from the Winnipeg Jets.
Bruins focused on wings and goalie in 2026 Entry Draft
The trade for Peterka was needed. There was not going to be a player they picked at No. 23 that was going to come and help them right away. Instead of grabbing an unknown, they picked up a goal-scoring wing to play in the top-six. That is a move that should not go overlooked.
As for the players picked, Sweeney grabbed two goalies in a draft that was very goalie-heavy overall. The steal of the draft could end up with Bartholdsson in the third round. He is a big-time goal-scorer with a heavy shot. His numbers and game will eventually need to translate to the pro game, but there is no doubt that the talent is there right now.
Overall, it'll be some time before we know how this draft class ends up turning out, but it began with the correct decision in trading away their first-round pick for Peterka in a move that was needed to remain competitive with the rest of the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. Now, there are more pressing decisions coming with free agency beginning Wednesday and likely more trades of some kind.
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