5 sleepers the Boston Bruins can steal in the 2024 NHL Draft
Currently, the Boston Bruins won’t pick until the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, but there will be plenty of sleepers late on Day 2.
The 2024 NHL Draft may not be of much interest to many fans of the Boston Bruins since their team doesn’t have a first, second, or even a third-round pick. That said, the big event may be nothing more than a chance for fans to see who general manager Don Sweeney took and where they will likely spend the next two-plus seasons before getting even a remote chance in the Bruins system.
But let’s not forget that Linus Ullmark could definitely find himself playing in another city in 2024-25, and trading him could warrant an early-round pick, or at least one first-rounder. So there is a good chance the Bruins enter this month’s draft with a more entertaining slate of selections than what they currently hold.
Yet if everything remains as-is, which five prospects could end up as big winners when Boston is finally on the clock in Round 4? Here are five prospects who haven’t fared too well in the rankings, but could transform into sensational players during the latter stages of their development.
Will Zellers, F/Shattuck St. Mary’s
Will Zellers never played full-time in the USHL, appearing in just one game for the Green Bay Gamblers, where he scored a goal. Instead, he found himself at Shattuck St. Mary’s, a school that has developed numerous hockey stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, so for a prospect like Zellers to potentially be available near the fourth round of the NHL Draft should garner quite a bit of interest.
And he’s productive, scoring over two points per game in 54 contests in USHS Prep before tacking on 1.83 points per game in the PHC this past season, both times for Shattuck St. Mary’s.
His overall points total between those 66 games he played factors out to 133 points, 69 goals, and 64 helpers, so if the Bruins are lucky enough to snag him if he falls, there is no reason for Don Sweeney to pass here.
Colton Roberts, D//Vancouver
Like Will Zellers, Colton Roberts could be long gone by the time the Bruins draft if they don’t end up with an earlier pick via trade. Roberts turns 18 in June, so you can chalk him up as a prospect whose birthday is later than many. But he’s 6’4 and a respectable 194 lbs, and there is still a lot of room for him to grow even more.
For a larger player, he’s quite the total package in both skating and ability to create sequences. He’s not a defenseman who will put up a ton of points, even with a sound offensive game, but he will find open teammates, let them go to work, and they’ll put up big numbers on the stat sheet.
His defensive game must improve, and if he can eventually get it to match his offensive prowess, Roberts has a bright future, even if he may wind up as a mid-round pick.
Heikki Ruohonen, C/K-Espoo
Size was arguably the main criterion behind who I added to this list, and you can say the same for Heikki Ruohonen, whose 6’1, 196-pound frame is already NHL-built. He was an alternate captain for Kiekko-Espoo and a points-producing machine, scoring 20 goals and another 27 helpers in 37 regular season games this past year.
A high hockey IQ and a simple game make Ruohonen a solid prospect here who should go in the fourth round or later. While that simplicity foreshadows an NHL ceiling as a lower-liner or even a fourth-liner, there’s a good chance Ruohonen will develop into a player to help his future respective team win a championship, and he could be a long-term asset for whichever organization becomes his home.
Colin Ralph, D/Shattuck St. Mary’s
Another prospect from Shattuck St. Mary’s, Colin Ralph carries an ideal 6’4, 209-point build, and his productivity is through the roof for a defenseman. Cole Hutson is one of my favorite blueliners in the draft because of the way he can put up forward-like numbers, and Ralph is in the same category, finishing 2023-24 with 82 points and nine goals in 73 regular season games, and it’s something he should keep up when he attends St. Cloud State in the fall.
As with Colton Roberts, you don’t want to wave off Colin Ralph’s skating because of his size since not only can he pick up top speed with relative ease, he also knows the most efficient ways to move about the ice. Once Ralph’s competing against high-level competition in the NCAA, you’ll see why I listed him as a sleeper here, and one who Don Sweeney should have a chance to take once the Bruins get around to adding to their prospects pool.
Eemil Vinni, G/Jokipojat
So far, we got two blueliners and two forwards, so let’s end this article with who may be the best in a mediocre goaltending class. Eemil Vinni could be long gone by the fourth round, but if he’s there, the Bruins could be kicking things off with a goaltender in this draft. Ironically, Vinni’s size isn’t what you typically see from today’s goaltenders, but he’s already putting on a show in Mestis, something we saw with his 2.72 GAA, 0.892 save percentage, and two shutouts from what is now a season ago.
While he doesn’t have a complete game, Vinni’s willingness to make the first move when an opponent lines up to shoot is what makes him such a good goaltender already, something his profile on Elite Prospects implies. With another goaltender potentially needed in the system, someone with an aggressive game similar to what Vinni possesses would work in the organization’s favor.
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(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)