5 sleepers the Boston Bruins can steal in the 2024 NHL Draft

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.