The Boston Bruins didn't participate in Wednesday's first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, but they made a bunch of selections on Day 2 in Nashville.
The Bruins ended up keeping all five of the picks they had entering Thursday. Here's a recap of those selections.
- 92nd overall, Round 3: Christopher Pelosi, Center, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
- 124th overall, Round 4: Beckett Hendrickson, Center, U.S. National Development Team (USHL)
- 188th overall, Round 6: Ryan Walsh, Center, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
- 214th overall, Round 7 (via L.A. Kings): Casper Nassen, Right Wing, Sweden
- 220th overall, Round 7: Kristian Kostadinski, Defenseman, Vastra Frolunda Jr. (Sweden-Jr)
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Here are some key takeaways from the Bruins' 2023 draft class.
Depth down the middle
The Bruins have failed to draft and develop centers for over 15 years. They've gotten away with it because Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci have been so productive for so long. But those players' careers will eventually end, leaving the B's with an enormous hole down the middle of their lineup.
Two recent draft picks -- Matthew Poitras (second round, 2022) and Brett Harrison (third round, 2021) -- have developed nicely and someday could be solid NHL role players at center. But there was no question the Bruins had to further bolster their talent level and depth at center in this 2023 draft, so it wasn't surprising to see them select three players -- Christopher Pelosi, Beckett Hendrickson and Ryan Walsh -- at this position.
Pelosi played in both the NAHL and USHL last season. He put up 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in 43 games for Sioux Falls (USHL). He is listed at 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds. Hendrickson is a very good passer and tallied 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 52 games for the USNTDP last season. He will play for Sioux Falls next season. Walsh finished second in the USHL in points with 79 (30 goals, 49 assists) in 61 games. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and 179 pounds.
Boston has now taken six centers in the last two drafts. If two or three of them make it to the NHL, that would be pretty good considering just one of them was selected before the third round (Poitras in Round 2 last year).
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American-born talent
The Bruins have drafted several American players in recent years, and the 2023 class is no different.
Third-round pick Christopher Pelosi is from New Jersey and fourth-round pick Beckett Hendrickson is from Minnesota, while sixth-round pick Ryan Walsh is from New York.
These three U.S.-born players bring the total number of Americans selected by the Bruins over the last four drafts to 11.
Going to school
Four of the Bruins' five draft picks will play college hockey next season or have committed to a program for the 2024-25 campaign.
- Christopher Pelosi: Committed to Quinnipiac for 2024-25
- Beckett Hendrickson: Committed to Minnesota for 2024-25
- Ryan Walsh: Playing at Cornell this fall
- Casper Nassen: Committed to Miami (OH) for 2024-25
Size Matters
Hat tip to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Ty Anderson for pointing out this trend: The Bruins have looked for defensemen with size over the last four drafts. All seven of the blueliners they've selected during this span are 6-foot or taller. Four of the seven are 6-foot-3 or taller, including 2023 seventh-round pick Kristian Kostadinski of Sweden.
Local Talent
Here's one non-Bruins takeaway: Round 1 on Wednesday night saw a total of six active or incoming Hockey East players selected in the first round. That's the highest total for any one draft since Hockey East began in 1984.
Here is the list of those players:
No. 4, Sharks: Will Smith, Boston College
No. 8, Capitals: Ryan Leonard, Boston College
No. 11, Canucks: Tom Willander, Boston University
No. 15, Predators: Matthew Wood, UConn
No. 23, Rangers: Gabe Perreault, Boston College
No. 30, Hurricanes: Bradly Nadeau, Maine