For just the second time in the last four years, the Bruins have a first-round pick in the NHL draft, which begins Friday night. They will pick 20th overall (it’s technically the 21st pick, but the Coyotes had to forfeit the 11th pick).
So, who are some of the players the Bruins could target? And what should they be looking for?
Simply put, the Bruins should draft the best player available. That may seem obvious, but there could be some temptation to say the Bruins should target a center of the future or a left-shot defenseman because those are areas of organizational need.
But the Bruins really just need good prospects, regardless of position. They have one of the weakest prospect pools in the NHL as a result of A) going for it every year and frequently trading away picks or prospects to improve at the trade deadline, and B) missing on several recent first-round picks, or at least not having those picks end up being high-in-the-lineup players.
So with that said, let’s take a look at 10 players the Bruins could draft at 20.
The steals if they drop
Matthew Coronato, LW/RW, Chicago Steel (USHL)
Coronato, who is heading to Harvard this fall, lit up the USHL last year, leading the league with 48 goals and finishing second with 85 points in 51 games while helping Chicago win the league title. Scouts and analysts praise his play in tight areas and around the net, as well as his knack for consistently being in the right place. Most rankings have him more in the 11-16 range, so it seems unlikely he’ll be on the board at 20, but we’ve seen smaller players (Coronato is 5-foot-10) drop before, and we shouldn’t assume NHL general managers have fully learned their lessons from the likes of Johnny Gaudreau and Alex DeBrincat.
Cole Sillinger, C/LW, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
Sillinger moved to the USHL this past season because of the WHL’s delayed start and dominated, putting up 24 goals and 22 assists in 31 games. He has one of the best shots in this draft class and is considered a very creative offensive player, with the only real question being his skating. Like Coronato, he’ll most likely be gone by 20, with most rankings putting him somewhere from 10-16. But if he drops, the Bruins should scoop him up without hesitation.
The prime targets
Corson Ceulemans, RHD, Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
This could be a case of drafting the best player available rather than drafting for need for the Bruins. Right-shot defenseman is low on the list of Boston’s organizational needs with Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo holding down the fort for years to come, but Ceulemans is ranked right around 20 (give or take a couple spots) by pretty much everyone and has all the tools teams are looking for in a modern D. He has good size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds), he’s a very good skater, he can get involved offensively, and he’s strong in his own zone, with scouts and analysts praising his decision-making on puck retrievals and breakouts. If the Bruins think he’s the best player on the board, don’t pass on him just because you already have McAvoy and Carlo. No one’s going to complain about having three very good right-shot D if that’s where things end up in a few years. Plus, how can you pass on the opportunity to have both Corson Ceulemans and Karson Kuhlman? Ceulemans is heading to the University of Wisconsin this fall.
Brennan Othmann, LW, Olten (Switzerland)
With no OHL season, Othmann went overseas to play in Switzerland’s second-tier pro league and put up 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) in 34 games. He also had a good showing at the U18 World Championships, recording three goals and three assists in seven games on a Canada team that won gold. Othmann is a scorer with a great shot, and he also brings some physicality and abrasiveness. He’s considered a below-average skater, but that’s not unique in this draft class, which is regarded as a subpar skating class in general.
Isak Rosen, LW/RW, Leksand (Sweden)
One player who is definitely not a below-average skater is Rosen, who is considered one of the best skaters in the draft. He’s fast, he’s dangerous on the rush, and he has good hands and a good shot. Rosen has been dominant at times playing against his own age level, including setting a Swedish record with seven goals in seven games at U18 Worlds. However, he struggled playing in Sweden’s top pro league this season, registering just one point in 22 games. There’s no shame in an 18-year-old struggling in his first taste of pro hockey, but at 5-foot-11 and just 156 pounds, Rosen will have to make some adjustments against bigger, stronger players and probably bulk up a bit, too. (By the way, a lot of this could also apply to fellow Swedish winger Fabian Lysell, who we're pretty sure will be gone by 20, but there have been some whispers he might slide a bit, and that could make him a really intriguing option for the Bruins as well.)
Xavier Bourgault, C/RW, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Bourgault has put up big numbers in Quebec the last two years -- 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in 63 games in 2019-20 followed by 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in a shortened 29-game season this year. Scouts and analysts praise his high skill level with the puck on his stick, his ability to protect the puck and hold off defenders, and his finishing. He’s not an elite skater or defensive player, but it sounds like he’s good enough in both areas that it shouldn’t hurt him.
Sasha Pastujov, LW/RW, U.S. National Team Development Program
For a player with no injury concerns and consistent offensive production, there’s an oddly wide rankings range for Pastujov. Some, like The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, have him as high as 14, while others, like TSN’s Bob McKenzie, have him as low as 36. Count me among the believers who don’t think he’d be a reach at 20. He led the U.S. Under-18 team in scoring this season with 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) in 41 games, then did the same at U18 Worlds, putting up five goals and three assists in five games. What holds him back in the eyes of some is his skating (again, that’s a theme with this class), but his offensive creativity, finishing and hockey IQ are so high that he has overcome the skating at every level so far, and could eventually do so in the NHL as well. Pastujov is heading to Notre Dame this fall.
The wild cards
Carson Lambos, LHD, Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
Strictly hockey-wise, there seems to be a consensus that Lambos should be right in the 15-20 range. He’s 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, and you see a lot of “hard to play against” when reading up on him given his defensive smarts and physicality. He’s also a good skater who gets involved in transition, even if he’s not a dynamic offensive defenseman. The questions come with a medical issue that ended his season early. While doctors have cleared him for a full return to hockey activity, TSN’s Bob McKenzie recently reported that some teams still have some concern. If the Bruins are convinced everything checks out medically, Lambos could be a very good pick at 20. If they’re not, he’s probably not on their first-round board.
Aatu Raty, C, Karpat (Finland)
As recently as this time last year, Raty was viewed as a player who was in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in this draft. Now he’s generally ranked in the 20s, and falling out of the first round entirely isn’t out of the question. There aren’t any off-ice issues or anything like that; he just flat-out didn’t have a good season. He put up six points in 35 games playing in Finland’s top pro league and got cut from Finland’s World Junior team. Whether it was a lack of confidence, the pressure of draft expectations or just not being ready for that level, Raty's stock plummeted as a result. Plenty of scouts and analysts still believe he can get back to being the player who showed the potential to be a top-of-the-lineup center. Others are less sure. If the former are right, Raty could end up being a steal at 20. But if he keeps trending in the direction he did this past season, he could be a bust.
Zachary L’Heureux, C/LW, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
It’s pretty much universally accepted that L’Heureux would be a top-20 pick on skill alone. He has great hands, a good shot, he’s hard to knock off pucks, and he plays with a lot of physicality and aggression. He put up 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 33 games last season. He also got suspended four times last season alone, including once for spitting on an opponent. There are very real discipline and attitude questions that could result in L’Heureux dropping out of the first round. Teams have to decide if they think they can rein him in enough that his discipline and attitude won’t be detrimental in the NHL, without completely dulling the edge he plays with that makes him effective. It’s the kind of balancing act we’ve seen with players like Tom Wilson, Nazem Kadri or Brad Marchand earlier in his career. It would be surprising to see the Bruins take L’Heureux at 20, but if they think he can clean up his act, he could certainly end up justifying that draft position.
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