The Boston Bruins‘ prospect pool has been heavily criticized as being one of the weaker crops of prospects in the league, and many are quick to point the finger at general manager Don Sweeney for his choices made at the NHL Entry Draft throughout his time at the helm. Although he has missed the mark with some of his selections, he has also found some viable NHL players through the draft over the years. Players such as Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, Jeremy Swayman and Brandon Carlo have grown into significant roles since being drafted by the franchise. Today, we look at the players drafted by the Bruins since Sweeney was hired and how his draft selections compare to other contending teams over the same time frame.
Sweeney’s Draft History
Of course, the biggest dagger in Sweeney’s draft reputation is his inaugural draft while serving as the Bruins’ GM. The 2015 NHL Entry Draft is forever discussed as a monumental missed opportunity for the club. After trading Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings and Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames, the Bruins became the first team in NHL history to own three consecutive picks in the first round at an NHL Draft.
Of those picks — 13th, 14th and 15th — only DeBrusk has developed into a full-time NHL player. Jakub Zboril remains on the Bruins’ roster; however, with the depth the club has on the left side of their defensive corps, he has yet to break through as a full-time NHL player. Zach Senyshyn was the player drafted with the remaining first-round selection and played only 14 games with the Bruins before getting dealt to the Ottawa Senators, where he only appeared in two more NHL games.
In the following rounds of the 2015 draft, Sweeney selected Carlo (second round, 37th overall), Jeremy Lauzon (second round, 52nd overall) and goaltender Daniel Vladar (third round, 75th overall) for players who are currently still playing in the NHL.
Sweeney and the Bruins fared much better in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, where he selected McAvoy with their first-round pick, 14th overall. Other players with NHL experience from the draft are Trent Frederic (29th overall), Ryan Lindgren (second round, 49th overall), Joona Koppanen (fifth round, 135th overall) and Oskar Steen (sixth round, 165 overall).
Related: Bruins’ Don Sweeney Still Has Much Work to Do
The 2017 draft saw the Bruins select defenceman Urho Vaakanainen with their first pick, 18th overall. The left-handed shooting Finland native was part of the trade with the Anaheim Ducks when the Bruins acquired Hampus Lindholm. Center, Jack Studnicka, was selected in the second round and became a highly touted prospect for the Bruins. However, he never got the ice time in Boston and was subsequently dealt to the Vancouver Canucks last season. The real gem of the 2017 draft for Sweeney was the selection of Swayman in the fourth round, 111th overall. He’s gone on to form the NHL’s best goaltending tandem, playing alongside Linus Ullmark.
With the Bruins becoming perennial contenders, Sweeney traded many of his top draft picks while adding various pieces in hopes of capturing that elusive Stanley Cup championship. With five draft picks in 2018, Jakub Lauko remains the only player selected to have played in the NHL. None of Sweeney’s draft selections from 2019 and beyond have yet to make their NHL debuts, although Mason Lohrei and Fabian Lysell will make a strong push toward earning a roster spot at this coming training camp.
Comparable Teams to the Bruins from 2015-Present
For this example, we will look at the draft selections made by teams who have generally finished in the standings around the same position as the Bruins since Sweeney took over. We will look at the picks made by the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
Colorado Avalanche
The 2015 NHL Entry Draft saw the Avalanche nab star forward Mikko Rantanen with the 10th overall pick. They also selected A.J. Greer (second round, 39th overall). In 2016, Tyson Jost was selected by the Avalanche, followed by a fourth overall pick in 2017, with which they selected Cale Makar. Three players — Martin Kaut, Justus Annunen and Sampo Ranta — from the 2018 draft have gained some NHL experience. Bowen Byram and Alex Newhook, drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft, have become NHL regulars.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning selected Anthony Cirelli in the third round, 72nd overall at the 2015 draft. They also lucked out by finding Mathieu Joseph in the fourth round, 120th overall the same year. Six players selected in the 2016 draft have gone on to play in the NHL, including Brett Howden (27th overall), Libor Hajek (37th overall), Boris Katchouk (44th overall), Taylor Raddysh (58th overall), Connor Ingram (88th overall) and Ross Colton (118th overall). Cal Foote and Nick Perbix were brought into the fold through the 2017 draft, while Nolan Foote appears to be the most promising draft pick from 2018 and on.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs landed a star in the 2015 draft by selecting Mitch Marner with the fourth overall draft pick. They also selected defenceman Travis Dermott in the second round, 34th overall, during the same draft. The 2016 draft truly altered the Maple Leafs’ franchise as they won the draft lottery and selected Auston Matthews with the first overall pick. Timothy Liljegren is the lone player from the 2017 draft to ever play in an NHL game, while Rasmus Sandin and Sean Durzi highlight the Leafs’ 2018 draft class. Nicholas Robertson and Matthew Knies are the organization’s two most promising draft picks since 2019.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins only had three selections at the 2015 draft; however, two of those picks, Daniel Sprong and Dominik Simon, have gone on to become regular NHL players. The 2016 Penguins’ draft class was highlighted by their selection of goaltender Filip Gustavsson, 55th overall. Of all the Penguins’ draft selections since then, only Calen Addison has gained legitimate NHL experience.
Washington Capitals
Since that 2015 draft, the Capitals have had just seven drafted players appear in over 50 NHL games. Ilya Samsonov, Jonas Siegenthaler, Axel Jonson-Fjallby, Martin Fehervary, Connor McMichael, Brett Leason and Aliaksei Protas each have at least 50 games under their belts.
Where Sweeney’s Drafting Ranks Amongst Fellow Contenders
After looking deeper at the draft picks of some of the Bruins’ competitors, Sweeney has fared quite well with his selections. Contrary to many fans’ beliefs that he doesn’t draft very well, his draft choices have combined to play the highest number of NHL games amongst the most recent Stanley Cup champions.
In total, the Bruins’ draft picks have totaled 2304 NHL game experience since the 2015 draft. The Maple Leafs rank second amongst the comparable teams with 2083 games played. However, they also had some lower finishes in the standings and a first overall selection to boost their numbers. The Lightning have drafted well, helping them remain a perennial Stanley Cup contender. They have been able to inject their draft picks into their lineup, filling holes left due to salary cap casualties. Their selections have played a combined 1926 NHL games.
The Avalanche’s draft selections have accumulated 1859 NHL games led by none other than Rantanen and Makar. The success at the NHL Entry also helped build the roster that ultimately won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
The Penguins and Capitals haven’t fared as well with their draft picks since 2015, and it has begun to show with both teams missing the playoffs last season. The Capitals selections have played 943 NHL games, while the Penguins have played just 683.
Despite using their high-end draft picks in trades, the Bruins have drafted better than most people believe, having landed some valuable pieces of their current roster through the draft.
Sweeney’s Recent Draftees Need to Take the Next Step
Sweeney has done a good job finding talent at the draft, and he may not get the credit he deserves for drafting NHL talent. However, now more than ever, he needs some of his more recent draft picks to take the next step by proving they belong in the NHL. Prospects such as Lysell and Lohrei, as previously mentioned, will make a strong push in the near future, but the Bruins do have some other intriguing prospects looming as well. Players such as Brett Harrison, Matthew Poitras, Dans Locmelis and Frederic Brunet have the potential to become regulars in the NHL one day.
Only time will tell how Sweeney’s drafting will impact the Bruins as they go through a changing of the guard, but as the next core takes the reigns from Patrice Bergeron and company, consistently drafting players who go on to pile up NHL games is one way to remain a competitive group for the foreseeable future.