Just like that, the 2022 NHL Entry Draft has come and gone and Bruins fans have six new players to keep their eyes on.
Boston drafted Matthew Poitras (54), Cole Spicer (117), Dans Locmelis (119), Frédéric Brunet (132), Reid Dyck (183) and Jackson Edward (200) on Friday in the second and final day of the draft in Montreal. The Bruins traded their seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2023 seventh-rounder.
Here’s a few things to know about each draft pick:
Matthew Poitras
Many NHL experts had Poitras going anywhere from 64 to 101 in the draft, so this may be a bit of a reach for general manager Don Sweeney. However, scouting reports indicate his skating needs some improvement despite having a pretty decent shot who knows how to make the most out of an opponent’s mistakes.
“Hard-working two-way forward with the skill to capitalize on opposing mistakes,” Dobber Prospects wrote. “Already displays a lot of pro-level habits and projects as a reliable NHL forward with secondary scoring ability.”
Hard-working two-way forward with the skill to capitalize on opposing mistakes. Already displays a lot of pro-level habits and projects as a reliable NHL forward with secondary scoring ability.
Draft analyst Steve Kournianos called the center a “dual threat” in his analysis.
“… A hard worker and had a key role on a young team that surprised some people this year,” he tweeted. “Did a lot of dirty work as well. Dual threat.”
Cole Spicer
The Bruins certainly were trying to restock their center position and did just that with this draft.
Boston traded its 91st pick to the Seattle Kraken for No. 117, and it selected Spicer in doing so. The center amassed 20 goals and 19 assists in the U.S. National Team Development Program last year and is smart with the puck.
Spicer will play at Minnesota-Duluth in the fall.
Dobber prospects called Spicer a “hardworking two-way forward who distributes the puck efficiently” and, “has potential as a middle-six NHL forward.” It’s unclear if, or when Spicer will make an impact for the Bruins, but his two-way game should be enough to get fans excited for his potential.
Dans Locmelis
The 18-year-old had 18 goals and 16 assists last year in Sweden. Many of his scouting reports point to Locemlis needing to improve his overall skill, but is a solid two-way player. He’s a bit bigger than the other centers at 6-foot and is a hard worker at the end of the day, despite his scouting reports not jumping out at you. But it sounds like Locmelis is ready to work and improve any areas of his game in order to become a contributor to the Bruins down the road.
Frédéric Brunet
Brunet trains at the same facility as Patrice Bergeron, so we already know he’s learning from the best. The defenseman out of Quebec went undrafted last year, but that wasn’t the case this year. Brunet can move the puck well. He told reporters after being drafted that he’d like to work on his defensive game — something his scouting reports also say he needs to do — but we’re sure Bergeron can help with that.
Reid Dyck
The nicknames are endless here and it’s something the goalie has embraced. The 6-foot-4 draft pick didn’t have the best numbers last year with the Swift Current, but it’s not like the Current were a championship-winning team and Dyck was holding them back. A scout told Kirk Luedeke that Dyck is “a bit raw” and he needs to “refine his fundamentals.”
Jackson Edward
Another left-shot defenseman, Edward is a physical player. And while that definitely is a plus, scouting reports have suggested it toes the line of being undisciplined. From the Bruins Network: “Edward isn’t much of a point producer, but man, he’ll never hesitate to try and delete someone off the rush with his body.”
While the Bruins certainly could use some more physicality, especially on their blue line, they don’t want someone to become a liability on the ice.
