Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made five picks in the 2023 NHL Draft on Thursday and reflected on the skill set of each player as they join Boston.
Christopher Pelosi (92nd overall)
The Bruins selected forward Christopher Pelosi in the third round. The New Jersey native will play at Quinnipiac University starting in the 2024-25 season.
Sweeney spoke of Pelosi in comparison to the Bruins fourth-round pick Beckett Hendrickson.
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“Different position, but certainly has translatable things along the same lines,” Sweeney told reporters, per team-provided video. “We think this is 200 feet in detail. A little bit of a different path over the course of the year. Like the conviction of the young man to sort of take the setback in stride and pick himself up and move forward.
“I don’t think they necessarily thought he was going to be in the lineup every night when they brought him up for a couple games. Next thing you know you can’t get him out. So he grey shaded himself in that way and just kept getting better, and our guys just continued to appreciate it.”
Beckett Hendrickson (124th overall)
The Black and Gold selected Hendrickson in the fourth round. The 18-year-old forward will play for the University of Minnesota beginning in the 2024-25 season.
Bill Guerin, general manager of Minnesota Wild and former Bruin, believed Hendrickson would be a good fit for Boston.
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“Minnesota kids always want to go to Massachusetts,” per the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Sweeney spoke highly of Hendrickson following the draft, noting that his “detail and work ethic” are similar to that of his father, former NHL player and current Minnesota Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson.
“He’s got a lot of detail in his game that we appreciate, even spoke about it at the combine,” Sweeney said. “It’s things that his dad just reinforces that you have to have, and Darby was that way. That resonated with us.”
Ryan Walsh (188th overall)
The Bruins selected forward Ryan Walsh in the sixth round.
The Bruins general manager sees it being a longer road for Walsh to the NHL, but likes the progress he has already made.
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“Little longer trajectory there, and the area guys really feel strongly about his path. He’s gonna go to Cornell next year and probably, as a young player, make an impact there,” Sweeney said. “You see the progression he made in one year in that league (the USHL). That speaks to us.”
Casper Nässén (214th overall)
Boston selected forward Casper Nässén in the seventh round.
Nässén played in 48 games for Vasteras IK J20 of the J20 Swedish Hockey League, tallying 23 goals and 17 assists for 40 points. The 19-year-old also appeared in three games for Vasteras IK of Hockey Allsvenskan.
The Sweden native will play at Miami University (Ohio) starting in the 2024-25 season.
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Kristian Kostadinski (220th overall)
The Bruins selected defenseman Kristian Kostadinski in the seventh round.
Kostadinski played in 43 games for Frolunda HC J20 of the J20 Swedish Hockey League, where he recorded two goals and eight assists for 10 points. The 18-year-old also appeared in nine games for Frolunda HC J18 of the J18 Swedish Hockey League.
The Sweden native played in five games at the 2023 U18 World Junior Championships for Team Sweden.
“Outside of the draft we were clearly looking for a little bit more flexibility,” Sweeney said. “We have a busy week next week. We still have some talks (to add to our) current club.”
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Featured image via Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports Images
