Bruins Add Promising Prospects In 2025 NHL Draft Roundup

The Boston Bruins drafted seven players during the 2025 NHL Draft between Friday and Saturday.

Boston focused on forwards throughout the draft, but also drafted two defensemen over the two days.

Round 1, Pick 7: Forward James Hagens
The Bruins got a steal with Hagens, who was projected to go in the top three at the beginning of the year.

The 5-foot-11, 177-pound forward played his last season with Boston College, where he had 11 goals and 26 assists. Hagens was third in points behind Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, who are now in professional hockey.

With his accomplishments, he earned himself a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie team. The 18-year-old also earned a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships with Team USA.

While the Bruins could use Hagens’ talents soon, he will likely take another year to develop with the Eagles.

Round 2, Pick 51: Forward William Moore
Just like Hagens, Moore will likely play next season with Boston College. He is also another steal for the Bruins, as draft rankings had him going in the top-40.

At 6-foot-2, 174 pounds, Moore could add some size, but even as a small player, he was a big contributor for the U.S. Under-18 Team last season. In 64 games, he had 27 goals and 32 assists for 59 points, the second-highest points on the team.

Moore isn’t flashy, but he is a skilled player whenever the puck is on his stick. The forward can drive to the net and has a strong presence when he is in front of the crease. Many draft experts consider him a two-way forward who can be around the net at both ends of the ice.

With BC’s strong development, Moore can be an impact player when he finishes up his time with the Eagles.

Round 2, Pick 61: Defenseman Liam Pettersson
While Boston got steals with the first two picks, Pettersson was originally ranked out of the top 100.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound left-shot defenseman spent most of the season with Vaxjo’s Jr. in Sweden. In 39 games, he totaled six goals and 15 assists for 21 points.

Pettersson is considered a puck-moving defenseman who could grow a lot defensively in the next few years. He’s offensively-minded but could compete harder in the tough areas, which could become better as he gets bigger.

According to DailyFaceoff’s Steven Ellis, Pettersson is really good on the power play and penalty kill.

Round 3, Pick 79 – Forward Cooper Simpson
The Bruins took a break from forwards with Pettersson but got right back to it with drafting Simpson.

Simpson played for Shakopee High School in Minnesota and led all Minnesota high school skaters in goals. In 31 games for Shakopee, the 6-foot-1, 179-pound winger scored 49 goals and added 34 assists.

In 105 total games throughout his high school career, Simpson tallied 233 points.

The 18-year-old is set to attend North Dakota next season, joining Bruins prospect Will Zellers.

Simpson’s game is very raw, but he is a pure goal scorer who can grow in a very strong North Dakota program.

Round 4, Pick 100 – Defenseman Vashek Blanar
The Bruins added a Czech defenseman to their pipeline as their second blue liner of the draft.

Like Pettersson, Blanar played in Sweden, but with IF Troja-Ljungby. With their U18 team, he tallied 21 points on six goals and 15 assists.

While there aren’t many scouting reports on the 6-foot-4, 193-pound defenseman, North American Independent Central Scouting has called him a hidden gem.

Round 5, Pick 133 – Forward Cole Chandler
Boston focused on offense-first guys throughout the draft, but Chandler is listed as a defense-first player.

The center is listed at 6-foot-2, 188 pounds and is from Bedford, Nova Scotia.

He played for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, totaling 13 goals and 19 assists in 64 games. In the playoffs, he added more offense, scoring five goals and seven assists in 16 games.

Round 6, Pick 165 – Forward Kirill Yemelyanov
Yemelyanov became Boston’s third-drafted center behind Hagens in the first round and Chandler in the fifth.

The 6-foot-0, 170-pound forward played in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league for Loko Yaroslavl. In 35 games, he had 13 goals and 10 assists and has a strong defensive game.

“He roams the defensive zone, stopping in the right spots, and providing assistance to his defensemen, before launching the attack with short passes,” Elite Prospects wrote about the center. “Attacking through the neutral zone, he stays connected with teammates, skating over and under players and East-West, filling available gaps and entering the offensive zone with control. There, he continues to show the same distribution and ability to move away from the puck.”