By Carrie Young | Follow me on Twitter @carrieyoung512
Seven years ago yesterday, the Bruins were tasked with drafting promising young talent just after losing in the Stanley Cup Finals in heartbreaking fashion. It can be difficult to judge the quality of specific drafts, especially when player development can take multiple years, but enough time has passed now that we can see how much these draft picks ended up benefiting the Bruins.
Boston did not have a first-round pick in 2013 due to the Jaromir Jagr trade with the Dallas Stars.
Second Round
Bruins Pick: Linus Arnesson, D, 60th overall
Players Still Available: Zach Sanford, Jake Guentzel, Anthony Duclair
This was already going to be a weak draft for Boston without a first-rounder. With their second-round pick, they selected Swedish defenseman Linus Arnesson. This was an average pick, not considered to be a steal or a reach by many at the time. Arnesson has yet to play a game for Boston. He recorded 10 points in 79 games with Providence over three seasons, then returned to his native Sweden to play in the SHL. The Bruins still retain his rights if he was to return to North America.
Third Round
Bruins Pick: Peter Cehlarik, F, 90th overall
Players Still Available: Juuse Saros, Miles Wood, Andrew Copp
This pick had some fans thinking it was a steal when it was first announced. At one point, Cehlarik even seemed to be on his way to becoming a Boston mainstay. After performing well in Providence, he was given multiple looks as a winger with the big club, but never seemed to earn the trust of the coaching staff. Cehlarik has recorded 11 points in 40 games with the Bruins and remains in the system at the moment. However, he is a pending free agent and has expressed displeasure with his development in interviews with Slovakian media. Cehlarik is certainly a talented player and could still break into the NHL with a fresh start. However, he was unable to make an impact in Boston.
Fourth Round
Bruins Pick: Ryan Fitzgerald, F, 120th overall
Players Still Available: Tyler Motte, Will Butcher, Connor Clifton
Massachusetts native Ryan Fitzgerald, son of former Bruin (and current New Jersey Devils general manager) Tom Fitzgerald, was certainly going to catch Boston’s eye as a homegrown prospect. The 5’9″ forward played for four years at Boston College before turning pro with the Providence Bruins. Fitzgerald has recorded 103 points in 195 games over 4 seasons in the AHL, as well as 8 playoff points in 20 games. He is a serviceable AHL forward and was in contention for call-ups in recent seasons.
Fifth Round
Bruins Pick: Wiley Sherman, D, 150th overall
Players Still Available: Josh Brown, Alan Quine, Antoine Bibeau
Another New England native, Sherman hails from Connecticut and played for four years at Harvard University. He has logged 11 points in 74 games with Providence. Standing at 6’6″, his physical presence on the ice could become a factor as he gets stronger and more experienced in the AHL. This seems like a reasonable pick considering how late in the draft it was.
Sixth Round
Bruins Pick: Anton Blidh, F, 180th overall
Players Still Available: Dominik Kubalik, Andreas Johnsson, MacKenzie Weegar
This ended up as a good pick for the Bruins, one of those late-round gambles that can turn into an entertaining player. Blidh has recorded 81 points over five seasons with Providence (including 2019-20, during which he suffered a shoulder injury and played just 4 games). He has also played 28 games with Boston since 2016, logging 2 points and 7 penalty minutes. Blidh plays determined and physical hockey which can get under opponents’ skin. Any fan of the Providence Bruins knows his name well.
Seventh Round
Bruins Pick: Mitchell Dempsey, F, 210th overall
Players Still Available: This was the second-to-last pick in the draft.
The second-to-last pick in the draft doesn’t have the highest expectations on it. The Bruins used it to select Mitchell Dempsey of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Dempsey never ended up playing professionally in the Bruins system. According to Eliteprospects.com, he last played with the Kedgwick Dynamo of the CRL in Canada.
Overall
This was a weak draft for the Bruins. Some of that is to be expected; they used draft picks to acquire players in a push for the Stanley Cup. However, these draft picks did not produce any mainstay NHL players. Only two of the six players selected went on to play any games with Boston. Despite this, the Bruins did well scouting undrafted players, which got them Torey Krug (among others).
Interesting to see how the picks turned out .