( Photo Crediut: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images )

By: Joey Partridge | Follow Me On Twitter @joey_partridge

When it comes to drafting, it can be very hit or miss in the National Hockey League. Scouts and general managers do extensive scouting and research on players that they feel can make an impact on their club in the near future.

When we as Bruins fans mention a draft a few years back, everyone points to the 2015 draft and how much of a “failure” that was. I personally believe it is still too early to call that a failure as Zach Senyshyn and Jakub Zboril still has the skill and have made impacts in Providence. However, it is a tough pill to swallow watching guys like Matt Barzal, Travis Konecny, and Kyle Connor making considerable contributions to their respective teams.

The reason I want to take a look back at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft is that the Bruins had a sneaky good draft for what was considered a “weaker” draft. Let’s look at the first round in general first. The first round produced only four all-stars to this point. The 2015 first-round had TEN all-stars to this point. So it is safe to say that 2014 was on the weaker end.

With the Bruin’s first-round pick, they took none other than David Pastrnak, and I can speak for everyone in saying that this pick turned out pretty good. He is arguably the best player in this draft, competing with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for that honor.

( Photo Credit: John Tlumacki / Globe Staff Sports )

So yes, the Bruins stole a great player with pick number 25 in the first round, but they didn’t just stop there. In the second round, they drafted Ryan Donato, who made some contributions for the Bruins and got traded with a fifth-round pick for Charlie Coyle. I would be confident in saying that it is another successful pick.

Even in the later rounds, they found players who have made contributions in the NHL when even some of the first-round picks like Michael Dal Colle, Conner Bleackley, Nikita Scherbak, etc. have failed to make meaningful contributions in the big leagues. The Bruins selected Danton Heinen with their fourth-round pick and Anders Bjork with their fifth-round pick. They selected Emil Johansson with their seventh-round pick, and he has yet to make an NHL start. The Bruins also didn’t have a third and sixth-round pick.

( Photo Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports )

All in all, they had a great draft. Four out of their five draft picks made NHL appearances for the Boston Bruins. David Pastrnak is a superstar, and there is no other way to say it. They nailed the first-round pick. They now have Charlie Coyle from Ryan Donato, and that is continuing to work well. Danton Heinen was a great two-way player for the Bruins until he was traded to Anaheim for Nick Ritchie. As far as the draft is concerned, that is a great pick. Anders Bjork is still with the Bruins, and even though he has yet to find his offensive game consistently, he is a great two-way player with great skill. As far as I am concerned, that is a fantastic fifth-round pick.

So while people can look so negatively on the 2015 draft, I like to look at the positives and say they had a stellar draft the year before. Can you imagine the Bruins without David Pastrnak? I sure can’t.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTmaRL5E6ws&w=560&h=315]

Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 195 that we recorded below on 9-21-20! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!

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