(Photo Credit: Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis

Don Sweeney is wheeling and dealing on Day Two of the NHL Draft. After drafting Dean Letourneau with the 25th overall pick, Boston’s General Manager showed the hockey world he wasn’t done improving his team.

The Bruins sent forward Jakub Lauko and the 122nd overall pick to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Vinni Lettieri and the 110th overall pick. Sweeney moved up 12 picks in the fourth round and then selected defenseman Elliotte Groenewold.

Groenewold is a 6’2″ left-shot defenseman from Bellow Falls, VT. He suited up for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders in the USHL last season, posting five goals, 11 assists, and 16 points across 57 games. Groenewold has been described as a more defensive defenseman who can neutralize threats around the net and aggressively defend the rush. He will join fellow Bruins prospect Chris Pelosi at Quinnipiac next fall. The Bruins traded up to acquire Groenewold, so he’s somebody to keep an eye on going forward.

For the rest of the trade, Boston reacquired veteran Vinni Lettieri. Lettieri skated with the Providence Bruins in the 2022-23 season, posting 23 goals, 26 assists, and 49 points in 48 games. The 29-year-old cracked the NHL roster for the Minnesota Wild, putting up five goals, four assists, and nine points in 46 games.

The Bruins said goodbye to speedy winger Jakub Lauko in the process. Lauko donned the spoked-B for 83 games across the last two seasons, producing six goals, eleven assists, and seventeen points. The Czech forward will be remembered for his high-energy play and willingness to drop the gloves whenever called upon.