By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
The 2012 National Hockey League Entry Draft may go down as one of the worst in league history. While there were some legitimate high-end NHLers selected, such as Andrei Vasilevskiy, Hampus Lindholm, and Filip Forsberg, the draft will probably be remembered for the sheer amount of busts in the first round. The first overall pick, Nail Yakupov, returned to Russia after six years in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues, and you could argue he still might not be the biggest bust of those selected in the top four.
As for the Boston Bruins, they had six picks in this year’s draft, coming off a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Washington Capitals. General Manager Peter Chiarelli had the 24th, 85th, 131st, 145th, 175th, and 205th overall selections. How did he do, and where are they now?
#24. Malcolm Subban, G – Free Agent
With their first pick in the draft, the Bruins took Malcolm Subban out of the Ontario Hockey League’s Belleville Bulls. The younger brother of P.K. Subban, Malcolm, had a stellar junior career in Belleville, posting a .923% save percentage in his draft year.
While he had good numbers in the American Hockey League throughout his tenure in Providence, Subban’s Bruins career will be remembered for his disastrous NHL debut, where he surrendered three goals on only six shots against the St. Louis Blues. After failing to beat out Anton Khudobin for the team’s backup position, Subban was placed on waivers in 2017, and claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Subban would spend the next three years in Vegas serving as a backup to Marc-Andre Fleury. He was then dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020 as part of a three-way trade that saw Vegas acquire Robin Lehner. After playing in 17 games with Chicago over two seasons, he was again traded, this time to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Future Considerations. Subban’s last NHL appearance was during the 2023-2024 season, where he suited up for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He returned to Belleville this past season, where he appeared in 24 AHL games with the Senators. He is currently a Free Agent.
#85. Matt Grzelcyk, D – Free Agent
Grzelcyk is, without a doubt, the crown jewel of this Bruins’ draft class. Drafted out of the United States National Team Development Program, the Boston native had a successful four-year NCAA career at Boston University before turning pro in 2016. Grzelcyk would go on to spend parts of eight seasons with the Bruins, forming a formidable pairing with fellow Terrier alumnus Charlie McAvoy.
His Bruins career came to an end in 2024, leaving as a Free Agent after being a healthy scratch for the majority of the team’s Stanley Cup Playoff run that season. Grzelcyk signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins that summer, where he appeared in all 82 games with the team, the first time he had ever done that in his NHL career. Despite a career high in points, with 40, Grzelcyk finds himself without a team for next season at time of writing.
#131. Seth Griffith, RW/C – Bakersfield Condors
With their next pick, the Bruins drafted Seth Griffith from the London Knights of the OHL. The Wallaceburg, Ontario, native had gone undrafted the year prior, despite solid numbers in the OHL and being selected to Team Canada for the 2011 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship. Griffith helped lead the Knights to an OHL Championship in 2012-13 and was a first-team OHL All-Star.
Griffith played 34 games for the Bruins over three seasons with the organization, tallying 11 points. After brief stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Sabres, Griffith has spent the past five seasons in the Oilers organization, and is captain of their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, where he will play this season.
#145. Cody Payne, RW – Retired
With their second of two fifth-round selections, the Bruins drafted another OHL alumnus, Cody Payne, this time from the Plymouth Whalers. A native of Weston, Florida, Payne had good size, standing at 6’3″, 220 pounds.
Payne never signed an Entry-Level Contract with the Bruins, and after aging out of the OHL, began playing College Hockey for the University of Prince Edward Island in Canadian USports. After three seasons with the UPEI Panthers, Payne turned pro, signing with the ECHL’s Worcester Railers in 2019. Payne last played with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL in 2020, where he appeared in two games for the team.
#175. Matt Benning, D – Toronto Marlies
The nephew of former Bruins Assistant General Manager Jim Benning, Boston took a flier on the St. Albert, Alberta, native in the sixth-round. Matt Benning played his draft year in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Spruce Grove Saints, eventually heading to the United States Hockey League’s Dubuque Fighting Saints.
Benning never played for the Bruins, playing three seasons of College Hockey with the Northeastern Huskies before signing with the Edmonton Oilers after his signing rights expired in August of 2016. Thirteen years after being drafted by Boston, Benning has carved out a nice career for a sixth-round pick. Having appeared in 464 NHL games with the Oilers, Nashville Predators, and San Jose Sharks, Benning is currently in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, after being acquired by the Maple Leafs in the Timothy Liljegren trade.
#205. Colton Hargrove, C/LW – Allen Americans
With their final selection of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the Bruins took Colton Hargrove out of the USHL’s Fargo Force. A native of Dallas, Texas, Hargrove had a solid draft year, with 38 points in 54 games, as well as 140 penalty minutes. After three years in the NCAA at Western Michigan University, Hargrove turned pro in 2015, signing his Entry-Level Contract with the Bruins.
After three seasons in Providence, Hargrove signed an AHL deal with the Texas Stars for 2018-19, before spending two seasons in Italy and Hungary. He’s spent the last three seasons in the ECHL, where he served as captain of the Allen Americans for two seasons, before spending last year with the Florida Everblades. He will return to the Americans this season.
Leave a Reply