By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
With the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals concluding last night, the focus for every team now turns to the 2026 National Hockey League Draft beginning on June 26 in Buffalo, New York. The Boston Bruins are in a tough position for the draft, currently owning the 23rd overall pick in the first round, as well as owning one draft pick each in the second and third rounds. Despite no draft picks in the fifth and sixth rounds, the Bruins have three fourth-round draft picks and one seventh-round draft pick to conclude the draft. General manager Don Sweeney will have a pivotal draft ahead of him.
With a late first-round draft pick this year, the Bruins will hope to find the best value on the board for their selection, as they did in 2014 when they drafted forward David Pastrnak with the 25th overall pick in that year’s draft. Projections have been made on which player the Bruins will take at 23. With how this past season went and draft order, Kamloops Blazers forward J.P. Hurlbert is the realistic dream target for the Bruins to draft in the first round.
Bleacher Report’s Hannah Stuart projected the Bruins to select Hurlbert with the 23rd overall pick back on June 3. The Hockey News’ Russell Macias recently wrote how Hulbert could be a potential steal for the Bruins to take in the first round. Hulbert is committed to playing college hockey for the University of Michigan Wolverines next season. With how Hulbert’s 2025-26 season went for the Blazers, he has every reason to be looked at by the Bruins at the 2026 NHL Draft at 18 years old.
Hulbert led the Blazers with 42 goals, 55 assists, and 97 points in 68 games in the regular season. Hulbert’s 97 points were the fourth-most in the entire Western Hockey League, and his 42 goals were tied for the fourth-most in the league as well. Despite being swept in four games by the Kelowna Rockets in the first round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs, Hulbert’s three points were tied for the most on the Blazers’ roster. One hundred points combined this season in the regular season and playoffs can’t be overlooked.
Hurlbert is a native of Allen, Texas, shoots right-handed, and is 6-foot tall and weighs 183 lbs. Allen has smooth skating and can stick-handle the puck. Allen can score from different angles, as he scored 42 goals. Hurlbert turned 18 on April 8, so his 97-point season happened when he was 17, an incredible season for any player in the WHL.
Despite Hulbert being a realistic dream first-round target for the Bruins, he could be gone before the 23rd selection. The San Jose Sharks, selecting 20th overall via the Edmonton Oilers; the Pittsburgh Penguins, selecting 21st overall; and the Philadelphia Flyers, selecting 22nd overall, could all be interested in selecting Hulbert. Given his past season, Hulbert looks too good to pass up for the Bruins. However, the Bruins may have to trade up a few selections to take Hulbert. That is where the three fourth-round draft picks that the Bruins own could come in handy. The Bruins could hypothetically trade one of the fourth-round draft picks they own to move up a few selections to draft Hulbert if they like him enough to make him their selection.
The Bruins do have Blazers pedigree on their roster. Although he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs while playing there in 2022, current Bruins forward Fraser Minten was a former Blazer not too long ago. Minten recorded 55 points in the regular season and 16 points in the 2022 playoffs at the time of being drafted 38th overall in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Fast forward to 2026, Minten recorded 35 points and led all rookies with a +21 rating this season in Boston. Hurlbert’s numbers from this season are better than Minten recorded in any season with the Blazers.
One team will draft Hurlbert at the draft this year. With his incredible season, the Bruins would be lucky to draft Hurlbert. Trading up a few selections to get Hurlbert may have to happen, but it could very well be worth it. The first round of the 2026 NHL Draft is the start of the 2026-27 season.
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