By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
The 2025-26 NHL season may have just wrapped, but the offseason has long been underway for the Boston Bruins, with endless discussion about moves the team should or shouldn’t make this summer. Their upcoming 1st-round pick has been a central focus, with debate centering on whether to keep or trade it, but beyond the 23rd overall selection, the Bruins also have six additional picks at their disposal: 56th, 88th, 111th, 120th, 122nd, and 206th overall. Regardless of whether the Bruins opt to move their top pick or use it, the prospect pipeline still needs further restocking.
With the NHL Draft just over a week away, Black n Gold colleague Eamonn McLean and I dug into the prospect pool in a three-part series to find the names for Bruins fans to watch once Day 2 rolls around, beginning with the forwards:
2nd Round (56th Overall)
Neil: Victor Plante (C) – USNTDP (USHL)
If you follow college hockey, you’ll recognize the Plante name. If not, Victor’s two older brothers Max and Zam tore up the NCAA with Minnesota-Duluth last season, finishing third and fifth nationally in scoring with 52 and 51 points in 40 games, with Max taking home the Hobey Baker Award at season’s end. Victor is slated to join his brothers at Duluth this fall, coming off a 21-27-48 campaign with the NTDP. While he has work to do to fill out his frame, his comparable profile to Max should draw plenty of attention from teams looking for offensive upside in the second round.
Eamonn: Ryan Roobroeck (C) Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
Roobroeck is one where his value is a bit hard to gauge. Some think he could be a late 1st-round pick, while others have him in the early 3rd round. Therefore, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to put him in here at #56. The London, Ontario, native began the year as a projected top-10 pick but has fallen off after not really lighting the world on fire, with 58 points in 49 games in his third OHL season. However, he has the size for the NHL at 6’4”, 216lbs, and would be a good add for a Bruins’ team that desperately needs center talent.
3rd Round (88th Overall)
Neil: Jonah Sivertson (RW) – Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Sivertson’s exact draft position is hard to pin down, as he’s ranked anywhere from 35th to 91st by most major scouting outlets. If he’s available at 88, the Bruins should be sprinting to the podium. Clocking in at 6’3”, 194lbs at age 17, Sivertson is coming off a strong year in his first full season in the WHL, recording 24-29-53 in 66 games with Prince Albert playing alongside current and future first-round picks like Braeden Cootes and Daxon Rudolph. EliteProspects raved about both his passing and shooting ability, describing him as an “NHL-level shooter”, and he’ll be heading off to St Cloud State in the fall to further hone his skills against grown men.
Eamonn: Jonas Lagerberg Hoen (RW) Leksands IF (SHL/U20 Nationell)
Lagerberg Hoen is another weird one, as he missed his entire draft year more or less with a serious knee injury. That being said, in the nine games he played in the Swedish Junior League, he absolutely terrorized the opposition, with 16 points, including nine goals. He also appeared in two SHL games without registering a point. Most have him in the third- to fourth-round range, but on talent alone, he could go much higher. I think it’ll come down to the medicals on where he ends up.
4th Round (111th, 120th, 122nd Overall)
Neil: Lucian Bernat (RW) Tappara (Liiga/U20 SM-Sarja)
Sticking with the profile of big wings, Bernat measures in at 6’4”, 201lb and has been described as both a “Cerebral Tactician” as well as a sniper. He’s spent the past three seasons rising through Tappara’s youth ranks, recording at least 31 points at each level, as well as representing his native Slovakia at the U18 World Juniors and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The tools and international experience are worth a developmental flyer in a position where the Bruins have several picks clumped together.
Eamonn: Matvei Kotkov (F) Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
Kotkov was teammates with Bruins prospect Kirill Yemelyanov in Russia this season, and had 31 points in 36 games. He’s not very big, at 5’11”, 154lbs, but he’s scored at a pretty respectable rate in the MHL, especially considering he doesn’t turn 18 until August 27th. Given that there always seems to be a debate over whether Russian players will actually come to North America, Kotkov might go even later than the 4th round; however, with three selections in this round, Boston can afford to take the risk.
Neil: Niko Tournas (RW) Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
If the Bruins are looking to stock the pipeline with someone a little closer to being pro-ready, Tournas could be worth a shot here. Tournas is entering the draft in his age-20 season after back-to-back 74-point campaigns with Danbury in the NAHL and Moncton in the QMJHL. EliteProspects highlighted him as “a sniper through and through”, and it’s not hard to see with his 82 total goals over those aforementioned seasons. He’ll head to the University of New Hampshire this fall.
Eamonn: Noel Pakarinen (LW) Kieko-Espoo (Liiga/U20 SM-Sarja)
Pakarinen was born in California, but represents Finland internationally. He scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in Finland’s junior league this season, and added an assist in one of his nine games in Liiga. He is committed to Michigan Tech for the 2027-2028 season, and will be coming over to North America sooner rather than later.
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