By: Neil Simmons & Eamonn McLean | Follow us on Twitter / X: @NSimmz & @EamonnMcLean44
It’s draft day. After spending the past week combing through the back end of the draft at each position group, it’s time for the real deal. Eamonn McLean and I have put together our individual mock drafts for all eight selections in a pivotal draft for the Boston Bruins’ immediate future. With needs all over the roster and a prospect pipeline that still needs further stocking, Friday and Saturday present a great opportunity for the franchise to reload or possibly wheel and deal.
1st Round – 23rd Overall
Neil: Tommy Bleyl, RHD, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
The Bruins are in dire need of offensive skill, puck-moving, and right-side depth on their blueline. As luck would have it, they should be able to address all three at once in the first round, even without the Toronto pick. Bleyl racked up 13-68-81 in 63 regular-season games with the Wildcats this past year, and added a further 6-22-28 in 21 playoff games. He’s slated to return to Moncton this fall and then attend Michigan State in 2027-28, so he wouldn’t be immediate help in Boston, but he’d instantly become the top right-shot defenseman in their pipeline, and arguably best overall.
Eamonn: J.P. Hurlbert, Forward, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Ultimately, I went with Hurlbert as my first-round pick for the Bruins, as his offensive game is strong enough to warrant selecting him over a defenseman if Tommy Bleyl and Ryan Lin are off the board. I wrote about Hurlbert more in depth here, as the Allen, Texas, native is headed to the University of Michigan next season after a dominant year in the Western Hockey League.
2nd Round – 56th Overall
Neil: Victor Plante, LW, 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 Max taking home the Hobey Baker Award at season’s end. Victor plays with a relentless motor, slick skating, and the IQ to exploit space. He’s 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, he would bring some excitement to Boston’s future as he develops in college.
Eamonn: Samu Alalauri, RHD, Pelicans U18/U20 (U20 SM-Sarja)
Alalauri is a UMass commit who is headed to North America next fall. At 6’2”, 220 lbs, he’s a big defenseman, but also has put up solid offensive numbers in the Finnish Junior leagues, and had 20 points in 18 games in all competitions with the Finnish U18 National Team. He’ll probably play a couple of seasons under Greg Carvel in Amherst before turning pro and instantly becoming the B’s best RHD prospect in the system in my mock.
3rd Round – 88th Overall
Neil: Rian Chudzinski, RW, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
The Needham native is my third player off the board, and second from Moncton. Chudzinski fits the Bruins mold of a power forward winger; 6’1”, 190lbs, and scouts describe him as a player that “will hit anything that moves”. He followed up a 27-25-52 performance in 28 games at Dexter Southfield with 21-17-38 in 54 games in Moncton, and 6-11-17 in 21 playoff games. Comparing Chudzinski to Sam Bennett is a bit of a reach; he plays a similar greasy game, think somewhere between Bennett and Beck Malenstyn. He’s committed to Boston University for the upcoming NCAA season.
Eamonn: Liam Lefebvre, Center, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
For my first overager on my list, I went with Lefebvre after a solid rookie season in the QMJHL. The Montreal native spent the prior season at Prep School at Trinity-Pawling before making the jump to junior hockey this season. He helped the Saguenéens win a QMJHL championship after being dealt from Rimouski midway through the season. He’s committed to the University of Vermont for 2027-2028, and will play next season for Cape Breton in the QMJHL alongside Bruins prospect Cole Chandler.
4th Round – 104th Overall
Neil: Myles Brosnan, RHD, Dexter Southfield (USHS)
The Bruins love homegrown talent, and they still need more right-shot depth in the system. Brosnan is a 6ft, 194lb Winchester native who has played for the Boston Jr. Eagles and Dexter Southfield, made cameos in the USHL, and is committed to Harvard. Corey Pronman describes him as a “pro-built right-shot D” with great vision and puck-moving ability, and just wrapped up a 7-44-51 season in 30 games for Dexter. Another prospect for Bruins fans to monitor in their backyard.
Eamonn: Filip Ruzicka, Goaltender, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
The Bruins add a goaltender to the pipeline here, drafting Filip Ruzicka. Ruzicka is an enormous goaltender, standing at 6’8”, 229lbs. He spent this past season in North America with WHL Brandon, posting a .906 save percentage and a 3.19 Goals-Against Average, with a 26-14-1 record. He’s headed back to Europe next season, signing with Mountfield HK in Czechia.
4th Round – 111th Overall
Neil: Lucian Bernat, RW, Tappara (U20 SM-sarja)
Bernat is a big wing and would add more than just beef to the Bruins’ forward group. Measuring in at 6’4”, 201lb, he’s described as both a “Cerebral Tactician” as well as a sniper, an enticing combination at his size. 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 make him an intriguing target at a point in the draft where Boston has the luxury to use a pick to stash a prospect overseas.
Eamonn: Matias Vanhanen, Forward, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
The second overager on my list, Vanhanen, probably should’ve been drafted last season, after producing at over a point-per-game pace in the Finnish junior leagues. He made the transition to North America this season and produced 87 points in 62 games, including 66 assists. Vanhanen can score goals too, putting up 12 in 18 playoff games, and four in the Memorial Cup, helping lead the Silvertips to the WHL championship.
4th Round – 122nd Overall
Neil: Martin Psohlavec, G, HC Karlovy Vary (Czechia U20)
As it currently stands, the Bruins won’t have any goaltending prospects below the ECHL next season, so it makes sense to use at least one of their fourths to refill the pipeline. Psohlavec has a big frame (6’5”, 185lbs) and has been consistently productive in the Czech junior leagues. He has posted at least a .920 Sv% at the U17 and U20 levels in each of the past three seasons for HC Energie Karlovy Vary, including a .928 Sv%, 1.92 GAA, and an eight-shutout campaign in 42 games this year.
Eamonn: Tomas Galvas, LHD, Bili Tygri Liberic (Czechia)
The third and final overager on my list, Galvas, has been passed on by all 32 NHL teams twice now. However, I cannot see that happening a third time after a fantastic showing both in the Czech men’s league and at the World Juniors. Galvas is small, at 5’10”, 168lbs, but there’s no denying his statistics. 24 Points in 32 games in the Czech league, and nine points in seven games as a defenseman at the WJC should get you drafted, and it might be before #122.
5th Round – 157th Overall
Neil: Niko Tournas, RW, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Yes, I am taking a third player from Moncton. At this stage of the draft, I am valuing readiness just as much as potential, so I’ll gladly take an overager who has produced at multiple levels. Tournas is entering the draft in his age-20 season after back-to-back 74-point campaigns with Danbury in the NAHL and Moncton. 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: Braidy Wassilyn, LW, London Knights (OHL)
Wassilyn is committed to BU for next season and had a respectable, if not unspectacular, season in the OHL. He’s not the biggest forward at 5’11”, 194lbs, but was a high draft pick in the OHL, going fourth overall in 2024. He’s a fine bet in the fifth round, and going to a BU team that’ll feature high-end talent such as Tynan Lawrence and Caleb Malhotra should help him with the transition to college.
7th Round – 216th Overall
Neil: Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, LHD, Michigan (NCAA)
The seventh round is pretty much a dart throw, but the Bruins have had some recent success with their picks at this stage. Jake Schmaltz and Ty Gallagher have both turned into solid AHL contributors, and Andre Gasseau was flipped for picks two rounds above where he was drafted. Rheaume-Mullen went undrafted after his first season at Michigan, but I’m taking him here after a 4-14-18 performance in 40 games as a sophomore. The added high-level experience could put him closer to pro-ready than most prospects taken this late.
Eamonn: Alexander Karmanov, LHD, North Bay Battalion (OHL)
Karmanov is about as unique a project as you’ll ever come across. The Chisinau, Moldova, native is literally the largest player I’ve ever seen, at 7’1”, 280lbs. He’s committed to Penn State for 2027-2028, after splitting this season between the GOJHL and OHL. He’s going to return to North Bay for next season, where he’ll need to work on his skating, amongst other things. However, with Zdeno Chara in the fold, I think the Bruins probably make the most sense of any team to take a swing on Karmanov.
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