By: Camryn Meece | Follow me on Twitter / X @MeeceCamryn
David Pastrňák became the 28th captain in Boston Bruins history on September 27, 2026. Before receiving the C, Pastrňák had already spent 12 seasons in Boston, establishing himself as one of the team’s most productive scorers over his decade-plus with the team. His Bruins career began when he was an 18-year-old first-round draft pick, but his hockey career started much earlier in Havířov, Czechia.
Born on May 25, 1996, in the Czech Republic, he was already taking the ice with a stick in hand by age three. He played his way up through the youth clubs of HC AZ Havířov z.s. in his hometown. He moved up quickly, playing above his age group; by age 14, he had recorded 32 goals and 21 assists in 26 games with Havířov’s U16 team. He also played 16 games with the club’s U18 team that season, recording 19 points. The following year, Pastrňák moved to HC Oceláři Třinec. He played 31 games with Třinec’s U18 team, recording 33 goals and 14 assists for 47 points. He also appeared in two games with Havířov’s senior team. After spending the season in Třinec, Pastrňák left Czechia for Sweden in 2012 to continue his development with Södertälje SK.
Sweden was a big jump for Pastrňák. He later recalled his first conditioning workout, when he watched his new teammates start the exercises as soon as their coach left the room. The players tried to talk to him, but the language barrier made it hard for him to understand them. He quickly adapted to the different training habits, later saying, “It was the work ethic. The way they were working out, preparing for the games, eating.”
That adjustment paid off. During the 2013-14 season, Pastrňák played 36 games with Södertälje’s professional team in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-highest league, recording eight goals and 16 assists. He also represented the Czech Republic at the 2014 World Junior Championship, where he recorded one goal and two assists in five games. By the end of the season, Pastrňák had established himself as one of the top young players in Swedish hockey, with all eyes looking toward the National Hockey League (NHL) draft.
Pastrňák entered the 2014 NHL Draft as one of the top prospects from Europe. The Bruins selected him 25th overall in the first round, and Boston signed the 18-year-old to his entry-level contract on July 15, 2014. Pastrňák attended the Bruins’ development camp that summer before returning to Boston for training camp. A shoulder injury during training camp limited Pastrňák to two preseason games, and he began the 2014-15 season with the Providence Bruins. He recorded five goals and 13 assists in his first 17 games with Providence before Boston recalled him on November 24. Pastrňák made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Just a couple of months later, he scored his first NHL goal on January 10, 2015, against the Philadelphia Flyers. Pastrňák finished his rookie season with 10 goals and 17 assists in 46 games. He followed that with 15 goals in 51 games during the 2015-16 season before breaking out in 2016-17. At 20 years old, Pastrňák scored 34 goals and recorded 70 points in 75 games, finishing second on the Bruins in both goals and points.
Pastrňák kept improving; in the 2019-20 season, he scored 48 goals in 70 games, tying Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin for the NHL goal-scoring lead. The two players shared the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, making Pastrňák the first Bruins player to win the award. He followed that season with four consecutive 40-goal seasons from 2021-22 through 2024-25. In 2022-23, he scored a career-high 61 goals and 113 points, becoming the second player in Bruins history to score at least 60 goals in a season, joining Phil Esposito, who did it twice.
Pastrňák followed that season with three more consecutive 100-point seasons, giving him four straight 100-point campaigns through 2025-26. After 12 seasons in Boston, he entered the 2026-27 season ranked fifth in Bruins history in goals with 420 and sixth in points with 933.
On September 27, 2026, Pastrňák was named the 28th captain in Bruins history. After 12 seasons in Boston, he became the first Czech-born player to serve as the team’s captain.
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