Boston Bruins slowly shifting away from drafting Canadian junior league prospects

[HF Article]

Photo: Ryan Donato is one of a pair of prospects representing the Boston Bruins at the junior level. Donato was picked in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)


 

The Boston Bruins have moved away from drafting CHL players over the past few seasons. Currently,*Mitchell Dempsey and Ryan Donato, committed to Harvard University, are the only two prospects in the system playing at the junior level.



QMJHL

Mitchell Dempsey, LW, Saint John Sea Dogs
Acquired: 7th round (210th overall), 2013

Dempsey struggled mightily over the past three seasons in the OHL, only tallying 11 points while having trouble staying on the ice.… read more

The post Boston Bruins slowly shifting away from drafting Canadian junior league prospects appeared first on Hockey's Future.



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[Danton Heineken]

That decision is working out with Pastrnak.

 

[patty59]

Meanwhile most of the best players on their team played in the CHL.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I'm sure it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that they have a veteran laden team and that NCAA and Euro players typically take longer to get to the bigs...

Dumbest thing ever (or at least this month).

 

[DominicT]

Meanwhile most of the best players on their team played in the CHL.

And the prospect of the month in that article? Played in yup, the CHL

 

[DominicT]

I'm sure it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that they have a veteran laden team and that NCAA and Euro players typically take longer to get to the bigs...

Dumbest thing ever (or at least this month).

Winner, winner, winner.

Spooner can't get on the team because of depth at center. His ELC expires in June. Imagine if they drafted an NCAA player or a Euro instead. They wouldn't have an expiring ELC, they'd just be signing their first one

 

[JoeIsAStud]

I think a few things are in play.

Some teams, and for an extremely long time the Bruins were one of them focus almost entirely on the CHL. That means finding value there is tougher when drafting later in a round or in later rounds.

In addition to that you have the 2 year versus 4-5 year of development before a contract is required. This makes foreign and NCAA prospects more valuable as developmental choices in the mid and later rounds.

I think the Bruins take the best guy they have on their board, especially in the top couple rounds. A guy like Pasta might have gone top 15 if he played CHL last year, but the Bruins were able to steal him later. Same is true of some of their other recent picks who were likely drafted a half round, or more later than they would have been had they played CHL

 

[Richard Murray]

I'm sure it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that they have a veteran laden team and that NCAA and Euro players typically take longer to get to the bigs...

Dumbest thing ever (or at least this month).

Peter Chiarelli said he likes NCAA and European players better for that exact reason at the NHL Draft but okay.

 

[Richard Murray]

Considering they only have 1 CHL prospect in the system on a junior prospect article update, it's worth mentioning they haven't drafted there recently.

 

[member 96824]

I'm sure it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that they have a veteran laden team and that NCAA and Euro players typically take longer to get to the bigs...

Dumbest thing ever (or at least this month).

Joe, this is the most aggressive way to agree with an article I've seen to date

 

[Shaun]

none of them will amount to anything

don cherry thumbs down

 

[bobber]

CHL hockey mimics the NHL more than any other junior league in the world. If the Bruins keep drafting outside of this league they miss out on a lot of talent. In saying that if they do draft players within the CHL drafts some size along with skill. Forget about the 5'10" 150 pound players like Griffith and Spooner. Never win a cup with small banged up players.

 

[member 96824]

CHL hockey mimics the NHL more than any other junior league in the world. If the Bruins keep drafting outside of this league they miss out on a lot of talent. In saying that if they do draft players within the CHL drafts some size along with skill. Forget about the 5'10" 150 pound players like Griffith and Spooner. Never win a cup with small banged up players.

Funny you say those specs, nearly identical to the draft size of a guy who's got more cups in his 7 years than the B's have in then last 40.

 

[Tim Vezina Thomas]

I think ncaa/euro goalies are the best way to accumulate depth. Look at Mcyintre on UND, drafted him in 2010 and he's likely not going to sign a ELC until after his senior season (2015/16 season).

You can throw them back to their teams easily.

 

[Danton Heineken]

Forget about the 5'10" 150 pound players like Griffith and Spooner. Never win a cup with small banged up players.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Joe, this is the most aggressive way to agree with an article I've seen to date

I agree with it in a Captain Obvious sort of way, but I disagree with the general tone of the article. They make it seem like the the reason is talent based, when it's just timing and logistics.

If there was a CHL guy they wanted there at 25 this past year, and he was the BPA, the B's absolutely take him (ie Bleackley or McCann). Pasta was there boy and I don't think they believed he would still be on the board.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

...

My feeling on this have been pretty well noted, I think.

1) who cares how long you get "control" if the player you're looking at isn't as strong of a prospect?

2) the Bruins best prospects have traditionally been from the CHL.

3) "slowly moving away" is one sixth round pick in the last two years of the entry draft? That seems more like a pretty obvious decision than a grandfathering.

4) I don't know what others are seeing, but part of the problem is that the Bruins don't have a strong prospect pool to pull from to fill in their forward ranks. It's not that the B's don't have room for many of these players - it's that they don't have the players that force the issue. I think that making strides to get away from the small successes this team has had (CHL drafting) is counter-productive considering the roster's current holes.

All this being said, I love the Pastrnak pick. And I think the Bruins do a fantastic job of identifying talent in net and on the blueline. I don't think that everything is terrible... but I also don't see moving away from the CHL when drafting as a sound strategy for a Bruins club in its current state.

 

[ChargersRookie]

Winner, winner, winner.

Spooner can't get on the team because of depth at center. His ELC expires in June. Imagine if they drafted an NCAA player or a Euro instead. They wouldn't have an expiring ELC, they'd just be signing their first one

The cap also has something to do with that, IMO.

I wouldn't want to be making decisions on CHL players that might be developing slower than what was projected. ie Colborne and Hutchinson. They can't in one way or another be shunning a league because they wouldn't be able to sign a player. Talent over rules that.

Both could have been with the Bruins if not for a bunch of events.