MONTREAL — Welcome to the Bell Centre, where the Bruins have added six new prospects during the 2022 NHL Draft.
They started things off by selecting Matthew Poitras, from the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League, with the 54th overall pick. After trading out of the third round, they grabbed two more prospects — North Dakota native Cole Spicer, and Latvia’s Dans Locmelins.
In the fifth round, they drafted Fredric Brunet, a defenseman from Quebec who was selected in front of a crowd of friends and family.
In the sixth round, they drafted a goalie: Reid Dyck, who plays in the WHL. With the 200th pick in the seventh round, they drafted Ontario defenseman Jackson Edward.
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The Bruins traded their third-round pick to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for two more later on Friday, and dealt their final pick — No. 215 — to the Kings for a selection in the 2023 draft.
Here are the Bruins picks:
Round 2, No. 54: Matthew Poitras
Right before the Bruins’ first pick of the draft was made, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced a trade, but not one involving Boston. Carolina was sending Tony DeAngelo to Philadelphia for three picks.
No roster-altering moves, yet.
The Bruins stepped up and selected center Matthew Poitras, from the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League.
Poitras, listed at 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, was considered a second-round pick. EliteProspects called him “one of the most energetic players in the draft, especially on the forecheck. His intensity and pace is rarely found in draft-eligible players.”
So the Bruins, apparently, are getting a player with a good motor. Can he make plays, or operate at different speeds? Can he use his wheels to defend? It could be the difference between a home on an NHL fourth line, or somewhere higher in the lineup.
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“I like to look up to a guy like Brayden Point, or maybe a grittier guy like Anthony Cirelli,” Poitras said. “Gritty forward, likes to go in the corners. Obviously Cirelli scores big goals. I kind of see myself as that skilled, gritty forward.”
Poitras, who turns 19 in March, put up 21 goals and 50 points in 68 games last year, his first in the OHL. He ranked third on his team behind Anahaim draft pick Sasha Pastujov (66th overall in 2021) and Winnipeg choice Danny Zhilkin (77th in 2022). He went 1-3--4 in five playoff games.
“They’ve got the core group now,” Poitras said of the current roster. “Hopefully in the future, I’ll get myself into the lineup.”
He is from Brooklin, Ontario, and played his minor hockey with the Whitby Wildcats program. His only connection to the Bruins: he’s buddies with fellow Whitby product Ian McKinnon, who spent the last three seasons as a Bruins farmhand. McKinnon earned a rep as a fighter in the minors. Poitras said McKinnon has not shared any grappling tips.
“I could use a few,” he said.
Round 4, No. 117: Cole Spicer
As they did the previous round, the Bruins were deliberate in making their choice. They used nearly all of their three minutes of clock to draft US men’s national team development program center Cole Spicer.
Spicer, listed at 5-10 and 174 pounds, is headed to the University of Minnesota. He is from Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Spicer, who turned 18 last month, was ranked 121st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
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He scored 20 goals and 39 points in 58 games last year with the US U-18 team, and 3-2–5 in six games at the World Junior U-18s. He shoots left.
Round 4, No. 119: Dans Locmelins
The Bruins took Dans Locmelins, a Latvian forward playing for Luleå HF J20 in Sweden. Locmelis moved from his home country to Sweden at 15, not unlike David Pastrnak.
Locmelis (6-0, 170) is a left shot. He put up 18 goals and 34 points in 44 games at the J20 (junior) level in Sweden, and appeared in two Swedish Elite League (men’s) games with Luleå (0-0–0).
Players selected by the Bruins in the 117th-119th range recently: goaltender Jeremy Swayman (111th in 2017), forward Danton Heinen (116th in 2014), goaltender Philip Svedeback (117th in 2021) and forward Curtis Hall (119th in 2018).
Round 5, No. 132: Fredric Brunet
The Bruins chose QMJHL defenseman Frederic Brunet, who plays for Rimouski, with the 132nd pick. Listed at 6-2 and 185 pounds, Brunet put up 12-34–46 in 63 games last season, his second in the Q.
“It was a big year for me,” said Brunet, who wants to work on his defense to reach the next levels of the game. “I’ve worked a lot this year with my defensive coaches to be a bit more reliable, especially on box-outs and on the one-on-one battles, be more tougher. I think I’ve come a long way with this. I think my offense is at a good point for now.”
Brunet, who moved from Gatineau, Quebec, to Quebec City last summer, has been training at the University of Laval with a group including Patrice Bergeron. He has only spoken to the Bruins captain briefly, but he has been watching.
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“I was shy to talk to him,” Brunet said. “He’s kind of a big deal in the NHL. Having a guy like him in the gym is awesome. I couldn’t wait to watch him do his thing and see his example.”
Brunet had a large group at the draft, including his parents, his uncle from Vancouver, his grandmother, his billet family, and his childhood friend. A French-speaking kid who grew up a Canadiens fan, to be drafted at Le Centre Bell gives Brunet a wonderful memory (and a new rooting interest).
“It was awesome,” he said. “I didn’t hear anything once I got drafted. I was like, ‘Whoa.’ Incredible feeling. Once you go down the stairs and you hear all the fans cheering for a Quebec guy, it’s pretty awesome. What are the odds my draft is here?”
Frédéric Brunet's offseason training partner in Quebec City?
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 8, 2022
Patrice Bergeron.
"He's kind of a big deal." pic.twitter.com/AIp2UDp8ze
Round 6, No. 183: Reid Dyck
The Bruins took a goalie at No. 183, choosing Reid Dyck from WHL Swift Current.
Dyck (6-4, 194) was ranked eighth among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting. He posted an .884 save percentage in 23 games last season, his first in the WHL.
Round 7. No. 200: Jackson Edward
The Bruins took defenseman Jackson Edward, from OHL London, with the 200th pick.
The Newmarket, Ontario product (6-2, 194), a left shot, was ranked 123rd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
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He skated in 54 games last year in his OHL debut, picking up six assists and 51 penalty minutes. He is the ninth draft pick from that Knights team, a list that includes leading scorer Luke Evangelista (Nashville 2020 second-rounder).
Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him @mattyports.