BOSTON — History will remember the Bruins fourth-round pick as either a steal or a reach.
The Bruins added to their blue line depth to start the fourth round and then traded the 108th pick to Tampa.
Pick No. 100 was announced as Vashek Blanar but is listed elsewhere as Vashek Richards. He’s a 6-foot-4, 193-pound, left-shot defenseman. He was born in Colorado but grew up in Czechia and played for IF Troja-Ljungby in Sweden.
Blanar is the second defenseman, who played in Sweden, that the Bruins have picked in the 2025 NHL Draft this year. He’ll join Liam Pettersson, who Boston took as the No. 61 pick overall.
Blanar was projected to be a late-round choice, but North American Independent Central Scouting (NACS) called him a “Hidden Gem.”
The Bruins got Tampa’s 2026 fourth-round pick for No. 108. The Lightning took center Benjamin Rautiainen with the pick.
The 100th pick originally belonged to Philadelphia was traded to Toronto and eventually to Boston in the Brandon Carlo trade.
Barring another trade, the Bruins have two more picks:
Round 5
133. Boston
Round 6
165. Boston
