BOSTON — A day after experts gushed about the Bruins’ first round performance in the NHL Draft, Boston largely drew praise for their picks for the event as a whole.
Here are some excerpts of how Don Sweeney and his staff were evaluated for their six picks.
James Hagens’ landing spot at 7 to Boston reflects both his immense talent but also some of the risks in his game. He has legit first-line talent if he hits. I like the tools on William Moore, who Boston took at 51, but the draft class will be defined by Hagens. Does he bounce back and prove the haters wrong? If so, the B’s could have a very nice class even if he’s the only regular.
Overtime winner
The Athletic also did a list of draft winners and losers. They included a tier of “overtime winners” which was a positive, but not as decisively. The Bruins were in that tier:
“The Bruins needed a premium, potential top-of-the-lineup forward and preferably a center at that pick (Hagens), and I think it could and should sail over the wall for a home run.
They went back to the Boston College well with William Moore … at No. 51, which was one of my favorite picks of Round 2. Moore’s skating needs to improve, and he needs to fill out his frame and play a little harder at times, but he has made progress on the former and the latter… He’s also a talented, smart player who I know is going to put in the work. I think he’s capable of becoming a high-end college player as an upperclassman if he hits some development checkpoints.
Those two picks made the draft for the Bruins, even if I didn’t love the rest of what they did and felt Liam Pettersson, their second second-rounder, was a round or two too high.
Minnesota high school goal-scoring dynamo Cooper Simpson is a really solid third-round swing, too. He showed he could do it in the USHL in his time there as well.”
Grade: A-
“The Bruins overhauled their future center depth by snagging Hagens and then Moore on Day 2. Hagens was the projected top pick entering the draft cycle, and though he didn’t reach the same heights as Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli as an NCAA freshman, he still has legit first-line potential with speed and intelligence. Hagens falling to No. 7 is a massive win for the Bruins. Moore is great value in the back half of the second round after a near point-per-game campaign with the NTDP.”
FloHockey
Grade: B+
“Walking out of the draft with an elite playmaker at the center position is always a good feeling. Hagens is going to be a critical piece of the new era of the Boston Bruins and a good weapon to add to the arsenal that includes core piece David Pastrnak. Will Moore is another high-upside forward with some size and will be joining Hagens at Boston College next year. Liam Pettersson, picked 61st overall, was not a player on my radar to be picked that high, but he had an interesting season where he worked his way up from Sweden’s U18 level all the way into some SHL games this season and will be one to watch closer next season. Additionally, Cooper Simpson was one of the best players in the Minnesota high school ranks, moved to the USHL for a brief stint and scored seven goals in nine games. He can definitely fire it. In the end, Boston made seven total picks and vastly improved one of the league’s shallower prospect pools.
Bleacher Reports
Pick Grade: A+
“The Bruins are keeping James Hagens in Boston. Hagens slid to the seventh pick despite being the No. 4 prospect on the final B/R board. In his first year at Boston College, Hagens was a point-per-game player. He hits top speeds like few others in his class and has incredible vision to set his teammates up for success, evident by his 26 assists in 37 games. Hagens feels like the right pick for the Bruins, who are in rebuild mode.”
YardBarker
Winner
YB also did winners and losers and the Bruins on the good side of that line:
“There’s a chance that, years from now, the Bruins’ No. 7 overall selection will be viewed as one of those “How did he fall this far?” picks. Center James Hagens was the preseason favorite to go first overall. Despite finishing with 37 points in 37 games while centering Boston College’s top line as a freshman, Hagens watched as he was passed over multiple times because of something out of his control: he’s 5-foot-10-inches. Notable top centers to win a Stanley Cup in the last decade include Sidney Crosby (5-foot-11-inches) and Brayden Point (5-foot-11-inches).“
