With the No. 7 overall selection in June’s NHL Entry Draft, the Bruins will have a Top 10 pick for the first time in 14 years.
Dougie Hamilton was Boston’s last selection inside the Top 10 (No. 9, 2011), and the Bruins haven’t picked this high since drafting Tyler Seguin at No. 2 overall in 2010.
So who might they take when the time comes in Los Angeles?
Let’s check in with the experts.
There are a number of pre-draft rankings out there from analysts and insiders. Here are who NHL Draft experts have ranked as the No. 7 prospects in those pre-draft lists:
Caleb Desnoyers, Forward
TSN’s Craig Button, NHL Central Scouting (North American), The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy
6-foot-2, 178 pounds, Saint-Hyacinthe, PQ, Canada
Moncton (QMJHL): 56 GP, 35 goals, 49 assists, 84 points
Quite a few experts have Desnoyers tabbed as the draft’s seventh best prospect. A tall yet fleet-footed center, Desnoyers was the best player on a dominant Moncton (53-9-2) team. In 56 games, he finished with a +51 rating and has earned comps to Selke Winner Sean Couturier due to his prowess in all three zones.
Roger McQueen, Forward
Sportsnet’s Sam Consentino, Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala
6-foot-5, 197 pounds, Saskatoon, SASK, Canada
Brandon (WHL): 17 GP, 10 goals, 10 assists, 20 points
A 6-foot-5 WHL center, McQueen was sidelined for most of his draft year with a stress fracture in his back. He said it may have been caused by a growth spurt, and dismissed any notion that it’d be a long-term issue.
“I know everyone is going off a disc thing, but there was no disc problem ever,” McQueen told the Brandon Sun. “It was just a fractured bone that needed some time to heal, and I guess it takes longer for those ones to heal but it’s good now and everything is cleared up.”
Victor Eklund, Forward
5-foot-11, 161 pounds, Stockholm, Sweden
Djurgardens IF (SWE-1): 42 GP, 19 goals, 12 assists, 31 points
A small but shifty winger, Eklund already has family in the NHL, as his older brother William was chosen by the Sharks at No. 7 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. In Sweden’s top league, Eklund’s size didn’t hinder him, as he was able to pot 19 goals against grown men in 42 games.
Jake O’Brien, Forward
6-foot-2, 172 pounds, Toronto, ONT, Canada
Brantford (OHL): 66 GP, 32 goals, 66 assists, 98 points
The OHL leader in power play assists (41), O’Brien is a heady player that has been lauded for his strong hockey IQ. An ascending two-way center, O’Brien was the OHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 and followed that up with a 98-point season.
