A Look Back at Don Sweeney’s Draft History: 2022

Previous drafts: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021.

What constitutes a successful draft or a failing draft? The hockey community looks at NHL games played to determine success, although some choose to look at 100 games as successful while others look at 200 games. Fans in droves prefer to look at stats. Harman Dayal and Dom Luszczyszyn of the Athletic broke down the drafts from 2007 on and found your Bruins to be the fourth most successful NHL team at the draft. They took their analysis even further.

It is premature to label this draft as a failure, success, or something in between. Therefore, we will steer it in a different direction. There is potential for this to be another successful draft for the Bruins, but it will be difficult to surpass the previous two drafts. Only time will reveal the outcome.

In my previously published articles, I used career NHL statistics of players. Here, for those who have not yet played in the NHL, I included the statistics from the last season of the league they were in, except for a couple players who have NHL experience, whose career NHL statistics are showcased.

SECOND ROUND

The Bruins chose Matthew Poitras with the 54th pick. It might be unexpected to discover that Poitras was once seen as a potential first-round talent before his draft year. It was not surprising to see him secure a spot on the roster at camp as a 19-year-old. I had my sights set on two players for this pick: Poitras or David Goyette. Poitras seems like a home run choice but only time will tell.

FOURTH ROUND

The Bruins made two selections in the fourth round, picking Cole Spicer 117th and Dans Locmelis 119th. I had not considered Spicer as a potential choice, my initial preference for the fourth round was Tucker Robertson. Conversely, I did not anticipate Locmelis being available and was certain he would be chosen in the late third round. I had my eye on Isaiah George, who was selected by the Islanders as the first pick in the fourth round so, he wouldn’t have been available. Two years later, the Locmelis selection appears promising, while there are uncertainties surrounding Spicer. He couldn’t finish the season due to academic reasons and will have plenty of work to do this offseason to try and get back Hopefully, he can make a strong return.

FIFTH ROUND

The Bruins once again tapped into the overage market, choosing Frederic Brunet at the 132nd spot. Brunet stands out as a high-risk, high-reward pick by the Sweeney team. While he has demonstrated potential in the AHL, it is evident that he must refine his overall performance. His talent is apparent, and Brunet was a player I had considered for the sixth round, with eyes on Vsevolod Komorov, Matthew Maggio, and Jorian Donovan in this spot.

SIXTH ROUND

The Bruins decided not to sign 183rd pick Reid Dyck, who had a strong year in the WHL. Other choices were available, such as Servac Petrovsky, who was picked two spots later but not signed by the Minnesota Wild. Petteri Nurmi was the first pick in the seventh round and considered as an option. For goaltending needs, Dom DiVincentiis was also selected in the seventh round. Although it may have appeared premature to pass on Dyck, the Bruins likely had valid reasons for their decision. This has to be considered a miss by the scouting staff.

SEVENTH ROUND

The Bruins made Jackson Edward their final selection in the draft, picking him 200th overall. It has been years since the Bruins had a defenseman with his size, toughness, mean streak and shutdown abilities. Originally drafted into the OHL for his offensive skills, Edward had to adapt his playing style to fit Dale Hunter’s system. His offensive abilities resurfaced after the draft, especially shining during this year’s playoffs. The Bruins were impressed with Edward’s performance and signed him to an entry-level contract unusually early for a 7th round pick, doing so last fall.

We know the Bruins missed on Dyck by not signing him. Locmelis is certainly headed in the right direction, but there is a lot of depth where he is projected for the Bruins. Only time will tell if Brunet was that low risk or high reward blueliner. We’ve talked a lot about Edward here and what he could bring, but there is a lot of work to be done. And of course, how does Spicer bounce back?

There is the potential for three regular NHL players for the Bruins in this draft class. It could reach four.

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