Getting to Know Christopher Pelosi

With the 92nd pick at the 2023 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the Boston Bruins select from the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, center Christopher Pelosi.

Some of the public rankings:

NHLCS	FC HOCKEY	MCKEEN’S	RED LINE	EP	UPSIDE SCOUTING
127 NA	NR	HM	NR	NR	NR

Dom – Hockey Ratings (Scale 3 – 9):

SKATING	PHYSICALITY	SKILLS	IQ	SHOOTING
6.0	7.0	6.0	6.0	6.5

Statistics:

SEASON	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
2021-22	Mount St Charles	U16 AAA	52	31	30	61	–	–
2022-23	Janesville Jets	NAHL	24	10	7	17	6	14
2022-23	Sioux Falls	USHL	43	12	6	19	20	-3

Well, we know the Bruins do things their way and this pick reaffirms that. Dom – Hockey suggested the Bruins should play it safe with the lack of picks this summer and next and maybe go for that potential late in the draft.

By selecting the 6’1” and 181-pound Pelosi, the Bruins decided to go on potential here. With Jayden Perron (Chicago – USHL) and Denver Barkey (London – OHL) going two and three picks later respectively, one could argue they wee the safer picks. One could also argue that they could have had Perron later in the draft but as the old adage says, “you make your list and you trust in your scouts.”

Pelosi is a good skater and isn’t slow, but a little more explosiveness in his stride would go a long way. He’s a power forward who enjoys – and is successful at driving to the net at every opportunity.as he gets stronger and adds more bulk, he will be more of a force. He has very good puck possession skills and he is very adept at protecting the puck. He is especially strong on the cycle.

Pelosi is more of a goal scorer then a playmaker and has a respectful shot. Which makes me wonder if his game would be better suited on the wing as opposed to the middle. He’s got some work to do in his own zone but he showed some improvement as the season progressed. I think he has third line potential at the pro level if he continues his development path.

We had mentioned here that the Bruins may look for players that they can hold onto the rights to for 4 or 5 years with the number of prospects they have graduating over the next two years. Pelosi fits that. He is committed to Quinnipiac University for the 2024-2025 season so he will quite likely return to the USHL for next season, which means the Bruins will hold onto his rights for 5 years.

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