Bruins mock draft: One educated guess as to how GM Don Sweeney will use Boston's seven selections

Boston Globe

3 days ago

'It's such a big jump for a lot of these kids. Some of them aren't physically or mentally ready to handle the grind and the pressure of playing in the National Hockey League. And while in each draft there tends to be sometimes one, two, or three players that we feel could make that jump, we're certainly more focused on where they're going to be in 3, 5, 7, 10 years.'
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Nadeau said 'it's a little wide open' at the top of the draft, and added, 'There's a lot of good players, and I think we're going to be excited with the player that we're going to be looking at when we get up to pick at 7, if in fact that's the pick we make.'
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For the purposes of this exercise, we'll assume Sweeney, Nadeau & Co. make all their selections.
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First round (No. 7 overall): Porter Martone, RW, Brampton (Ontario Hockey League)
It might be a bit of stretch to think the 6-foot-3-inch, 208-pound Martone could slip to seventh, but there is an abundance of talented centers in this class, allowing a winger to drop a bit.
Martone plays a mature, physical game. After a 98-point season, he had a well-documented spin with Team Canada at the World Championship. That's a nice introduction to the big time.
Second round (No. 51): Vojtech Cihar, LW, HC Energie Karlovy Vary (Czechia)
Cihar's numbers won't blow you away (4 goals, 9 points in 43 games), but it's important to note the 18-year-old played against pros.
He's a speedy and relentless forechecker who will staple himself to opponents' hips. In other words, a real pest. Cihar (6 feet, 181 pounds) has energy for days.
Second round (No. 61): Carter Klippenstein, C, Brandon (Western Hockey League)
The Bruins land their center here. A highly energetic player with good vision and awareness, the 6-3, 181-pounder has room to grow his body and his game.
Klippenstein pays attention to the details and could develop into a solid, responsible 200-foot center.
Third round (No. 69): Peyton Kettles, D, Swift Current (WHL)
Kettles is a big body (6-5, 190) who plays with the expected physicality and snarl that comes with being a shutdown defenseman.
He skates really well for a large man and rarely loses one-on-one battles. Kettles would benefit from some tutorials with Zdeno Chara and Nikita Zadorov.
Fourth round (No. 100): Artyom Gonchar, D, Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (Russia)
A highly confident puck-mover who makes up for his comparative lack of size (6 feet, 154 pounds) with speed, skill, and savvy. His uncle, Sergei, had a 20-year NHL career that included a brief stay in Boston (2004).
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Fifth round (No. 133): Filip Ekberg, LW, Ottawa (OHL)
Seemingly possessing X-ray vision, Ekberg has an uncanny knack for delivering catchable passes to his teammates and putting them in position to be successful. Ekberg (5-10, 168) shined at the World Juniors, collecting 10 goals and 18 points in seven games.
Sixth round (No. 165): Noah Laberge, D, Acadie-Bathurst (Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League)
Another slick puck mover, the 6-1, 181-pound Laberge is a strong skater who can generate offense (12 goals, 35 points in 63 games for Patrice Bergeron's old junior club). He is solid defensively and won't leave his partner — or goalie — out to dry.
Jim McBride can be reached at