BOSTON — The Boston Bruins kept their options open entering the NHL Draft, but they had a sole objective of acquiring as much offensive talent as possible.
With each of their picks, the Bruins aimed to supplement a prospect pool that had been starved of high-end skill for the last number of years.
“It was all about the skill that we could find and the compete level that we could find,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. “We know that the trajectory, the development of each and every one of them, in some cases, is far apart. Some of these kids are playing at lower levels, and are trying to take the next step. We’ll see how they do and how they translate, but we’re excited.”
Boston made a total of seven selections in the 2025 NHL Draft, including five in the top 100 selections.
Round 1, Pick 7: James Hagens, C – Boston College
Viewed by some experts as perhaps the most skilled player in this year’s draft, James Hagens fell into the Bruins’ laps with the seventh overall pick and may go down as the steal of the 2025 draft.
A highly skilled pivot who’s swift on his skates and adept at moving the puck, Hagens exactly the kind of player the Bruins have desperately needed in their system for some time, and comes at excellent value with the seventh pick.
After tallying 102 points in 58 games for the U.S. National Development Team two years ago, Hagens was once thought to be the top prospect in the 2025 draft. However, his draft stock took a significant hit as he underwhelmed as a freshman at Boston College this past season, posting numbers that were merely just good rather than outstanding, with 37 points and 13 goals across 37 games.
“He set the bar really high, obviously, at the NTDP,” said Bruins director of amateur scouting Ryan Nadeau. “Maybe, it was a production standard that people thought was going to be a little bit higher than what it was this year, but I don’t think it’s an alarming thing for us at all. We think James helped drive a lot of play. We love the way that he can play with pace, attack with pace, and controls the puck offensively. He’s just a real exciting player for us.”
If there’s anything at all to be concerned about with Hagens, it’s his size. Standing at 5’10” and weighing 190 pounds, the 18-year-old has shown he can produce against the top players in his age group, but he will need to put on some size if he hopes to survive at the NHL level.
It will be some time before he joins the Bruins, though. While nothing has been made official, all signs point to Hagens returning to BC for his sophomore season in the fall.
Round 2, Pick 51: William Moore, C – U.S. National Development Program
Boston College is beginning to become a breeding ground for Bruins prospects. After taking Hagens in the first-round, the Bruins selected soon-to-be Eagle William Moore with the 51st overall pick in the second round.
A big-body paired with a high-IQ, Moore has a refined set of skills beyond his years that has allowed him to progress quickly in his development, despite the fact that he take to hockey early on. Moore grew up in the Greater Toronto Area playing sports such as soccer and lacrosse and is a classically trained pianist.
“He’s a unique kid, and he was fun to get to know a little bit,” Sweeney said. “We had our guys follow up on him throughout the year. Even just reading the questionnaire side of things, you realize right away that this is a kid with a unique perspective on things.”
Moore has a tool set that makes him an effective 200-foot player, but has difficulties doing so consistently.
That will only be more difficult as he progresses to playing at the NCAA level next season. It was for Dean Letourneau, Boston’s first-round pick in 2024, who failed to record a goal in his first year at BC last season after making the jump straight from playing in preps.
To avoid Moore enduring the same sort of difficulties, the Bruins may urge him to wait and play a season in the USHL.
Round 2, Pick 61: Liam Pettersson, D – Växjö Lakers HC J20 (Sweden)
Liam Pettersson didn’t play in any international tournaments over this past year leading up to the draft, but Bruins scouts made several trips to see the Swedish defenseman anyway, having a heavy interest in his ability as a puck mover along the blue line.
“He’s been on our radar,” Nadeau said. “He’s a player that consistently, when our North American scouts were building trips, he’s someone who was on the radar to go see.”
Pettersson spent the majority of this past year playing in Sweden’s J20 league, where he posted 21 points in 39 games for the Växjö Lakers. He’ll likely spend a couple more years playing in Sweden before coming over to North America.
Round 3, Pick 79: Cooper Simpson, LW – Tri-City Storm (USHL)
If there’s one thing to know about Cooper Simpson, it’s that he can shoot the puck. He’ll make sure to tell you that himself.
“I’m a very offensive, talented guy,” said Simpson. “I think I make plays other people can’t see. I think I shoot the puck very well.”
The 18-year-old led all high school players in Minnesota this past season with 49 goals. What’s even more encouraging is that he had no issues finding the back of the net once he jumped up to the USHL, doing so seven times in nine games for the Tri-City Storm.
“He’s a really creative player who likes to have the puck, and likes to manipulate play” said Nadeau. “We’re really excited about that. He’s an offensive player who can really shoot it. He’s someone who’s very quick to pull the trigger when he has the puck, and he’s willing to go to areas and manipulate the ice. He’s got really good hands, and has the ability to score and shoot in a number of different ways.”
Simpson will try to bring that same level of production to the University of North Dakota in the fall, where he’ll play alongside fellow Bruins prospect Will Zellers.
Round 4, Pick 100: Vashek Blanar, D – IF Troja-Ljungby J18 (Sweden)
Boston seemed to pull Vashek Blanar out of obscurity when they took him with the 100th overall selection.
A simple Google search produced next to nothing on the Czech defenseman, but the Bruins scouting staff had done plenty of homework on him themselves.
“It’s just a testament to this guy’s traveling anywhere and everywhere,” Sweeney said. “You’re just trying to make sure. In this case, we found a young man that’s pretty raw. He’s in a bit of an underdeveloped frame, right now. He’s a great skater who wants to compete. He probably tries to do too much at times. I’ve used this analogy before, but he’s a piece of clay that you want to get a hold of and see if you can start to mold and stretch it, and get an understanding of the attributes she has. That is really attractive.”
Blanar has spent the last number of years playing in Sweden, and recorded 21 points in 38 games for IF Troja-Ljungby J20 in 2024-25.
Round 5, Pick 133: Cole Chandler, C – Shawinigan (QMJHL)
Cole Chandler has been forced to miss a significant amount of time over the last few seasons due to both illness and injury. But whenever he has been on the ice, the Bruins have liked what they saw from the Nova Scotia native.
“He plays a little bit more of a traditional two-way game,” Nadeau said. “The offensive part has been there. He didn’t have huge numbers this year. He wasn’t scoring 50 goals, but,he’s a kid who is counted on in some key moments and has been able to impact all 200-feet of the rink.”
In the long-term, Chandler projects to be a bottom-six forward at the NHL level. In the short-term, he’ll return to Shawinigan next season for another year with the Cataractes.
Round 6, Pick 165: Kirill Yemelyanov, C – Yaroslavl (Russian Jr. League)
Boston closed out the 2025 draft by selecting center Kirill Temelyanov.
The Russian plays as if he has a battery pack attached to him, driving his line with high-energy up and down the ice.
“He’s got a 200-foot game,” said Nadeau. “He’s got a little bit of offensive ability where he helps drive some stuff on his line. It’s maybe not a high, high-end offense, but he’s certainly someone who’s involved in driving some plays and getting some scoring chances. He also has a real good determination to the way he plays the game.”
Temelyanov finished last season with 23 points and 13 goals in 35 games for Yaroslavl of the Russian Junior Hockey League.
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