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After sitting out last year's first round by virtue of the trade that brought Jaromir Jagr to Boston, the Bruins hung on to their first round pick this time around, selecting Czech forward David Pastrnak with the 25th overall selection at tonight’s 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia.
The basics for Bruins fans: Pastrnak is an 18-year-old skating at 5-foot-11 that can play both left and right wing that's made a name for himself in Allsvenskan as an electrifying skater that has an ability to dazzle his way around defenders in both the passing and shooting game.
And though limited this season due to a concussion that kept him out of action, the lefty shooting Pastrnak stilled chimed in with eight goals and 24 points in just 36 games, tops among Sodertalje skaters.
Finishing the year ranked as the Red Line Report’s 14th-ranked skater, the Red Line Report’s own Kirk Luedeke, a scouting savant in the B’s world, had this to say about the B’s pick.
Pastrnak has a lot that B's fans will like: speed, skill, scoring, sense & spirit. Goes into traffic & while not having much size, has moxie
— Kirk Luedeke (@kluedeke29) June 28, 2014"Absolutely loves the game; great desire and plays every shift as if it were his last."- Red Line Report #Pastrnak
— Kirk Luedeke (@kluedeke29) June 28, 2014Pastrnak cites his idol as fellow countryman and now Bruins teammate David Krejci, and the Bruins do see a bit of Krejci in Pastrnak, with the main difference coming in the positions they play. Shooting with a strong release and effective at utilizing angles, Pastrnak is considered to be a solid puck-protector that can work along the boards, but also has the hands to create plays on his own.
He becomes the first 25th overall pick for the Bruins since 2009, when they took Jordan Caron, while Kevyn Adams (1993) and defenseman Mark Howe (1974) are other notables drafted by the Bruins with the 25th overall selection.
With this being the first draft under new Director of Amateur Scouting Keith Gretzky, the Bruins went where most of them expected to. Given their depth down the middle, on the point, and even in net, the Bruins’ biggest need was undoubtedly on the wings, and Pastrnak seemed like the safe bet given the state of the Bruins. Somebody like a Josh Ho-Sang seemed like an interesting pick for the Black-and-Gold, but his ‘issues’ (insert eyeroll here) made him an unlikely fit here. So instead, the Bruins go with a guy that can play with dogged determination in lieu of size, chime in on the scoresheet, and play both wings effectively. Sounds like a Bruins pick, really.
The Bruins are back to work tomorrow with picks in the second (56th overall), fourth (116th overall), fifth (146th overall), and seventh (206th overall) rounds.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com