Boston Bruins Select Playmaking Center In Second Round

The Boston Bruins finally got in their first pick of the 2022 NHL Draft at the Bell Centre and it’s a skilled center at a position/skill set they definitely need to augment. The B’s tapped Guelph Storm center Matthew Poitras with the 54^th overall pick in the second round, a Canadian-born junior hockey player that’s a bit out of their norm for draft picks in recent years.

It was a welcome selection after the Boston Bruins management group watched the opening round of the draft on Friday night complete with surprise picks, blockbuster trades and plenty of speculation as well.

The 5-foot-11, 179-pound Poitras had 21 goals and 50 points in 68 games with a plus-5 rating and had a goal and four points in five playoff games for the Storm as well. He’s described as a strong skater and good puck possession guy that needs to get bigger, stronger and to develop the details in his game, but the playmaking ability from the middle of the ice is an area where the Boston Bruins can could certainly use more of at the center position.

More on Poitras- sitting next to a scout based in Ontario who filled me in: High skills, hockey IQ, slick wheels. Needs to get stronger. Wall play is a big area he can improve by being more engaged physically. However- he brings needed offense & creativity to the system.

— Kirk Luedeke (@kluedeke29) July 8, 2022

Truth be told, the video highlights look to me like a David Krejci-type player that’s perhaps a bit better in the skating department, but perhaps not at the same level of on-ice vision and creativity with the puck. The Boston Bruins may have been targeting Northeastern center and Massachusetts native Jack Hughes, who was selected three picks ahead of the B’s by the Los Angeles Kings with the 51^st overall selection.

A video feature on Matthew Poitras – the Bruins’ second-round pick: pic.twitter.com/zOVMnGdIEI

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) July 8, 2022

The Boston Bruins have six more picks on Friday in the later rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft including a choice in the third round, so they will continue to add to their prospect pool despite not having a first-round selection.