Boston Bruins Take Defenseman Frederic Brunet In 5th Round

After using their first three 2022 NHL Draft picks on centers, the Boston Bruins added some size on the backend. With the 132nd pick in the fifth round, the Bruins drafted 6-foot-2, 176-pound, 18-year-old defenseman Frederic Brunet of the Rimouski Oceanic.

The fifth round pick used to draft Brunet was acquired from the Seattle Kraken earlier in the second day of the NHL Draft when the Bruins sent their third round pick (91st overall) to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a fourth round pick (113) and a fifth round pick (172). After drafting Guelph Storm (OHL) center Matthew Poitras in the second round (54th overall), the Bruins used that fourth round pick from the Kraken to select USNDP center Cole Spicer. The Bruins then added a third center in Latvian Dans Locmelis with the 119th pick.

Brunet, a left-shot defenseman, had 12 goals and 34 assists in 63 games with the Oceanic this past season. Brunet added three assists in six games in the President’s Cup playoffs. Per one amateur NHL scout on Friday afternoon, Brunet was a minutes eater on the Rimouski blue line after not being drafted in his first year of NHL Draft eligibility last year.

“He took that to heart and became one of the best puck-moving d-men in the Q last season,” the scout said of Brunet going undrafted at the 2021 NHL Draft. “He makes a solid outlet pass and can move the pace up ice. This could be a solid late pick up for the Bruins.”

Another NHL amateur scout had this to say on Frederic Brunet:

“He deals with pressure well and won’t force a play if it’s not there. That’s good for a young kid to have already.”

Brunet, who hails from Gatineau, Quebec, trains with Boston Bruins captain and longtime center Patrice Bergeron in the offseason.

“He’s kind of a big deal,” Brunet said of his potential future teammate with the Boston Bruins.