Grading Bruins' 2025 NHL Draft class
The post Grading Bruins' 2025 NHL Draft class appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The 2025 NHL Draft has concluded, and the immediate discussions around each class can begin. The Boston Bruins were one of the more intriguing teams entering the draft, given their draft position. For the first time since 2010, Boston owned a top-10 pick in the NHL Draft.
Advertisement
The Bruins had success with their last two top-10 picks prior to Friday night. Boston drafted Tyler Seguin in 2010 and Phil Kessel in the 2006 draft. Kessel went on to the Toronto Maple Leafs through trade, which landed them the picks used for Seguin and defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Seguin was traded in 2013, but helped them win a Stanley Cup in 2011.
Boston hopes the players selected remain with the team for a lot longer than a few years. They are looking to retool their roster, and they may have done so in the 2025 NHL Draft. Let's take a deeper look at their class and hand the Bruins an initial grade for their haul.
Bruins land potential franchise cornerstone
The Boston Bruins entered the 2025 NHL Draft needing an impact player down the middle. Their center depth across the entire organization was rather barren. Boston had to do something to change this. Thankfully, the impact player they were seeking fell right into their lap.
Advertisement
The Bruins made James Hagens the seventh-overall pick in the draft. ClutchPoints graded this selection an A, and for good reason. Hagens is a potential franchise cornerstone for Boston to build around. He is the sort of center prospect they've lacked since the days of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
Hagens is not the prototypical Bruins player. He isn't a bang-and-crash forward who plays with an incredible edge. He's certainly no shrinking violet. But he relies a ton on the high-end skill that certainly could have made him the top pick in this draft.
The Bruins traded Seguin in part because of his reliance on skill. It's hard to imagine this happens to Hagens, though. The organization is happy to have the Boston College prospect. And he's embraced the organization with open arms. It's as close to a perfect match as one can get in the NHL Draft.
Boston overhauls center depth
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Hagens is not the only notable center Boston picked up in the 2025 NHL Draft. In fact, he isn't the only one with top-six potential. Boston's second pick — 51st overall — was American center William Moore. Some had him pegged as a potential first-round pick at times this season.
Advertisement
A couple years ago, Moore falling out of the first round would've been a bold statement. However, he never made a significant leap while with the US National Team Development Program. He flashed impressive skill and skating ability, as well as some power elements. However, he struggled to put all of this together.
Moore brings positional versatility to the table, as he can play on the wing. However, there's a good chance he sticks down the middle. If he can string everything together, he has the makings of a solid No. 2 center who crashes the net and generates offense in multiple ways.
Boston's final two picks were also centers. Cole Chandler went in the fifth round, while Kirill Yemelyanov was a sixth-round selection. With this, the Bruins added four centers to their prospect pipeline, giving them more depth than they've had in recent seasons.
Later rounds are hit and miss
Boston's decisions in the later rounds do cast a shadow over the quality of this class. Chandler and Yemelyanov are perfect examples of the hit-and-miss nature of these final selections, in fact. Chandler provided some secondary offense for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL this year. However, he is primarily a defense-first forward who may struggle to translate his offense to the NHL.
Advertisement
Yemelyanov, meanwhile, may be a legitimate steal. He shined in the MHL playoffs with the Loko Yaroslavl junior team. This helped propel him up draft boards in a major way. Some evaluators had a third-round grade on him. He has the tools to make it at the NHL level. And he does play an annoying, physical brand of hockey that Bruins fans can appreciate.
Their other late-round selections don't carry the same value. Liam Pettersson and Vashek Richards-Blanar were major reaches. In fact, many evaluators didn't have Richards-Blanar coming close to being drafted. Cole Simpson is a fine selection for where he went, though. Overall, it's going to take some work for these late-round selections to make any sort of noise in the NHL.
Grades and final thoughts
The Boston Bruins receive a good grade for their 2025 NHL Draft class. The selections of Hagens and Moore carry this grade on their own for the most part. However, the selections of Simpson and Yemelyanov help keep it toward the high end of the league. In saying this, Boston took some major gambles on players that may never pan out.
Advertisement
Bruins draft grade: B+
Best pick: James Hagens – Round 1, Pick 7
Worst pick: Vashek Richards-Blanar – Round 4, Pick 100
Most intriguing: Kirill Yemelyanov – Round 6, Pick 165
Related: Bruins' James Hagens welcomed to Boston by Adam Sandler at NHL Draft
Related: Meet James Hagens, Bruins' No. 7 in the 2025 NHL Draft
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
8 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Collier has 23 points, McBride 20 as Lynx dominate Sun 102-63
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 23 points, Kayla McBride added 20 and the Minnesota Lynx rolled to a 102-63 win over Connecticut on Sunday, the Sun's ninth straight loss. Ahead by 10 after one quarter, the Lynx scored the first 21 points of the second to lead 50-26 at halftime. Collier had 15 points in the third quarter, when Minnesota outscored the Sun 27-15. Courtney Williams had 12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals for the Lynx (14-2), who are 8-0 at home. Minnesota had 11 of 12 players score on the way to a season-high total. Only Karlie Samuelson, who sustained an ankle injury after playing three minutes in the first half, did not score. McBride had five 3-pointers, one more than the Sun, to give her 653 for her career. That moved her past Kristi Tolliver for seventh in league history. Reserve Aneesah Morrow had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for the Sun (2-15), who shot 35%. Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 10 points. Most starters for both teams sat out the fourth quarter. Reserve Natisha Hiedeman had 10 points and seven assists for the Lynx, who had 27 assists on 36 baskets. Minnesota is home against Indiana on Tuesday to defend its Commissioner's Cup title. The game does not count in the regular-season standings. ___ AP WNBA:
Associated Press
13 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Ott DeFoe Wins MLF Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 at Potomac River Presented by Athletic Brewing Company
CHARLES COUNTY, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 29, 2025-- After a week that saw Tennessee pro Ott DeFoe near the top of SCORETRACKER® leaderboard every day he was on the water, the Tennessee pro finally shot to the top when it mattered most, taking down the Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company Championship Round for his fourth Bass Pro Tour regular-season win and fifth BPT win overall. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, won the Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company at the Potomac River with a final day catch of 32 bass weighing 78 pounds, 11 ounces, to earn the top prize of $150,000. With a dominant final-day performance, DeFoe stacked up 32 bass for 78 pounds, 11 ounces to beat his closest pursuer in Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan by nearly 27 pounds. Nelson finished as the runner-up, his best finish on the Bass Pro Tour since joining the ranks last season. DeFoe is one of the winningest anglers in Bass Pro Tour history, behind only Jacob Wheeler and Dustin Connell, but this marks his first individual win since Heavy Hitters in 2022. It's his first regular season win since 2021 on Florida's Harris Chain of Lakes. He did it in typical DeFoe fashion, too, escaping the bulk of the 66-angler field and fishing far up a creek in the Potomac River backwaters. 'The place where I caught them today was my first stop on the first day of the tournament,' he said. 'I saw them everywhere in practice and knew it had great potential. I had some other places where I could get bites, but with an early boat number on the first day, I had to go and see if I could get there first because it's not a big area.' Fishing the same general area as fellow Championship Round qualifier Keith Carson, both got off to fast starts the first day. "[Carson] was in there with me as well, fishing a little different section, but it was a blistering start on the first day for both of us,' he said. 'I had 40 pounds by noon, but I had a later boat draw the second day, and I drove there and could see some other competitors idling back in there. I opted to turn around and leave and really struggled most of the day and barely made it to the Knockout Round.' DeFoe couldn't make any other areas work but caught enough to advance. He was all-in on the area the final two days and took advantage of the tide schedule to get as far back as possible and reach bass in ultra-shallow water during the high tide, catching many of these fish he visually saw cruising due to the clear water. 'In practice, the best bite was mid-to-lower part of the outgoing tide when the water was really moving; kind of that mid-tide zone to the bottom end of the tide,' he said. 'That's when the bite made the most sense. We only got that the first day of the tournament, though. The high tide was the best for my deal because I could get so much further back. That was the most productive for me, especially today with how high the tide was during the final days of the tournament.' Getting to ultra-shallow water was helped by the tide schedule, and DeFoe believes the recent excessive heat was also a benefit, pushing bass to the shelter in the cooler creeks. 'All of the major tributaries have a lot cooler water because it's flowing, and then you have big pad flats and cover going in for bass to relate to,' he said. 'With the extreme heat we had here, I believe it was a driving factor in why so many bass were up there. It also seemed like new fish were coming every day.' The top 10 at the Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company on the Potomac River finished: 1st: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 32 bass, 78-11, $150,000 2nd: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 23 bass, 51-13, $45,000 3rd: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 20 bass, 44-11, $35,000 4th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 21 bass, 43-11, $30,000 5th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 20 bass, 41-9, $25,000 6th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 20 bass, 40-12, $23,000 7th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 18 bass, 36-7, $22,000 8th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 35-7, $21,000 9th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 31-1, $20,500 10th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 14 bass, 30-1, $20,000 A complete list of results can be found at Overall, there were 198 scorable bass caught weighing 434 pounds, 3 ounces, by the final 10 pros on Sunday. Pro Bradley Roy won Sunday's $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a 4-pound, 9-ounce largemouth that he caught on a bladed swimjig in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day. The four-day Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company at the Potomac River was hosted by the Charles County Government, Dept. of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, and showcased 66 of the top professional anglers in the world competing for a $150,000 top prize, a share of the $6.49 million season purse, and valuable AOY points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026, the Bass Pro Tour championship. Television coverage of the Zenni Stage 6 at the Potomac River Presented by Athletic Brewing Company will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 1 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Nov. 8. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel. The 2025 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 66 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2026 championship. Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota and Zenni. For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF's social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. About Major League Fishing Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world's largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America's living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world's top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care. View source version on CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT: JOE OPAGER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS p: 218.434.0748 e:[email protected] KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA TENNESSEE MARYLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OUTDOORS FISHING SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT TV AND RADIO SOURCE: Major League Fishing Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/29/2025 08:07 PM/DISC: 06/29/2025 08:07 PM
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
USA vs. Costa Rica live tracker: Updates, score, highlights as USMNT battle Los Ticos in Gold Cup quarterfinal
The U.S. men's national team has won three straight at the Gold Cup, but few are convinced. The victories were narrow, the performances uneven, and now the tournament gets real. Next up for the Americans: Costa Rica on Sunday in Minneapolis in the first of three potential matches that could redefine a turbulent year. Mauricio Pochettino's makeshift squad brings youth, energy and a few standout performances from Malik Tillman, Patrick Agyemang and goalkeeper Matt Freese. But they also face familiar concerns with the World Cup less that a year away. Advertisement Costa Rica, meanwhile, has looked vulnerable but gritty under Miguel Herrera. The Ticos scraped through Group A and arrive without star striker Manfred Ugalde. Still, the wily squad won't make things easy. On paper, the U.S. should advance. But on the pitch, things don't always go according to plan. Sunday, June 29 USA vs. Costa Rica (7 p.m. ET, Fox/Univision) Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the 2025 Gold Cup quarterfinal:
