Key takeaways from Bruins' 2026 NHL draft class, JJ Peterka trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins, for the first time since 2023, did not make a first-round pick.
They entered the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday with the No. 23 overall pick, but they traded it as part of a package to acquire left wing JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth.
The B’s ended up making seven picks by the end of Saturday.
Let’s look at a couple key takeaways from Boston’s 2026 draft class:
JJ Peterka gamble was worth taking
The odds of the Bruins drafting and developing a player as talented or better than JJ Peterka with the No. 23 overall pick was low. Therefore, trading for the speedy top-six left wing and giving up the No. 23 pick and the Panthers’ 2028 first-rounder (top-10 protected) was a risk worth taking.
Peterka is dangerous off the rush and should be a consistent 30-goal scorer in Boston, especially if he plays alongside David Pastrnak.
“He’s got an elite shot,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters Friday night. “Probably gives us another look on the elbows in a power-play situation. His power-play minutes dipped a little bit last year. His 5-on-5 production has been really good. Plays both wings. Could probably play with a couple different types of centers, help drive a line, but also complement the better guys in situations that we’re certainly trying to improve.”
Peterka is only 24 years old, too, so he can help the B’s win now and be part of the team’s next core. He’s also signed through 2029-30 with a reasonable salary cap hit of $7.7 million.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn ImagesTaking goalie in second round was bold
The Bruins need more forwards with speed and skill, and there’s a severe lack of high-end talent on the blue line in their prospect pool (more on that below). So it was surprising that Boston decided to take Russian goalie Yury Ivanov with the No. 56 overall pick in the second round.
Not only that, Ivanov wasn’t even one of the highest-rated goalies in this class. NHL Central Scouting had him ranked 10th among international goalies.
The B’s were well-aware of these rankings, but they like Ivanov’s potential.
“Certainly we’re cognizant of the public lists and what’s out there, but for us, we’ve got to look at the attributes and value the players the way we value them. We had the opportunity to watch him play live a number of times,” Bruins director of amateu scouting Ryan Nadeau told reporters Saturday. “We watched him on video, we tracked him. Certainly as the year went on, we got a little bit more excited about his game…We’re just really excited about where his game could get to.”
The Bruins have plenty of depth in net. Jeremy Swayman was a Vezina Trophy finalist this past season and is only 27 years old. His contract runs through the 2031-32 season. Michael DiPietro is coming off a fantastic campaign for the AHL’s Providence Bruins in which he went 34-8-1 with a .930 save percentage. He’s also just 27 and deserves a chance at the backup job in Boston at some point.
Even if the point of the Ivanov pick was to give Boston depth at the position well into the future, it felt odd to use the Bruins’ most valuable pick in this draft (after trading No. 23 overall on Friday) on a player who might not step onto the TD Garden ice for many more years.
In fairness, the Bruins develop goalies better than most teams, but they had much more glaring roster needs to address in Round 2.
Bruins waited too long to take a defenseman
The No. 1 weakness in the Bruins’ prospect pool is a lack of skilled defensemen. If you look at their top 10 prospects, Frederic Brunet is the only defenseman who would make the list, and he’s not a slam dunk to have a successful NHL career.
The Bruins didn’t take a defenseman in this draft until the fifth round. They selected Jacob Vandeven at No. 157 overall. It was another reach.
Vandeven does have an intriguing skill set and physical profile. He became a full-time defenseman this past season. He’s 6-foot-6 and 207 pounds, and he does bring some offensive ability to the ice. There’s definitely some potential there.
But when blue line depth is a major weakness in your prospect pool and you don’t take a defenseman until Round 5 (and then again in Round 7), that’s not a great outcome.
Zero centers drafted
The Bruins have made a strong effort in recent seasons to find a top-six center through the draft. They selected James Hagens at No. 7 overall in the first round last year, as well as his Boston College teammate Dean Letourneau in Round 1 in 2024. Both players had fantastic 2025-26 seasons for the Eagles.
In total, the Bruins drafted four centers in 2025, two in 2024, two in 2023 and three in 2022. So it wasn’t too surprising that the B’s focused on other positions this year.
Early grades are not promising
Here’s a roundup of Bruins draft class grades. They haven’t received high marks so far.
Corey Pronman, The Athletic: C
“After trading its first-round pick, Boston was limited in what it could walk away with. Nils Bartholdsson in the third round brings some interesting traits, and I liked Oscar Olsson where the Bruins got him. I could see one depth player emerging, or Yuri Ivanov getting some games as a backup goalie.”
“Acquiring a proven NHL player is almost always better than taking a chance with a draft pick. JJ Peterka is who the Bruins opted for, sending a first-round pick to Utah in the deal. Yuri Ivanov is a very young goaltender who is going to take time but has solid NHL potential. Oscar Olsson is a decent bet in the fourth round with potential.
“The Bruins might not get any NHL players from their draft class, but using their first pick as part of a package to acquire a proven talent is good business for where the team is in its competitive window.”
David St-Louis, Elite Prospects: C-
“Yuri Ivanov may have carried Spartak Moskva to the MHL finals, but our team didn’t believe much in his upside due to play-reading and postural issues, giving him late-round value. Boston is banking on athleticism with that selection.
“For our staff, their most exciting pick was Roberto Leonardo Henriquez, who we ranked at No. 71 and went 170th. The dynamic-skating goaltender became a high-end puck stopper in the USHL, and has the tools to be an undersized NHL tandem-level goalie.”
(Click the link above for St-Louis’ full analysis)
Bruins still in good shape for future drafts
The Bruins own all of their future first-round picks, and they’ll also get a 2027 or 2028 first-round pick from the Maple Leafs to complete the Brandon Carlo trade.
They also picked up an extra fourth-rounder in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The B’s sent the Penguins a 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 111 overall) for a 2026 sixth-rounder (No. 170 overall) and the Winnipeg Jets’ 2027 fourth-rounder.
