After selecting Fabian Lysell in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft on Friday night, the Bruins will be right back at it on Saturday with six picks in Rounds 2-7.
Here is a quick look at the new players that the Bruins scooped up during Day 2 of the draft:
ROUND 3 - Pick No. 85
Brett Harrison — C, Koovee U20 (Loan)
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 188 pounds
Stats: 4 goals, 5 assists in 7 games
After landing great value in Lysell with the 20th pick, the B’s scooped up another forward that might have dipped in some rankings in a big-bodied center in Harrison. Granted, Harrison’s projected draft positioning varied a bit more than Lysell, but TSN (Bob McKenzie) had him tabbed 57th overall — with Recruit Scouting placing him highest at No. 36 overall.
Harrison, the first CHL prospect selected by Boston since 2017, currently plays with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, but had to play overseas in 2021 after the OHL shuttered operations during the COVID pandemic.
During the 2019-20 campaign, Harrison 21 goals and 37 points in 58 games with Oshawa — becoming one of just three OHL rookies to tally at least 20 goals on the year (Shane Wright and Mason McTavish were the other two).
This past year, Harrison went overseas to Finland and produced against competition around his age — ranking in the top 20 overall in the league with a 1.29 points per game average. He also scored two goals in seven games with Team Canada during the 2021 World Juniors.
Had Harrison had a full OHL campaign under his belt in 2021, there stands a good chance that his stock would have soared higher up as a potential second-round talent.
"I mean, he was a kid who scored quite a bit as an underage in the OHL," Bruins associate director of amateur scouting Ryan Nadeau said. "With them not playing this year – yeah, it’s difficult. But then he went over and played overseas for a bit where we got to see him, and then he came back to go to the U18s. He played on a real deep gold medal-winning Canadian team.
"For us, it was a little bit of a situation for us to get a bigger scoring centerman who, one way or another, we think would have had a bigger role in a big year in the OHL. To be able to get that type of player where we picked — yeah, I do think he was hurt a little bit by the situation. But again, for a year where there were a lot of challenges for everyone, not just in hockey, I think the challenges do present some opportunities and for us, maybe being able to get him where we did – certainly we were excited."
It remains to be seen just how high Harrison’s ceiling is — as he projects more as a middle-six center that could be an effective forechecker and penalty killer, but he should fit right into a grouping that’s already populated by other pivots with a similar mold like Trent Frederic and Johnny Beecher.
ROUND 4 - Pick No. 117
Philip Svedeback — G, Vaxjo J20
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 191 pounds
Stats: 5-6-0, 3.47 GAA, .912 save percentage
Svedeback is a bit of an interesting pick in the fourth round for the Bruins, given that the club is already seemingly stacked with young goalies with guys like Jeremy Swayman, Dan Vladar and Kyle Keyser all in tow.
But Svedeback is more of a long-term project with an NHL frame but plenty of work to do before establishing himself as a premier netminder. As prospect guru Steve Kournianos notes, even if Svedeback’s numbers last season with the Vaxjo junior team might seem rather underwhelming, the young netminder was also regularly left out to dry on his club in a high-scoring Sodra Conference.
Svedebeck, a Stockholm native, will play next season in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Goalie prospects can be tough to chart, but Svedeback still stands as an intriguing option that could develop on his own timeline as guys like Swayman come into their own up in the NHL ranks.
ROUND 5 - Pick No. 149
Oskar Jellvik — LW/C, Djurgårdens IF J20
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 181 pounds
Stats: 6 goals, 6 assists in 13 games
In the fifth round, the Bruins selected yet another Swedish product in Jellvik, an undersized winger that's a pass-first option in the O-zone. Even though Jellvik is a bit of a project in that he'll need to refine his skating and learn to roll with the punches against stronger competition, he's still an intriguing prospect that could continue to pile on points in the SHL thanks to his ability to read plays on the ice.
"I would describe myself as an offensive player with an edge in the offensive zone," Jellvik said. "My best ability, I would say, are my skills with the puck and my hockey sense to find my teammates."
ROUND 6 - Pick No. 181
Ryan Mast — D, Sarnia Sting
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 215 pounds
Stats: 1 goal, 10 assist in 58 games (2019-20 season)
In the sixth round, the Bruins added some heft on the blue line in Mast — a big body already at just 18 years old. The Bloomfield, Michigan native largely had a lost season in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with his regular club in the Sarnia Sting (OHL) out of commission for the year.
While some OHL players went overseas to fill the void without a full junior campaign, Mast only ended up playing about 10 games at the Erie PBHH Showcase.
“It’s definitely frustrating, the season kept getting pushed back farther and farther until finally it got cancelled,” Mast said of the past year in the OHL. “Like you said, it obviously would have been the biggest season of my life, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I’m super happy to have been picked, and I’m looking forward to next season.”
Mast, who expects to return to Sarnia for the 2021-22 season, projects as a defense-first presence on the blue line, but might have some room to grow offensively, at least in terms of his transition game. He won’t be flashy, but could have a fruitful pro career as a thumper at the next level.
ROUND 7 - Pick No. 213
Andre Gasseau — C, U.S. NTDP U-18
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 205 pounds
Stats: 12 goals, 15 assists in 42 games
In the final round of the draft, the B’s selected a bruising forward that could develop into an effective regular on a checking unit in Gasseau.
“Two-way power forward, trying to bring that big presence throughout the middle, carrying the puck and analyzing the game with and without the puck in the offensive zone, defensive zone,” Gasseau said when asked to describe his game. Just trying to do all of the little things right.”
The California native will develop right in the B's backyard, as he’s expected to play at Boston College starting in 2022-23. Next year, he will play with the Fargo Force in the USHL before making the jump to the NCAA ranks.
Even though scouts have lauded his shot, he does project as more of an energy guy in the pros — capable of delivering punishing check in a straight-line role.
ROUND 7 - Pick No. 217
Ty Gallagher — D, U.S. NTDP U-18
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 190 pounds
Stats: 14 goals, 13 assists in 48 games
After snagging a future Eagle with their first seventh-round selection, the Bruins closed out the 2021 Draft by taking a future Terrier just a few picks later — grabbing BU commit Ty Gallagher at No. 217.
Gallagher’s bread and butter is his shot — with the Michigan native establishing himself with Team USA as an effective sniper from the blue line, setting the record for most goals by a NTDP defensemen with 25.
“I think the best way to describe me is just a very versatile player. I can play a two-way game and I can be counted on in any situation,” Gallagher said. “Whether it’s penalty kill, blocking shots or playing on a top line, trying to create offense and win a game, win a hockey game. I think I make a really good first pass and break the puck out of the zone really well and just love to create offense with our playmaking ability as well as locking it down in the defensive zone. I’d say I’m just a versatile two-way defenseman who can play in any moment of the game."