Boston Bruins

The Bruins added two goalies and several skilled wingers in the 2026 NHL Draft.

By Conor Ryan

June 27, 2026 | 7:51 PM

6 minutes to read

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The Bruins were busy on Friday during the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft — even if it didn’t lead to Boston adding a blue-chip prospect.

Boston parted ways with its 2026 first-round pick (No. 23 overall) and the Florida Panthers’ 2028 first-round selection (top-10 protected) in order to pry 24-year-old winger JJ Peterka out of Utah.

​Even with Boston not landing on the clock at all on Friday, the Bruins still added to their pipeline of young talent on Saturday with seven total selections on Rounds 2-7.​

Here’s a look at Boston’s Day 2 picks:

Round 2, No. 56 overall
Yuri Ivanov, G (MHL)

The Bruins have had plenty of success over the last two decades when it comes to developing netminders under the tutelage of Bob Essensa and Mike Dunham.

​Still, Yuri Ivanov stands as a pretty off-the-board pick for the Bruins — especially when it comes to their first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Ivanov, who doesn’t turn 18 until September, was tabbed as the 10th-ranked goalie in this draft class by NHL Central Scouting.

The 6-foot-2 netminder had a productive season for MHK Spartak Moskva in Russia’s top junior league — posting a 13-3-1 record with a .924 save percentage after stepping into a starting role with the club. He also led Spartak to the MHL finals, sporting a .928 save percentage over 16 playoff appearances.

Ivanov stands as a long-term project, with Sweeney noting that he’ll spend at least two years in Russia before heading overseas. Granted, the Bruins aren’t necessarily in desperate need of a goalie right now with Jeremy Swayman in place and netminders like Michael DiPietro, Šimon Zajíček, and Max Lundgren in the system. ​

“We’re just really excited about where his game could get to. … I can just share that our goalie guys were really excited to take a swing here,” Bruins director of amateur scouting Ryan Nadeau said. “We liked where this kid was going. I got to see him last weekend and meet with them. We just felt really comfortable with this pick right there.”

Round 3, No. 88 overall
Nils Bartholdsson, RW (U20 Nationell)

The Bruins opted for more skill and speed with their third-round selection, taking an undersized, but explosive, forward in Nils Bartholdsson.

Bartholdsson had a very productive season in Sweden’s under-20 league with Rogle BK, scoring 23 goals and 19 assists in 32 regular-season games. He continued his strong play during the postseason with nine goals and 17 points in nine games. ​

Only 2026 first-round pick Alexander Command (No. 12 overall) outproduced Bartholdsson as an under-18 skater in the J20 Nationell with 44 points in 30 games.

There will be questions for Bartholdsson in terms of his size (5-foot-10), and whether or not he can hold up at the next level — especially when it comes to bringing the puck into Grade-A ice. But Bartholdsson is a risk worth taking in the third round, especially if his impressive shot and speed translate to the pro game.

“Nils’ case, he probably described himself, I heard, in terms of [Viktor Arvidsson]. So that’s that’s skill and competitiveness and interior ice play, and being in the right spot,” Sweeney said. “So we’re always trying to balance that.

“We always believe that competitiveness and hockey sense — those are two of the areas of this game that coaches say are the two hardest things to improve upon. And so you want to start with that to make sure the players are wired that way.”

Round 4, No. 104 overall
Matvei Kotkov, RW (MHL)

The Bruins once again pivoted to Russia with another scoring winger with their first selection in the fourth round — taking Matvei Kotkov with the 104th pick.

Kotkov — a 6-foot winger who hounds pucks and boasts a sharp wrist shot — scored 14 goals and 31 total points over 36 games with Loko Yaroslavl in Russia’s top junior league.​

He took home tournament MVP honors of the Kharlamov Cup Playoffs, scoring nine goals and 15 points in 18 games as Yaroslavl defeated Spartak Moscow (and now-Bruins prospect Yuri Ivanov) in the finals.

Kotkov is a teammate of Bruins 2025 sixth-round pick Kirill Yemelyanov, who scored 32 goals and 57 points in 55 games against MHL competition.

“Little benefit there of playing on the same team and having a massive playoff run, a long playoff extended run that Kotkov was able to do,” Sweeney said of watching Kotkov while keeping tabs on Yemelyanov. “So I think that’s really important for us to see that over a period of time, watching his point totals as the year goes along.

“Just really like the skill. He’s also grown quite a bit in the last little bit, so that catches your eye in terms of a player that has the skill set, and then he’s getting bigger as it goes along.”

Similar to Bartholdsson, the knock against Kotkov is his smaller frame and how he might hold up physically against larger skaters in the coming years. But if Boston is trying to cash in on some lottery tickets with scoring upside, Kotkov fits that profile.

Round 4, No. 122 overall
Oscar Olsson, LW (U20 Nationell)

The Bruins continued to target talent on the wing with a big-bodied forward in Oscar Olsson with pick No. 122.

The 6-foot-4 forward posted 14 goals and 30 points in 32 games for Örebro HK in Sweden’s under-20 league. He’ll need to add some weight to his larger frame (187 pounds), but Olsson projects to be a power forward who can both win puck battles along the boards and do plenty of little things well.

He’s a pretty raw prospect — one that will need to probably simplify his game a bit more and rely on that power-forward profile if he wants to be a regular contributor in the pro game.

Round 5, No. 157 overall
Jacob Vandeven, D (OHL) 

The Bruins added their first blueliner in this draft class in the fifth round, selecting 6-foot-6, left-shot defenseman Jacob Vandeven.

As expected for his larger frame, Vandeven is a physical player with promising projections if he continues to add muscle. But he also showcased some offensive skill as well in 2025-26 — scoring 13 goals and 32 points over 47 games with the Komoka Kings of the Greater Ontario Hockey League.

He eventually earned a spot with the London Knights of the OHL — appearing in eight games with Dale Hunter’s club to close out the year. A lanky defenseman like Vandeven will need some time to marinate, but he should develop into a key D-man for the Knights moving forward before taking another step forward in his development.

Round 6, No. 170 overall
Roberto Henriquez, G (USHL)

The Bruins added another goalie to their prospect pool in the sixth round — bringing in Boston College commit Roberto Henriquez.

Elite Prospects was high on Henriquez, tabbing him as the No. 71 prospect in this whole draft class.

“Henriquez has some of the nicest footwork in the class, with quick feet, impressive edge control, and strong push power,” Elite Prospects’ draft report said of Henriquez.

Henriquez, who has a Dominican father and a Slovakian mother, was born and raised in Bratislava. He made the move to the US in 2024, eventually making the jump to the USHL. He spent the 2025-26 season with the Green Bay Gamblers, sporting a .921 save percentage over 37 total games. He will begin his college career at Chestnut Hill this fall.

“We love his competitiveness,” Nadeau said. “Kid who had a real strong year in Green Bay. Battles hard, like the athleticism. Just a kid who made a jump from last year, was on our radar pretty early with some play with the way he can attack pucks, and we stayed on it.”

Jeremy Swayman might become a fan of Henriquez, given both his stint playing for the Anchorage Wolverines (NAHL) in 2024-25 — as well as his willingness to drop the gloves with other goalies.

Round 7, No. 216 overall
Cullen McCrate, D (USHL)

The Bruins closed out their latest draft class by adding an overager defenseman in Cullen McCrate. 

The 6-foot-2, right-shot defenseman had a productive season with the USHL’s Fargo Force — scoring 10 goals and 30 points over 61 games. That offensive upside is due for some regression against tougher competition, but he logged heavy minutes for the Force throughout the 2025-26 campaign. 

He’s expected to play for a loaded Michigan State team for the 2026-27 season.