After not drafting in the first two rounds of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Boston Bruins used all five of their scheduled 2023 NHL Draft picks on Thursday.
The Bruins drafted four forwards (two centers, two wingers) with their first four picks and then added a defenseman with their fifth. The Bruins have drafted five centers, with their last 11 draft picks dating back to the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Here’s the skinny on the newest Boston Bruins:
Christopher Pelosi, Center (Round 3, 93rd overall)
The Boston Bruins drafted 6-foot-1, 181-pound, 18-year-old center Christopher Pelosi at 93rd overall. Pelosi starred at the legendary Woonsocket, RI hockey academy, Mt. St. Charles, for two seasons (2020-21, 2021-22). Pelosi had 31 goals and 30 assists in 52 games for the 16U AAA team in 2021-22. The Sewell, NJ native spent last season playing for the Janesville Jets with ten goals and seven assists in 24 games. Pelosi will be a freshman for the 2023 National Champions, the Quinnipiac Tigers this fall.
Beckett Hendrickson, Left Wing (Round 4, 124th overall)
The Boston Bruins drafted 6-foot-2, 174-pound,18 -year-old winger Beckett Hendrickson at 124th overall. The Minnetonka, MN native and son of former NHLer Darby Hendrickson is a University of Minnesota (2024-25) commit. Hendrickson has also been part of the U.S. National Development Program and played for their USNTDP junior team in the USHL for the last two seasons. In 52 games with the US National U18 team last season, he had 12 goals and eight assists, and in 21 games with the USNTDP junior team, he had seven goals and nine assists. Hendrickson also played for the USA U18 National Junior team and had two assists in seven games at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Ryan Walsh, Center (Round 6, 188th overall)
The Boston Bruins drafted another center in the sixth round, picking 6-foot-1, 181-pound, 19-year-old Ryan Walsh. Walsh – who played for the Salisbury School in Salisbury, RI, in the 2020-21 season – had 30 goals and 49 assists in 61 games for the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders in the USHL last season. The Rochester, NY native is headed to Cornell this fall.
Casper Nassen, Winger (Round 7, 214th overall)
The Boston Bruins drafted another winger in the 7th round, picking big, 6-foot-4, 205-pound winger Casper Nassen. The Norrtalje, Sweden native played for and captained the Vasteras IK J20 team last season. Nassen scored 23 goals and had 17 assists in 48 games.
Kristian Kostadinski, Defenseman (Round 7, 220th overall)
The Boston Bruins used their last pick of the 2023 NHL Draft on a defenseman. With their second seventh-round pick and the 220th overall pick, the Bruins drafted 6-foot-5, 214-pound, 18-year-old defenseman Kristian Kostadinski. The Goteborg, Sweden native, played for Frolunda HC J20 and had two goals and eight assists in 43 games.
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