Bruins Predicted To Take Star Canadian Center With No. 7 Pick In 2025 NHL Draft

The Boston Bruins are entering the 2025 NHL Draft in an unusual spot, as they are armed with the No. 7 overall pick. Assuming they don’t trade down, this will be the first time since 2011 the Bruins have made a pick in the top 10 of the draft.

While things didn’t go the B’s way last season, they still have an assortment of talented players at their disposal. That being said, there’s some clear needs that general manager Don Sweeney and the front office will be looking to address in the coming weeks.

Arguably the biggest need of the bunch is a true No. 1 center, which Boston has not had since Patrice Bergeron retired back in 2023. With the No. 7 pick in their pocket, the Bruins have a great avenue to potentially draft and develop their next star center.

The good news for the B’s is that, if they target the center position with this pick, there are going to be quite a few options for them to pick from. While defenseman Matthew Schaefer is widely expected to be taken first overall by the New York Islanders, there could be a run on centers immediately after him.

The problem for Boston is that the teams drafting ahead of them all could conceivably be looking to draft centers too, which would limit their choices. Still, in Nick Goss’ final mock draft for NBC Sports Boston, he believes that the Bruins will land a top-tier center in Jake O’Brien with the No. 7 pick.

“O’Brien is the best center available at this point in Round 1,” Goss wrote. “He has a really strong two-way skill set with the high-end offensive talent to consistently create scoring chances for himself and teammates. He tallied 66 assists in 66 games for Brantford last season.”

O’Brien has starred for the Brantford Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League over the past two seasons, and he really found his footing this past season, as he scored 32 goals and dished out 66 assists for his team. Beyond that, he’s also a solid defender at the center spot, which is something Boston is known to value in their centers.

There’s a decent chance that Boston’s selection at No. 7 will depend on how the board falls in front of them. But if O’Brien is still on the board by the time they are on the clock, this pick would undoubtedly make a lot of sense for the Bruins.