Bruins Mocked To Select Future Middle-Six Center At 23rd Overall

Boston Bruins forward Fraser Minten

Bruins Mocked To Select Future Middle-Six Center At 23rd Overall originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Bruins have the 23rd overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and will look to add another high-end prospect to the system.

Boston had a chance to get the sixth or seventh overall pick had the Toronto Maple Leafs not won the draft lottery, which happened, so the Bruins will only get the 23rd pick.

Ahead of the NHL Draft, analyst Scott Wheeler of The Athletic revealed his first mock draft and had Boston selecting centerman Jack Hextall out of Youngstown in the USHL.

“Hextall isn’t a sexy, flashy, offensive first-rounder, but he’s well-liked and well-respected around the USHL and NHL, and widely viewed as a first-rounder for a lot of the same reasons Command is: a heavy stick, pro habits and details, position, etc,” Wheeler wrote.

“He’s got some big backers, and I could see the Bruins being interested in him as a potential future middle-six center behind James Hagens. I think he goes in the 20s or early 30s somewhere.”

Hextall recorded 20 goals and 38 assists for 58 points in 59 games in the USHL last season. The 6-foot-1 centerman is committed to play at Michigan State, so he likely wouldn’t play for the Bruins for at least a year or two, but could be a future middle-six center for Boston, as building through the middle is key.