2020 NHL Draft: A Pick-By-Pick Scouting Report

BOSTON - The future of the Black & Gold is starting to look pretty red, white, and blue.
Already with 13 Americans on the NHL roster - among the highest totals in the league - the Bruins loaded up the system with a few more on Wednesday afternoon, selecting four players from the United States during the 2020 NHL Draft.
Mason Lohrei (58th overall, Wisconsin), Trevor Kuntar (89th, New York), Mason Langenbrunner (151st, Minnesota), and Riley Duran (182nd, Massachusetts) - all bound for college hockey - rounded out the B's Class of 2020, making it the first all-American draft in team history.

Despite the star-spangled selections, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said there has been no shift in overall draft strategy and that ultimately the club is trying to find the best players regardless of which development path they have chosen.
"To tell you the honest truth, we're trying to look at the best player available," said Sweeney, a native Canadian who spent four years at Harvard before his 16-year NHL career with the Bruins and Dallas Stars. "Obviously, we're cognizant of a development path and what the players upside is depending on where you're picking. In some cases, you've targeted two or three players and you're tapping into European scouts because one of them may be playing in that environment and all of a sudden, they're off the board.
"Again, you put so much time and effort, and I have to applaud our staff for the amount of detail they put in over an extended period of time - and obviously unusual circumstances - to try and make sure to put us in a position where we're drafting a player that we really, really like, that we know very well, that we've done enough background work on, that we feel fits into the identity and the culture and most importantly, the talent that we're looking for. And hopefully we've done that."
Here's a scouting report on Boston's four newest prospects courtesy of Bruins Associate Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Nadeau:

Round 2, 58th Overall | Mason Lohrei

The big-bodied defenseman hails from Verona, Wisconsin and is set for his second full season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL after playing three years for Culver Military Academy. Lohrei, 19, displays plenty of skill with the puck and notched 37 points (8 goals, 29 assists) in 48 games last season.
The 6-foot-4, 201-pound left shot is committed to Ohio State for the 2021-22 season.
"Mason has grown over the years. He's a big body, moves around the ice pretty well, has been very good getting pucks up the ice and being involved at the offensive blue line," said Nadeau. "We've loved the growth in his game and he's just a player that we think has an upward trajectory that we're very intrigued with. We're looking forward to the development part that's going to continue with our staff here in Boston.
"He was a player that had somewhat recently transitioned from forward to defense, and then made the jump from Culver right into a USHL team. We really like the way he made the that transition, and his game continued to grow over the course of the year."
A more in depth look at Lohrei is here.

Round 3, 89th Overall | Trevor Kuntar

The 19-year-old out of Williamstown, New York, is prepping for his freshman campaign at Boston College. Kuntar arrives at the Heights after three seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, where he finished in the top 10 in scoring after notching 28 goals and 53 points in 2019-20. The 6-foot, 203-pound center boasts a heavy shot and strong frame.
"Watching him year over year, the continued growth to his game, his skating has improved," said Nadeau. "He just works hard and he's constantly a kid that is really abrasive to play against. That continued this year and we're very intrigued with the growth that he's had.
"He's a heavy, strong kid, plays with a lot of sandpaper, in your face type of style, goes to the net, has a good shot. Checks a lot of boxes for us that we really like and are intrigued with. A hardworking kid, someone that we're very excited to have as part of our group."
A more in depth look at Kuntar is here.

Round 5, 151st Overall | Mason Langenbrunner

Son of Bruins Director of Player Development, Jamie Langenbrunner, the 6-foot-2 blue liner is a familiar face for the organization. Langenbrunner turned 18 in September, making him one of the youngest players in the Draft.
The Harvard commit will suit up for Sioux City of the USHL for the next couple of months and is planning to return to Eden Prairie High School for his senior season if the COVID-19 pandemic allows.
In 25 games for Eden Prairie last season, he picked up 19 points (5 goals, 14 assists).
"A big, tall, lanky defenseman," said Nadeau. "Another kid that has physically grown quite a bit over the last year in a half…he's a kid who we've watched closely here and seen a lot of growth with the way he's matured on the ice. We think he's got a lot more room to grow."
While Langenbrunner, who likens his game to Bruins blue liner Brandon Carlo, has been well known to the organization, Nadeau noted that the Bruins' scouting staff did its best to judge the player on merit.
"Wouldn't call it an obstacle but it's certainly unique," said Nadeau. "You do your best to push that out and evaluate him strictly as a hockey player and not necessarily deal with the name on the back of the shirt or any sort of previous relationship you had with him. It can be a little bit of a challenge, I guess. At times you could look at it that way.
"Obviously, we always have unique insight to the player and where he is maturity-wise and growth-wise. He's player that we got to see quite a bit and sort of know the trajectory. We're happy and excited about making him a pick and bringing him into the Bruins organization."
A more in depth look at Langenbrunner is here.

Round 6, 182nd Overall | Riley Duran

The Woburn, Massachusetts, native played for his father, Jim, during his freshman campaign at Woburn High, before moving on to Malden Catholic the following year and then Lawrence Academy for his junior and senior seasons. Duran, a 6-foot-2, 179-pound forward, notched 44 points in 27 games for LA in 2019-20 and will play for Youngstown of the USHL this season. He is known for his strong compete level and compares his game to Bruins' center Charlie Coyle.
The 18-year-old, who can play both center and wing, is committed to Providence College for the 2021-22 season.
"Being a local kid, we've seen him a lot over the last few years," said Nadeau. "We've seen sort of the way his game has progressed. Good size on the wing, has some speed, had a good year at Lawrence Academy. Now he's gonna play in Youngstown, committed to Providence College.
"Just a kid who checks a lot of boxes for us. We like the path that he's on…we were really happy to make that pick."

When it comes to adding another local player to the organization - Coyle (Weymouth), Chris Wagner (Walpole), Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown), Matt Filipe (Lynnfield) are the current hometown boys - Sweeney acknowledged the challenges that come with playing at home, while also pointing to the existing group of locals that have embraced the opportunity.
"It's a privilege to play for the Boston Bruins, I believe that. I believed that as a player and I believe that as a manager," said Sweeney. "Not every player is pre-disposed to be able to handle that. But the players that we have on our roster, they really enjoy it here and rightfully so.
"This is a tremendous organization to play for and the city itself, as you guys all know, they will buy you a beer when you win. And they will tell you when you're not playing well, and that's just a fact of life. As a competitive person and an athlete, you really don't want it any other way.
"In Riley Duran's case, we like the player. We like the path that he has, we like the competitiveness. He's played two positions, he's playing center right now. We think he can also play the wing which he played an awful lot.
"And he has growth and opportunity in his game that we covet. And the background check that we've worked, he's a young man that should be able to play in his home environment."
A more in depth look at Duran is here.
Video: Nadeau goes 1-on-1 after Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft