Getting to Know: Riley Duran

BostonBruins.com - The Boston Bruins selected forward Riley Duran with the 182nd overall pick on Wednesday afternoon during the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Last Team: Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
Position: Forward
Height: 6 feet, 2 inches
Weight: 179 pounds
Shoots: Right
Birthday: Jan. 25, 2002
Hometown: Woburn, Massachusetts
Central Scouting: 95th-ranked North American skater
Duran struggled to find the right words. Growing up just 25 minutes north of TD Garden, the Woburn native was ecstatic to be the latest in a long line of local products to end up with the Black & Gold.
"It couldn't have worked out better with such a great organization," Duran, donning a Bruins hat, said shortly after speaking with GM Don Sweeney and President Cam Neely via Zoom. "Tons of history. From the day I was born, I was a Bruins fan and still am now. I'm just so excited to be a part of this organization…my brain is still twisting right now. It's really just a dream come true.
"I never really thought I'd be at this point and all the hard work paid off the past couple years. It's really, it's just awesome. It's just a dream come true, I'm speechless."
Duran and his parents - including father, Jim, the head coach of the Woburn High School boys' hockey team - were monitoring the Draft from Ohio where Duran is set to suit up for his first season with Youngstown of the USHL.
"We were just standing around the TV for the past hour and we were just looking. I think when my name came up, I legit just blacked out," said Duran. "I had no idea what was going on. I saw my mom, she was bobbling her phone when she went up to take a picture. It's just a dream come true. The town of Woburn is always a close town and everyone knows each other, it'll just be awesome when I'm back home."

Miscellaneous: Duran has been lauded for his dogged style of play and endless compete level. The 18-year-old played for his father at Woburn High as a freshman in 2016-17 before moving on to Malden Catholic the following year and then Lawrence Academy for his junior and senior seasons.
In 2019-20, Duran notched 44 points in 27 games as an assistant captain at Lawrence Academy. The forward, who can play both center and wing, also spent significant time with the Cape Cod Whalers for parts of the past three years.
"Strengths to my game is just, I love to compete, I love to get the puck low," said Duran. "I love to get the puck to the net. One of my favorite players growing up was Charlie Coyle. He was a Boston guy. I just always remembered watching him play at BU for half that year and then following him on to his pro career. He plays a 200-foot game, he can score goals and he can lay the body, so that's what I like to play."
Duran won't be venturing very far as he is committed to play for coach Nate Leaman at Providence College starting with the 2021-22 season.
"I committed to the Friars just because their coaching staff, it's a great school," said Duran. "Nate Leaman, [Ron] Rolston, and [Joel] Beal, they're awesome people, they're great coaches. I know they really get on you there and that's what I need. They have great structure in their game and that's how I play my game, they play a tough game and they love to compete."