SB Nation Boston - NHL Draft 2011: Boston Bruins Draft Dougie Hamilton, Alexander Khokhlachev With First Two Picks

NHL Draft 2011: Bruins No-Nonsense Approach Helps Keep The Cupboard Stocked

2011-06-26T15:46:36Z

When you're the defending Stanley Cup Champions, it's rare that the days leading up to the Draft are wrought with concern, and there's little agonizing to be done over who to pick, where to select them or how to move up to get that crown jewel.

At this point, all Chicago Blackhawks fans can collectively sigh.

For the newly-crowned champion Boston Bruins, there was even less fretting to be done heading into Minnesota - in part because Brad Marchand's shirtless antics had taken front and center, in part because there wasn't really enough time between victory parade and cross-country flight to Las Vegas and red-eye back to Minneapolis to spend working up a good fret, but mostly because they'd put themselves in position to come out of this draft perfectly okay, no matter who they got and when.

The first team since the New York Islanders in 1983 to win the Stanley Cup and then pick in the top ten, the Bruins selected Niagara's Dougie Hamilton, a 6-5, 190-plus pound puck-moving defenseman with a shot as strong as his defensive stickwork and a vision as developed as his frame.

Oh, they also picked in the top ten of the second round, too, thanks to clever maneuvering by GM Peter Chiarelli long, long ago (and it what seems like a galaxy far, far away). With the 40th pick, the Bruins selected Alexander Khokhlachev, a forward with a great shot - lacking for speed a bit, perhaps, but bringing a scoring touch to the organization that they'll surely be looking for in years ahead after players like Michael Ryder have come and gone.

The rest of the draft was fairly non-descript, in part because it didn't need to be and in part because it was, well, the rest of the draft. At 81 the Bruins picked Anthony Camara, a gritty winger who can learn a lot from the likes of Milan Lucic; Brian Ferlin - a Florida native with hands befitting someone of his size and a skating style befitting one who manages the Bells of Notre Dame - came at 121; defenseman Rob O'Gara - a New York native currently playing in Milton, MA - came in the fifth round, and the Bruins finished stockpiling with goaltender Lars Volden from Finland, a big kid in need of a lot of polish.

It wasn't the flashy draft haul that Boston had last year - in part because there was no Tyler Seguin or Taylor Hall anywhere in the pool (and definitely no Jared Knight waiting for them in the second round), in part because the Bruins didn't have a pick high enough to get him if there was, but mostly because it didn't need to be.

The Bruins, after all, weren't looking to do any rebuilding, or even restocking, with this draft - not with almost everyone from their championship roster guaranteed to come back, anyway. These Bruins are much more concerned with repeating.

2011 NHL Draft, Day Two: Boston Bruins Draft Picks, Rounds 1-6

2011-06-25T23:30:23Z

The 2011 NHL Draft is over, and the Boston Bruins came away with a hearty haul of fresh talent. Dougie Hamilton was the Bruins' first pick, No. 9 overall in the first round, and Alexander Khokhlachev was Boston's pick in the second round.

Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com and Bruins assistant GM Jim Benning offered their thoughts on the B's picks.

1) Dougie Hamilton (6-foot-5, 190-pound defenseman from Niagara taken with first round pick). Benning's thoughts: "We were really excited to get [Hamilton] at the 9th pick. You know he's 6-foot-5, he's a real good skater and he can handle the puck. Because of his wingspan and he's so long that he uses a long stick and he defends like Adam McQuaid, who likes to use his sticks to knock pucks down. Any time you can get a 6-foot-5 guy with his skill set, you are pretty excited. It's happened in the last couple of years where teams want scoring and they're stepping up and taking scorers early. Last year we'd seen it with [Cam] Fowler and [Brandon] Gormley kind of slip [in the first round]. Then this year maybe even Hamilton kind of slipped. I don't think it's a reflection on the player itself, but more that teams are looking to fill a need whether its center ice or scoring. We're just lucky to be in position where he ended up in our lap." (via NECN)

Here's the complete list of the Boston Bruins' draft class this year.

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Boston Bruins' Draft Picks

Dougie Hamilton (D - Niagara - OHL)
Alexander Khoklachev (C - Windsor - OHL)
Anthony Camara (:W - Saginaw - OHL)
Brian Ferlin (RW - Indiana - USHL)
Rob O'Gara (D - Milton Academy H.S, MA)
Lars Volden (G - Blues - Finland)

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NHL Draft 2011: Dougie Hamilton May Not Be Ready For Boston Bruins

2011-06-25T16:00:58Z

Dougie Hamilton became the newest member of the Boston professional sports community on Friday night after the Boston Bruins drafted him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.

However, according to Hamilton and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, he may not be ready for the NHL.

"I have no idea," Hamilton said when asked if he's ready for the NHL. "It just depends what the Bruins want to do and I'll be happy with whatever." (via WEEI)

Hamilton, who was born on June 17, 1993 and is six-foot-four, played the last two seasons with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL. This past season, Hamilton scored 12 goals and recorded 46 assists for 58 points. In addition, Hamilton registered 77 penalty minutes and had a regular season plus/minus of plus-35 in 67 games.

"I'd say he needs a little more development," Chiarelli said of the 6-foot-4, 187-pound blueliner. "He's still fairly skinny. He has to be stronger, but you never know. You never know how he'll have his summer, but my guess is that he's at least a year away." (via WEEI)

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NHL Draft 2011 Prospects: Tomas Jurco Best Available On Day Two

2011-06-25T14:29:59Z

One day down, one to go at the 2011 NHL Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the draft's first round on Friday night, there was a strong international presence, as only four NCAA hockey players were selected.

Entering day two, which features Rounds 2-7 and begins at noon on NHL Network, there is plenty of talent left in the draft, but who are the best of the best?

Tomas Jurco is listed as the best available prospect according to ESPN's Gare Joyce entering the draft's second day. Jurco, who played with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL for the past two seasons, drew high praise from Joyce.

Jurco reminds scouts of Marian Hossa. He is an explosive skater with lots of skill and proved his value when the games mattered the most. Arguably one of the best players in the Memorial Cup field.

Check out Joyce's top ten prospects heading into day two here.

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2011 NHL Draft Grades: Boston Bruins Get A Gift In Dougie Hamilton

2011-06-25T14:14:47Z

Dougie Hamilton wasn't supposed to be available when the Boston Bruins' name was called in Friday night's first round of the NHL draft.

Really, he wasn't even supposed to be available when the brand-new, old-fashioned Winnipeg Jets went two picks before him.

But because Winnipeg the Ottawa Senators went off the board with their picks, there he was. All the talk of the Bruins drafting Ryan Murphy or Nathan Beaulieu quickly dissipated, and the Bruins had their man ("it was a no-brainer," said Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, who admitted that Hamilton was in the Bruins' top five before the Edmonton Oilers announced their first pick of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins).

There were rumors that the Bruins might be trading the pick for Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis, a superstar offensive blue-liner who racked up 100 points with the Windsor Spitfires last season, but as Hamilton continued to drop down the board, the Bruins had less and less reason to make the move.

And they didn't. And there was Hamilton, donning a Bruins sweater and taking pictures with Peter Chiarelli, Cam Neely and friends.

Unlike Tyler Seguin last year, Hamilton probably won't make the team out of camp this year. He'll return to Niagara and the OHL, where he put up 12-46=58 totals and was a plus-35. He'll have another year to improve his game (Chiarelli said that he needs to gain some more strength to play at the NHL level).

Hamilton brings speed, vision, a strong breakout pass and the ability to quarterback a power play. At 6-foot-4 and 194 pounds, he also brings the element of size and physicality to a Bruins' defensive corps that gets small in a hurry after Zdeno Chara.

It's tough not to give the Bruins high marks for getting Hamilton - but then, they did nothing other than drafting the best player available to get there. Hamilton himself has a high ceiling - his projected upside is a number-one NHL defenseman, but it'll take him some time to get there. He gets a B+ at this point, especially after struggling in the OHL Eastern Conference Championships last year when St. Michael's keyed on him and shut him down (2 points, minus-three), but Bruins fans should expect him to play at an A level once he acclimates to the NHL.

2011 NHL Draft Results: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Picked No. 1 Overall By Edmonton Oilers, Dougie Hamilton To Boston Bruins

2011-06-25T14:11:40Z

The first day of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft is over, and the Boston Bruins came away with OHL defenseman Dougie Hamilton with the No. 9 overall pick. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was drafted No. 1 overall by the Edmonton Oilers.

Below is the complete results from the draft's first round on Friday.

2011 NHL Entry Draft - First Round

Edmonton Oilers - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C - Red Deer - WHL)
Colorado Avalanche - Gabriel Landeskog (LW - Kitchener - OHL)
Florida Panthers - Jonathan Hubredeau (C - Saint John - QMJHL)
New Jersey Devils - Adam Larson (D - Skelleftea - Sweden)
New York Islanders - Ryan Strome (C - Niagara - OHL)
Ottawa Senators - Mika Zibanejad (C - Djurgarden - Sweden)
Winnipeg Jets (formerly Atlanta Thrashers) - Mark Scheifele (C - Barrie - OHL)
Philadelphia Flyers - Sean Couturier (C - Drummondville - QMJHL)
Boston Bruins - Dougie Hamilton (D - Niagara - OHL)
Minnesota Wild - Jonas Brodin (D - Farjestad - Sweden)
Colorado Avalanche - Duncan Siemens (D - Saskatoon - WHL)
Carolina Hurricanes - Ryan Murphy (D - Kitchener - OHL)
Calgary Flames - Sven Bartschi (LW - Portland - WHL)
Dallas Stars - Jamie Oleksiak (D - Northeastern - Hockey East)
New York Rangers - J.T. Miller (LW - U.S. Under 18)
Buffalo Sabres - Joel Armia (RW - Assat - Finland)
Montreal Canadiens - Nathan Beaulieu (D - Saint John - QMJHL)
Chicago Blackhawks - Mark McNeill (C - Prince Albert - WHL)
Edmonton Oilers - Oscar Klefbom (D - Farjestad - Sweden)
Phoenix Coyotes - Connor Murphy (D - U.S. Under 18)
Ottawa Senators - Stefan Noesen (C - Plymouth - OHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs - Tyler Biggs (RW - U.S. Under 18)
Pittsburgh Penguins - Joe Morrow (D - Portland - WHL)
Ottawa Senators - Matt Pumpel (LW - Peterborough - OHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs - Stuart Percy (D - Mississauga - OHL)
Chicago Blackhawks - Phillip Danault (LW - Victoriaville - QMJHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning - Vladislav Namestnikov (C - London - OHL)
Minnesota Wild - Zack Phillips (C - Saint John - QMJHL)
Vancouver Canucks - Nicklas Jensen (RW - Oshawa - OHL)
Anaheim Ducks - Rickard Rakell (RW - Plymouth - OHL)

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NHL Draft 2011: Dougie Hamilton Drafted By Boston Bruins No. 9 Overall

2011-06-25T00:46:46Z

Dougie Hamilton, a defenseman from the Ontario Hockey League, has been drafted with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In the postseason, Hamilton totaled four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 14 games, recording 16 penalty minutes in the process.

During his rookie season in 2009-10, Hamilton tallied three goals and 13 assists for 16 points, 36 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of minus-8. He weighs 193 pounds and shoots with his right hand.

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NHL Draft 2011: Boston Bruins Have Seven Picks In Friday's Draft

2011-06-24T20:56:00Z

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Boston Bruins have seven picks, including the No. 9 overall pick.

Boston, which won its first Stanley Cup in 39 years this past season, is looking to add depth on defense, as well as bolster the power play. With a top ten pick, the Bruins will certainly have good options for both.

Ryan Murphy is expected to be one of Boston's top targets in the draft. In two seasons with the Kitchener Rangers, Murphy has 32 goals and 86 assists. This past season, Murphy posted career bests in goals (26) and assists (53) for 79 points and had a plus/minus of plus-22.

Murphy had two goals and nine assists for 11 points in seven postseason games this season. In 2009-10, Murphy totaled five goals and 12 assists in 20 playoff games for Kitchener.

Below is a list of all of the Bruins' draft picks. To view the complete order in this year's draft, visit NHL.com.

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Boston Bruins - Draft Picks

Round 1: No. 9 overall (from Toronto)
Round 2: No. 40 overall (from Minnesota)
Round 3: No. 81 overall (from Phoenix Coyotes)
Round 4: No. 121 overall
Round 5: No. 151 overall
Round 6: No. 181 overall.
Round 7: No. 183 overall (from Florida)

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