BOSTON (AP) — Boston chose 18-year-old defenseman Matt Grzelcyk from the United States development team in Ann Arbor, Mich., with its first pick on the second day of the NHL draft Saturday.
The Bruins has to wait until 85th overall to take him because they traded their second-round pick in February 2011 to get defenseman Tomas Kaberle.
They also didn’t have a fourth-rounder due to a trade, but dealt to get a fifth-rounder, and took center Seth Griffith with the 131st pick, and forward Cody Payne 14 spots later. He had 16 points and 107 penalty minutes in juniors last season.
The Bruins closed out the day by taking defenseman Matthew Benning, the nephew of Bruins assistant general manager Jim Benning, in the sixth, and forward Colton Hargrove in the seventh.
Two Mainers, Brian Hart of Cumberland and Jon Gillies of South Portland, were selected in the second day of the NHL Draft.
Hart played at Phillips Exeter Academy the past season was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning.. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound forward had 31 goals and 34 assists in 29 games this season. He will start his college hockey career with Harvard University in the fall.
Gillies, a goaltender, spent the year with the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League and was the Calgary Flames third-round selection. The goaltender out of the USHL had a 31-11-9 record with a 2.77 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in the regular season. He will be attending Providence College this year.
Two former Lewiston Maineiacs were drafted. Dillon Fournier was the Chicago Blackhawks’ second-round selection. He had nine goals and 28 assists in 52 games with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Francis Beauvillier was the Florida Panthers’ sixth-round choice. With the Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL), he had 23 goals and 11 assists during the regular season.