The center position is a question mark going forward for the Boston Bruins organization. With Patrice Bergeron’s and David Krejci’s impending retirement, the Bruins locked up versatile forward Pavel Zacha to a four-year deal. Center Charlie Coyle is also under contract beyond this season. After that, Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney will be in the market for another top-six center. Finding the next great pivot has been at the forefront and was why Sweeney spent his first three draft picks in 2022 on centers. One, in particular, might just end up being a fourth-round steal.
Dans Locmelis, the 119th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is opening some eyes in the organization with his recent play for Lulea HF in Sweden. The 19-year-old has registered 17 goals and 30 assists in 35 games. Locmelis has been a high-producing offensive player as late, with seven goals and nine assists in the last ten games with a plus-6 rating. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound forward has an impressive plus-22 rating this season after totaling 18 goals and 16 assists in 44 games with a plus-16 last season for Lulea.
The Lelgava, Latvia native has been climbing the prospect charts steadily year to year. Locmelis played for Latvia in the World Junior championships the last two seasons and scored three goals in six tournament games in 2023. The left-shot center was picked later in the NHL Draft due to his lack of size at 150 pounds at the time of the draft. But Locmelis has the talent and hockey sense to be an NHL-caliber center eventually.
As for next season, Locmelis is still undecided. Most believe the 19-year-old will head to the United States to play at least a year of college hockey. Earlier reports had Locmelis choosing between Northern Michigan University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The competition in the CCHA or Hockey East should give Locmelis an indication of just how much progress has been made. One could expect Locmelis to play in college for at least two seasons.
But for now, Dans Locmelis has performed well enough to make him a legitimate prospect in the Boston Bruins organization. Along with fellow centers Brett Harrison and Matthew Poitras, the Bruins are beginning the process of finding replacements for two all-time great Bruins centers. Keep an eye on Locmelis as he heads to the United States soon.
Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo? – Bruins Benders Podcast
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He has committed to UMass for next season