VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The Bruins left here on Saturday afternoon with five shiny new prospects in their toolbox after selecting four forwards and a defenseman during the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at Rogers Arena.

The crop's headliner was first-round pick John Beecher, a centerman out of the United States National Team Development Program that boasts an impressive blend of size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) and elite skating.

Rounding out the Black & Gold's 2019 Draft class on Day 2 were forwards Quinn Olson, Matias Mantykivi, and Jake Schmaltz, as well as Russian blue liner Roman Bychkov.

"I think we got some depth," Bruins assistant general manager Scott Bradley said following the Draft's conclusion on Saturday afternoon. "You know, we spread it out pretty good. We got a couple good forwards, got the D-man from Russia, so we're excited…we hit on a lot of guys on our list."

Here's a closer look at Boston's five newest prospects:

BostonBruins.com - The Boston Bruins selected forward Jake Schmaltz with the 192nd pick (seventh round) on Saturday afternoon at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver.

"Just when I found out it was Boston, I was really excited just because it's such a great organization, just talking to them," said Schmaltz, who was in the middle of a graduation party when he got the call. "I just see all the fans, and everybody in the city is just behind them…I just feel like the energy in that arena and everything is so awesome, and it's such a storied franchise. It's been there forever. They're good every year. It's awesome."

Here is everything else you need to know about Schmaltz:

BostonBruins.com ­- The Boston Bruins selected forward Matias Mantykivi with the 185th pick (sixth round) on Saturday afternoon at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver.

Here is everything else you need to know about Mantykivi:

BostonBruins.com - The Boston Bruins selected defenseman Roman Bychkov with the 154th pick (fifth round) on Saturday afternoon at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver.

Here is everything else you need to know about Bychkov:

BostonBruins.com - The Boston Bruins selected forward Quinn Olson with the 92nd pick (third round) on Saturday afternoon at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver.

"I was in my summer school class," Olson said of when he got the call. "I was just watching it on my phone, and next thing you know I was scrolling through and saw my name pop up. Then I got a call from my agent and a player management guy in Boston...just knowing that I've trained as hard as I have and now that I know it's starting to pay off. It's been good.

Here is everything else you need to know about Olson:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - For over a decade, the Bruins have set the standard for building around centermen in the National Hockey League.

With Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci leading the way, Boston has not had much to worry about when it comes to its play down the middle. And with Charlie Coyle and Sean Kuraly - two of the Bruins' best postseason performers this spring - also in tow, there may not be a better quartet of pivots anywhere in the NHL.

But one of the most crucial parts of Don Sweeney's job is looking to the future. And with Bergeron and Krejci approaching their mid-30s and Coyle under contract for just one more season, Boston's general manager knows he must find the right successors to fortify what's been a position of strength through each of the Bruins' three runs to the Stanley Cup Final this decade.

BostonBruins.com - The Boston Bruins selected forward John Beecher with the 30th overall pick (on Friday evening at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver.

"I've always watched the Bruins and admired them," said Beecher. "They've had a lot of success for a reason. They're world class. I mean, they do things the right way, so it's an honor and privilege to be a part of it."

The 18-year-old centerman explained his style of play.

"I'm a big power forward," he said. "I use my size and my speed to my advantage, and I think my game really translates well to Boston."

BostonBruins.com - The night before the Bruins took the ice for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, one of the organization's recent draft picks achieved junior hockey glory. Jakub Lauko, a third-round pick in 2018, and his QMJHL squad, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, defeated the Halifax Mooseheads to claim the Memorial Cup.

BOSTON - A young and resilient Providence Bruins squad fell to the Charlotte Checkers in the first round of the AHL playoffs. For some, the season was coming to an end. For a few others, the offseason would have to wait. With the Boston Bruins surging through the Eastern Conference side of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, some P-Bruins stuck around to comprise this year's "Black Aces".''

The term "Black Aces", originally coined in 1940 by legendary Bruins defenseman Eddie Shore, describes the extra skaters waiting in the wings to be called into action in case of injuries.

The Bruins have a host of 12 of these "Black Aces" who have been skating regularly since the end of their AHL season on Apr. 26. Down in Providence, Peter Cehlarik, Zach Senyshyn, Jack Studnicka, Trent Frederic, Anton Blidh, Jordan Szwarz, Paul Carey, Urho Vaakanainen, Jeremy Lauzon, Jakub Zboril and Kyle Keyser. In Boston, Zane McIntyre has been with the team as the third goaltender.

BOSTON - Bruins forward prospect Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson has decided to return to his native Sweden and intends to sign a contract to play for Vaxjo of the Swedish Hockey League next season, according to general manager Don Sweeney.
 
"Jakob will continue his professional hockey career and development in the SHL and we support his decision to be closer to his family at this time in his life," said Sweeney. "Over the past few weeks, Jakob has also communicated that he fully intends to resume playing for the Bruins, but for right now he feels playing at home in Sweden is what is best for him."