Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Friday night that he does not expect defenseman Dougie Hamilton, whom the team chose with the ninth overall pick in the NHL draft, to play in the NHL next season. If the 18-year-old doesn't make the Bruins, he will return to Niagara for another season in the OHL.
"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."
The Bruins did not bring Hamilton in for a workout, and it was a surprise to the team that he was available with the ninth pick. Hamilton was ranked the No. 4 North American skater by Central Scouting.
"We basically said that we don’t have to bring this fellow in," Chiarelli said. "If he’s there, it’s a no-brainer so we didn’t have to see anything extra on him. That’s how strongly we feel about him."
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