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NCAA’s Baker: Will Congress back $2.8B settlement with antitrust protection?

Associated Press Now that the NCAA has taken care of its business, its president wants Congress to deliver. NCAA President Charlie Baker, like his predecessor a proponent of federal legislation to lock in some of the seismic changes hitting college sports, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that draft legislation circulating in Washington is what […]

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Now that the NCAA has taken care of its business, its president wants Congress to deliver.

NCAA President Charlie Baker, like his predecessor a proponent of federal legislation to lock in some of the seismic changes hitting college sports, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that draft legislation circulating in Washington is what the association has been asking for. Now, it’s simply a matter of passing it.

“One of the messages we got from them was, ‘Clean up your own house first, and then come talk to us,’” said Baker, a former Massachusetts governor whose political acumen was a key selling point when he was selected for the NCAA job in 2023.

The NCAA delivered, Baker said, with new rules that guarantee better post-graduate health care and scholarship protections for athletes, and then with the crown jewel of reforms — the $2.8 billion lawsuit settlement that a federal judge approved last week.

The most fundamental change from the settlement is that schools can now directly pay players through revenue-sharing.

For that to work, though, Baker and the NCAA have been lobbying for a limited form of antitrust protection that would prevent, for instance, lawsuits challenging the spending cap prescribed by the settlement, which will be $20.5 million in the first year. The Washington Post reported that draft legislation would include room for that sort of protection.

Baker suggested that antitrust exemption might also include a carve-out for eligibility rules, which is not part of the settlement but that has landed the NCAA in court as a defendant in various lawsuits challenging a long-held rule that athletes have five years to complete four seasons of eligibility.

“The consequences of this for the next generation of young people, if you play this thing out, are enormous,” Baker said. “You’re moving away from an academic calendar to sort of no calendar for college sports, and that is hugely problematic.”

Baker said the other top two priorities for the legislation are:

—A preemption of state laws that set different rules for paying players, which amounts to “competitive advantage stuff” for state legislatures seeking to give their public universities a recruiting edge.

“That’s not just an issue for the NCAA on a level-playing-field basis, it’s an issue for the conferences,” Baker said.

Greg Sankey, the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, agrees with that, recently saying that it was not good to have a league spanning 12 states operating under 12 different laws guiding player payments and other elements of college sports.

—A ban on college athletes being deemed employees. Recently, Tennessee athletic director Danny White suggested collective bargaining for players was “the only solution.” Whether that would lead to a direct employment model is difficult to know, but Baker said he’s not the only one against it.

“This is something every student leadership group I’ve ever talked to has pretty strong feelings about,” he said. “They want to be students who play sports, they don’t want to be employees because a lot of them worry about what the consequences for their time as students will be if they’re obliged to be employees first.”

___

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EDUCATION ROUNDUP: Wyoming Area raises taxes, removes merger item from agenda

Wyoming Area Board of Education approved a final budget for the 2025-2026 school year, including a 3.5% property tax hike, at its regular session on Tuesday. The budget was passed with a vote of 5-4. Board members Michael Kachmarsky, Mara Valenti, Kirby Kunkle, Erica Gazda, and Joseph Kopko voted yes. Board members Michael Supey, […]

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Wyoming Area Board of Education approved a final budget for the 2025-2026 school year, including a 3.5% property tax hike, at its regular session on Tuesday.

The budget was passed with a vote of 5-4. Board members Michael Kachmarsky, Mara Valenti, Kirby Kunkle, Erica Gazda, and Joseph Kopko voted yes.

Board members Michael Supey, David Alberigi, Peter Butera, and Phil Campenni voted no.

The 3.5% increase is lower than the 5.5% increase that was proposed back in May.

The tax hike represents a millage of 108.6909 for Wyoming County and 21.789 for Luzerne County.

A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

The budget itself called for expenditures of $47,834,09 against revenue of $46,825,741 resulting in a shortfall of a little over $1 million, which will be covered by the fund balance.

The school board previously approved a 6.5% increase last year and a 5.5% increase the year before.

Also at the meeting, Butera made a motion to amend the agenda to add an item that would create a committee to explore the possibility of Wyoming Area merging with another school district.

That motion to amend failed to pass, with five board members voting no and four voting yes.

However, multiple board members who voted against it did say they would be open to the idea for forming a committee at a different time and with more information.

Dallas

At the June school board meeting, Dallas Superintendent Thomas J. Duffy, offered a list of education updates:

• Student activities: In the context of a model of continuous improvement, Duffy said action planning is being completed and enacted related to the district athletic department. The plan of action includes increased coach training, a revision coach evaluation instrument and process, revised internal timelines and processes, updated supervision plan, implementation of new district owned communication application, revised parent/student/coach meeting format, and increased communication within and from the athletic department.

The fall season coach meeting is planned for July 16 and a parent-student athlete event is planned for July 30.

• Property updates: A district partnership with the Luzerne County Conservation District led by John Levitsky, Watershed Specialist, is underway. The project will seek to plant native species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to campus stormwater basins.

Funding is being provided via an Environmental Education grant and Countywide Action Plan (CAP) funding.

• Comprehensive Plan 2022-2025: The Comprehensive Plan governs a three-year cycle officially beginning in July 2022. The District submitted and communicated the plan goals in March 2022.

Corresponding annual goals are listed following each comprehensive plan:

— To develop and enhance a K-12 learning environment that increases support of students’ well-being and provides increased self-awareness, development of interpersonal skills, emotional and tiered mental health supports for pro-social growth and development.

— Establish and enhance a district system that ensures consistent implementation of differentiated, dynamic, student-centered learning experiences with programming designed to provide effective specially designed instruction, remediation, enrichment, extension, acceleration and transition in order to meet the individual needs of all students.

— Establish and enact a system of curriculum and assessment archiving, sharing, evaluating and revising with a focus on K-12 alignment and collaboration, academic standards, graduation requirements and opportunities for all students.

— Develop district practices that foster increased community relationships and partnerships. In particular, develop systems to increase effective communication modes and collaboration within and among the school community, that embraces diversity, evaluates and provides equity in opportunities for students, and fosters kindness among all district stakeholders. Within these practices, further develop student support systems, opportunities, and service learning.

Crestwood

Crestwood’s school board approved their Final General Financial Budget for the 2025-2026 school year, though not without changes from the board’s previous meeting and some hearty discussion amongst its members.

Richard Nardone, the chair of the school board’s financial planning committee, offered an amendment to the budget’s previously stated tax millage rate and expenditures. The millage rate was changed from 2.5% to 2.2% — a .3% decrease — and the expenditures were increased from $49,674,470 to $49,727,593 — a $53,123 increase.

The increases on the expense side accounted for a new administrator to be hired by the district halfway through the upcoming school year, as well as raises for two Act 93 employees who are already working for the district.

Upon being questioned on the shift in the budget’s numbers by board President John Macri, Nardone explained the district’s need for more employees on the administrative level beyond what was built into the originally conceived budget.

“From the standpoint of the taxpayer money, we have a tremendous need of staff in this organization,” said Nardone. “We run skinny. We need more administrators.”

Eventually, after further discussion, Macri and every other board member in attendance, save for Lauren McCurdy, approved the budget with Nardone’s recommended changes in place.

In addition to the budget discussion, the board also approved the hiring of multiple new employees, though their compensation was not listed on the publicly distributed meeting agenda due to ongoing contract negotiations, according to Superintendent Natasha Milazzo.

The new hires include Alexann Abramcheck, math teacher; Allison Button, biology teacher; Melanie Kobela, french/spanish teacher; Taylor Stair, English teacher; Ryan Arcangeli, history and gifted teacher; Renee Jones, English teacher; and Amanda Butch, Kelly Leicht, Amanda Menghini, Noelle Nicholas, Lauren Trinisewski-Greeley, and Alex Covelens as elementary teachers.

Wyoming Valley West

The school board approved the final budget for the 2025-2026 school year with no tax increase for the second year in a row during a special meeting on June 20.

The property tax rate will remain at 18.4807 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

For example, a homeowner with a $100,000 property in the district would pay about $1,848 in annual taxes.

According to the budget documents provided, $32.25 million in revenue will come from property taxes.

As a whole, the budget calls for expenditures of $100.17 million against $100.25 million in revenue.

The full budget is available on the district’s website.

Also at the meeting, the board approved Superintendent David Tosh, who officially retires on June 30, to assist in the transition of the new superintendent, Charles Suppon Jr., who will step into the role July 1.

According to the agenda, Tosh will be paid $100 per hour required.

The school board also approved a number of new hires including:

• Hali Storm, fifth grade teacher, $46,500 annually.

• Janelle Krisulevicz, fifth grade teacher, $46,500 annually.

• Bianka Melendez, fifth grade teacher, $46,500 annually.

• Jamie Lasecki, fifth grade teacher, $69,000 annually.

Melissa Robinson, middle school special education teacher, learning support, salary TBD.

Kyrstyn Kobusky, special education teacher, State Street, emotional support, $46,500 annually.

Ann Malo, special education teacher, Third Avenue, autistic support, $46,500 annually.

Janine Kravitsky, special education teacher, Dana Street, life skills, $61,000 annually.

The next Wyoming Valley West School Board work session will take place at 7 p.m. on Aug. 6, followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 13. Both will take place at 201 Chester St., Kingston, in the middle school auditorium.

The meeting will also stream live on Zoom.

Hazleton Area

According to a posting on the district’s website, the next meeting of the Hazleton Area Board of Education is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, July 24, at the Hazleton Area Career Center, Large Group Instruction Room, Administration Building Entrance, 1515 W. 23rd Street, Hazle Township.

According to the website, in the event of inclement weather or any other situation that would prevent the board from physically attending a scheduled meeting, the board may hold scheduled meetings virtually. In that case, the meeting link and agenda will be available at hasdk12.org/sbagenda. Anyone wishing to make public comment on agenda items should email Superintendent Uplinger at [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

Northwest Area

According to the district’s website, the next school board meeting will take place at 6:45 p.m. July 17 in the Northwest Area Library, unless a different location is posted on the front door of the Northwest Area High School, 243 Thorne Hill Road, Shickshinny.

Pittston Area

The next meeting of the Pittston Area school board will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, at the high school. Should that meeting time change, a press release will be issued by the district.

Lake-Lehman

According to the district’s website, the next school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 21 in the auditorium of the junior-senior high school, at 1128 Old Rte 115, Lehman.

Hanover Area

The Hanover Area school board does not have a meeting scheduled in July. Their next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the high school.

Greater Nanticoke Area

The next meeting of the Greater Nanticoke school board will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, at the high school.

Wilkes-Barre Area

The board will not meet in July. The next meeting will be held in August at a date to be announced.



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Michigan State hockey finishes with 3rd most picks in 2025 NHL Draft

For yet another year under Adam Nightingale, Michigan State hockey has produced a multitude of NHL Draft picks — it never gets old hearing that. While the Spartans didn’t have a top-five pick again this year like Artyom Levshunov was a season ago, going No. 2 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, they did rack up […]

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For yet another year under Adam Nightingale, Michigan State hockey has produced a multitude of NHL Draft picks — it never gets old hearing that.

While the Spartans didn’t have a top-five pick again this year like Artyom Levshunov was a season ago, going No. 2 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, they did rack up six draftees.

That was good for third-most of any college hockey program.

Michigan led the way with eight selections, Boston University was in second with seven, and Michigan State came in a tie for third with North Dakota, sending six players to the NHL Draft.

The first Spartan selected was newcomer Ryker Lee who spent last season with the Madison Capitols; he went No. 26 overall to the Nashville Predators. Next was incoming freshman Mason West who was picked No. 29 overall by the Blackhawks.

After those two first-rounders, it was Eric Nilson at No. 45. He’s a Swedish center who’s one of the newcomers on this year’s team. Following him, Shane Vansaghi went No. 48 overall to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Brady Peddle went No. 91 overall in the third round to the Pittsburgh Penguins and then Max Heise was the 150th overall pick in the fifth round by the San Jose Sharks.

This draft class just goes to show that Adam Nightingale is both a great coach (save one NCAA Tournament loss to Cornell) and an elite talent developer. He’s obviously one of the best recruiters in the nation and he just continues to raise the standard at Michigan State. It seems like he just elevates the bar every single season and it’s refreshing to see after the 10-plus of mediocrity.

Nightingale has been a godsend for the program and the next goal is obviously a national title. Finishing as one of the best NHL talent producers every year helps, too.





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Brandon Marshall Saw Jeremiah Smith’s Bank Account and Couldn’t Stop Laughing

Brandon Marshall was one of the most dangerous men in the NFL in his prime. Through 13 NFL seasons, Marshall eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving eight times, and finished with 83 career touchdowns. But Marshall last played football in 2018, and football has changed a lot since he’s left the sport. Salaries have gone up—way up. […]

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Brandon Marshall was one of the most dangerous men in the NFL in his prime. Through 13 NFL seasons, Marshall eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving eight times, and finished with 83 career touchdowns.

But Marshall last played football in 2018, and football has changed a lot since he’s left the sport. Salaries have gone up—way up. And with the advent of NIL, now the biggest stars of college football can make huge sums before they reach the NFL.

Marshall learned this the hard way while hanging out with Ohio State wide out Jeremiah Smith. In a video related to Marshall’s I AM ATHLETE series, Smith and Marshall can be seen showing each other their bank accounts on their phones.

As soon as the numbers went through his head, Marshall burst out in laughter. “Jeremiah’s got more money than me!” he said.

Smith’s freshman campaign with Ohio State was historic, Smith breaking the record for receiving yards by a freshman and helping lead the Buckeyes to a national championship.

Unsurprisingly, with a title comes a lot of NIL dollars, but so many dollars that he has a bigger bank account than an NFL veteran of 13 seasons? It’s possible that Smith needs to diversify his assets a bit, or that Marshall has his funds spread out a bit.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated





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Flyers go big with picks, channeling ‘Broad Street Bullies’

By the time the Philadelphia Flyers are legitimate contenders again a few years down the road, they could have a lineup that makes the 1970s Broad Street Bullies proud. Six of their nine selections in the NHL draft stand 6-foot-3 or taller, including first-rounders Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt. They overlooked smaller talent to […]

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By the time the Philadelphia Flyers are legitimate contenders again a few years down the road, they could have a lineup that makes the 1970s Broad Street Bullies proud.

Six of their nine selections in the NHL draft stand 6-foot-3 or taller, including first-rounders Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt. They overlooked smaller talent to get a hulking winger in Martone at No. 6 and traded up for Nesbitt, a 6-5 center, with the 12th pick.

“It’s a nice bonus that they’re both tall and will bring us size, as well,” general manager Daniel Briere said. “It just kind of worked out that way. It wasn’t a plan that we had in mind going into the draft that we wanted to get bigger. It just happened that way.”

Philadelphia’s second-rounders were 6-6, 232-pound defenseman Carter Amico and a trio of nice-sized forwards: Jack Murtagh, Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard. Murtagh described himself as “a high-end workhorse.”

Their second fifth-round pick, Luke Vlooswyk, called himself “a big defensive, defenseman.” He said Gard, a teammate with the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels, is “a big kid like me.”

Bulking up the prospect pool makes sense for the Flyers, who have a lot of smaller talent in the system, from budding star Matvei Michkov already on the roster to 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko, who played four games for them last season. They also just traded for 6-foot center Trevor Zegras and could use some size in their not-too-distant future.

BLOODLINES

After Will Horcoff, whose dad Shawn spent 15 seasons in the NHL, went 24th to Pittsburgh in the first round, Day 2 of the draft was full of the sons and nephews of retired players hearing their names called.

It started with Seattle trading up to get Blake Fiddler, son of Vernon, early in the second round. Eric Nilson, son of Marcus, went a handful of picks later to Anaheim.

There were more familiar names picked in the third round: Artyom Gonchar, nephew of 2009 Stanley Cup champion Sergei Gonchar, to the New York Rangers, and Blake Vanek, son of Thomas, to Ottawa.

Same with the penultimate pick of the draft, Aidan Park, a Southern California native and nephew of Richard Park, who went on stage in a hoodie and shorts after being taken by Edmonton.

ITALIAN HISTORY

After Simon Wang became the highest-ranked China-born NHL draft pick when San Jose chose him at No. 33, Matous Jan Kucharcik made some Italian hockey history.

Taken by Buffalo 103rd, Kucharcik is a Czech national but became the fourth player born in Italy to be selected.

Seventeen birth countries were represented among the 224 picks, the most in 21 years. The 88 from Canada are the most since 2016.



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What to know about Bruins’ 2025 NHL Draft class

Bruins James Hagens headlines a seven-player class featuring plenty of high-end skill. James Hagens headlines Boston’s crop of 2025 draft selections. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP) Speaking ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft, Don Sweeney stressed that the Bruins weren’t painting themselves in a corner when it came to their most pressing needs within […]

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James Hagens headlines a seven-player class featuring plenty of high-end skill.

United States forward James Hagens (12) moves the puck while under pressure from Czechia forward Vojtech Cihar (15) during first-period World Junior hockey championship semifinal game action in Ottawa, Ontario, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.
James Hagens headlines Boston’s crop of 2025 draft selections. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Speaking ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft, Don Sweeney stressed that the Bruins weren’t painting themselves in a corner when it came to their most pressing needs within a barren prospect pool.

“We’re looking for the most impactful players,” Don Sweeney said Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena. “Now, impact can come in competitiveness and come in hockey sense and come in skill. It can come in scoring. When you can combine them all, obviously you get the perfect storm. 

“It’s not a positional decision for us. Do we have areas that we would like to fortify if we have the opportunity, depending on where the draft is deepest, and you can choose from players that might be similarly positioned? Ultimately, we have to find the most competitive and skilled players that we possibly can.”

Sure, enough the Bruins checked off plenty of boxes with their seven-pick haul in the 2025 NHL Draft — headlined by Boston College center James Hagens. 

In total, Boston selected seven players during the 2025 NHL Draft — five forwards (including four centers) along with a pair of playmaking defensemen.

Unlike in years past where the Bruins prioritized high floor talents, the Bruins opted for a bit more risk this year in search of greater upside.

“I think having more picks and having some higher picks allowed us to probably look at some players with with a bit more offensive ability and upside that sometimes — in the areas where we tended to be picking, we didn’t have some of those players available,” Bruins director of amateur scouting Ryan Nadeau said.

Nadeau added: “I just think we ended up in a spot this year where we could really take some swings at some sort of higher upside offensive players that maybe in the past, we haven’t had as many swings on that style of player.”

Here’s a look at Boston’s seven-player class from the 2025 NHL Draft:

Round 1, Pick 7: C James Hagens, Boston College

With their first top-10 selection in 14 years, the Bruins selected a high-end offensive talent in James Hagens — who held court for years as the projected No. 1 pick in his draft class. 

Concerns over both Hagens’ frame (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) and the fact that he didn’t have the same production as a freshman in college (37 points in 37 games) as other generational talents like Jack Eichel (71 points in 40 games) and Macklin Celebrini (64 points in 38 games) caused him to slip on Friday night.

But the Bruins welcomed the opportunity to select an elite playmaking center like Hagens at No. 7 overall. Hagens is an elite skater and was unanimously voted as having the “best hands” in the entire draft class by talent evaluators in a recent article from The Athletic. 

“He’s been that way his whole life — in terms of what he’s done,” Sweeney said of Hagens’ track record. “So we just hope the natural progression is you’ll be able to do at the NHL level.  “Again, it’s a tough league. You find that out when you get in. You realize that you’re in a much deeper pool of players and he’ll have his own challenges. But I think he’s driven to be that top player and wants to be a difference maker.” 

Beyond being a point-per-game player as an 18-year-old player in Hockey East, Hagens recorded 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) in 58 games with the U.S. U-18 National Development Program in 2023-24 — equaling the scoring total that Patrick Kane submitted during his U18 campaign. 

Hagens also dominated during international competition — setting a new scoring record at the 2024 World U18 Championships with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in just seven games. The previous record holder was Lightning star Nikita Kucherov.

“James is a really good facilitator coming up the ice and attacking with speed,” Nadeu said of Hagens, adding: “James helped drive a lot of play. Love the way that he can play with pace and attack with pace. Controlled pucks offensively. Just a real exciting player for us.”

Hagens will enter his sophomore season with a chip on his shoulder after dropping out his projected top-five perch in this draft class.

“I think next year you’ll be able to hopefully see,” Hagens said of proving doubters wrong after his first year of college hockey. “I thought this year was really good. You just got to go out there next year and prove everyone that passed on you wrong.”

Round 2, Pick 51: C William Moore, U.S. National Team Development Program

With their first second-round selection — acquired as part of the Trent Frederic trade to Edmonton — Boston added a two-way forward in William Moore, who is set to join Hagens and several other Bruins prospects at Boston College in 2025-26.

The 6-foot-2 Moore finished second on the U.S. National Team last season with 59 points (27 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games — with his two-way acumen and hockey IQ leading to his projection as a middle-six forward in the NHL ranks. 

“I have a very unique play style,” Moore said after donning a Bruins sweater. “I have a big frame that’s still filling out, but I think I have a high IQ, creative aspect to my game.”

Moore — who said he was the first member of his family to play hockey — was projected to be an early second-round pick, with the consolidated rankings compiled by Elite Prospects tabbing the forward as the No. 34 pick in this draft class.

Beyond his body of work on the ice, Moore is also an accomplished piano player. 

“That was the first thing I tried,” Moore said of the piano. “Hockey was one of the last but, yeah, I think it brings a lot of creativity to my game. Hands-wise, I think I’m very skilled with the puck. And I think I have a lot of finesse. And I have that on the keys too.”

According to The Athletic, Moore won the Little Mozarts International Competition by playing Chopin’s “Polonaise in G Minor” while also performing at New York City’s Carnegie Hall at just 10 years old. 

With pick No. 61, (acquired in the Charlie Coyle trade with Colorado), the Bruins took a playmaking blueliner in Pettersson. 

Pettersson is a 6-foot-2, puck-moving defenseman who scored six goals and 21 points in 39 games with Växjö in the J20 junior league in Sweden.

Pettersson is viewed as a bit of a project, with his transition game and playmaking capabilities offering plenty of upside — but more work  o be done on his defensive game. 

SportlogiQ listed him as the No. 68 prospect in the draft — comparing him to another playmaking blueliner in Travis Sanheim.

“We’re looking for players that are going to be continuing to drive offense but also competitive on both sides of the puck,” Bruins GM Don Sweeney said of targeting defenseman with Pettersson’s profile. 

Round 3, Pick 79: LW Cooper Simpson, Shakopee High School (Minn.)

Boston initially held the No. 69 pick in the third round, but later traded the selection to Montreal in exchange for picks No. 79 and 108. It marked the first trade between Boston and Montreal since Feb. 21, 2001. 

With the first of those two picks from Montreal, the Bruins selected a skilled winger in Simpson who torched the high-school circuit in Minnesota this past season. 

The 6-foot-1 winger led all Minnesota high-school players this past year in goals with 49 in just 39 games (along with 83 points) with Shakopee High School. He also finished the 2024-25 season on a high note by scoring seven goals in nine games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.

“An offensive player who can really shoot it,” Nadeau said of Simpson. “He’s someone who’s very quick to pull the trigger when he has the puck. He’s willing to go to areas and manipulate the ice. He’s got really good hands.

“Really drawn by his ability to score and shoot in a number of different ways. He’s a type kid who can shoot on the fly. He can, he can really shoot it with his one timer. So he’s got a lot of different repertoire with the shot.”

Simpson said he tries to model his game after fellow Minnesota-born winger Jimmy Snuggerud — who scored 66 goals across three seasons at the University of Minnesota before turning pro with St. Louis this spring.

The skilled winger will eventually join fellow Bruins prospect Will Zellers at the University of North Dakota, although it’s unclear if it will be for the 2025-26 campaign. 

Round 4, Pick 100: D Vashek Blanar, IF Troja-Ljungb (Sweden)

With their fourth-round selection, the Bruins opted to take a bit of an unknown in big-bodied defenseman Vashek Blanar. 

Blanar was not ranked on many scouting lists entering the 2025 Draft, with the 6-foot-4, left-shot D playing the last few seasons in the Swedish junior leagues.

Blanar — who was born in Colorado but moved back to Czechia when he was four years old — posted 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 38 games with IF Troja-Ljungb in the J18 league this past season. 

Much like Pettersson, the Bruins are banking on Blanar’s offensive upside, especially when matched with his study frame. 

“He’s got a bit of an underdeveloped frame right now,” Sweeney said. “A great skater, wants to compete. Probably trying to do too much at times.”

Round 5, Pick 133: C Cole Chandler, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

Boston shifted to the CHL ranks in the fifth round, opting for center Cole Chandler out of Shawinigan. 

The Nova Scotia product has received high grades for his skating ability and defensive details, although his offensive production with Shawinigan (13 goals, 32 points in 64 games) might limit his ceiling at higher levels of play.

Chandler — who did close out this past season with 12 points in 16 games during the QMJHL playoffs —  said that an injury suffered in 2023-24 and a subsequent illness last summer contributed to a slow start this season.

“The adversity that I faced, I think it really helped me the second half — being able to bounce back like that,” Chandler said.

Round 6, Pick 165: C Kirill Yemelyanov, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)

The Bruins closed out their 2025 selections in the sixth round by taking another center: Kirill Yemelyanov. 

Ranked as high as the No. 67 prospect in this draft class by FCHockey, the 6-foot, left-shot Yemelyanov scored 13 goals and 23 points over 35 games with Loko Yaroslavl in the Russian junior hockey league (MHL).

“Maybe not a high-end offense, but he’s certainly someone who’s involved in terms of driving some plays and getting some scoring chances,” Nadeau said of Yemelyanov. “And he also has a real good determination to the way he plays the game.”

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Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.





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Beyond the Byline: Celebrate America on July 4th and every day

WILKES-BARRE — My Uncle Jim used to say that the party don’t start until the baked beans come out. Yep, but Uncle Jim and my dad and all my family and friends always knew that when July 4th rolled around, the American flag was always displayed. I want to go back to those days […]

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WILKES-BARRE — My Uncle Jim used to say that the party don’t start until the baked beans come out.

Yep, but Uncle Jim and my dad and all my family and friends always knew that when July 4th rolled around, the American flag was always displayed.

I want to go back to those days — you know, when everybody in the neighborhood, the town and the country wore red, white and blue.

It was a time when being a patriot was part of our DNA — it was the way we were brought up.

It was a way of life — it was life in America, the good old USA.

I can still see those flags hanging on every porch. And there were those neighborhood cookouts, with picnic tables and we drank from red cups and blue ones and white ones. Even the plastic silverware was color coordinated in the patriotic colors. Napkins were red, white and blue, as were the tablecloths.

Being patriotic was just the way it was. We celebrated our independence on July 4 and we were damn proud to say we were Americans.

At the risk of grossly understating the obvious, those good old patriotic days seem to have waned just a bit. And if I’m right about that, then we better get the ship back on the right course and soon.

Back in the early 1960s, my dad would say to me on every July 4, “C’mon, we’re going to the services.” My dad, as you hopefully recall, fought in World War II and lost his right leg on a beach in Northern France on D-Day. He never held that against his country. He accepted it as his sacrifice for doing all he could to keep us free.

After the war, Dad joined every veterans’ organization — he even held office in most. And he celebrated the patriotic holidays and he was sure to show his respect for all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

So our first stop was West Main Street in Plymouth for a service at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial in front of Plymouth High School. We stood and listened to the speeches. We sang the Star Spangled Banner. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance. We were sure to thank all those other veterans for their service. And we prayed.

And then we would go to the next service. Usually, it was at the Shawnee Cemetery. The same kind of service with the addition of a gun salute and taps played twice, not just once. A very sobering experience, for sure.

Then we would go to a parade and watch the soldiers walk by. We would enjoy the bands and the other participants. All this was a celebration of America and its veterans — those living and those deceased.

I never questioned why we would attend all these events. I never once dared to try to wiggle out of going with my dad. I knew how much it meant to him and I was always glad to go. It made me feel good to see how proud everybody was about their country and how they appreciated each and every veteran for their service.

That’s why I always thank a veteran for his or her service. That’s why I say heroes walk among us. That’s why I hang a flag over my door.

And July 4th was always a time for gatherings. Families and friends would head to a lake with a pavilion and a swimming hole and everybody brought a dish of some sort. It was fun-filled and it was a celebration.

At these gatherings, there were hot dogs, hamburgs, chicken, potato salad, macaroni salad, shrimp, a huge tossed salad, cheese cake, fruit, veggies and dip, pretzels, chips, more dip, a marble cake decorated like an American flag, and, last but not least — those baked beans with bacon.

And there was some alcohol consumed — by the adults only — in moderation of course. A couple of beers, a few glasses of wine.

The end result was that it was all good — from the handshakes and hugs, to the conversations, to the food and drink to the spectacular fireworks — a good time was always had by all.

These celebrations took place at North Lake and Lake Silkworth and Harveys Lake and Melody Park.

People lived simple, but they were happy. They shared and they cared and they valued life in a free world.

Have a safe and fun July 4th. Enjoy family and friends. Thank all veterans. Celebrate America,

And don’t forget the baked beans.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.



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