The Boston Bruins are getting all they could have hoped for out of the 25th overall pick at the 2014 NHL Draft.
On that day, the Bruins selected Czech winger David Pastrnak, and, looking back, it's all too fitting that it was team president Cam Neely who called his name.
Early promise
Pastrnak debuted with the Bruins in late November of 2014, and scored 10 goals in 46 games during his rookie season.
He was limited to 51 games in his second season as a result of a cracked foot suffered early on and a World Junior Championship conditioning stint, but still managed 15 goals.
The 25 goals in 97 total appearances worked out to be an average of 0.257 per game, putting him on pace for 21 through an 82-game regular season.
Decent production for a player drafted at Pastrnak's spot, to be sure.
The breakout
Early on this season, he has taken his game to a whole new level. In fact, only Sidney Crosby has scored with more regularity than Pastrnak this season.
The two players sit well atop the goals-per-game leaderboard, with only eight others averaging 0.5 or more, according to Sporting Charts.
| Player | Games | Goals | G/GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | 14 | 14 | 1.000 |
| David Pastrnak | 15 | 11 | 0.733 |
| Rickard Rakell | 11 | 7 | 0.636 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 19 | 12 | 0.632 |
| Michael Grabner | 21 | 12 | 0.571 |
| Marian Hossa | 20 | 11 | 0.55 |
| Patrik Laine | 22 | 12 | 0.546 |
| Steven Stamkos | 17 | 9 | 0.529 |
| Nikita Kucherov | 20 | 10 | 0.5 |
| Mark Scheifele | 22 | 11 | 0.5 |
Pastrnak's latest came Thursday against the Ottawa Senators on a nifty spinning backhand.
Pasta's serving up a little 360 backhander. #BOSvsOTT pic.twitter.com/S9Sag1Z2a3
— NHL (@NHL) November 25, 2016
Will it last?
Pastrnak's shooting percentage sits at 22.4, well above his career average of 14.1. Logic would dictate he won't keep up this pace over the course of the season, but he does have something working in his favor: the quality of his linemates.
The trio of Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand is quite simply the most effective of any line around the league in terms of puck possession.
In five-on-five play, they're the only three regular forwards in the NHL to record a Corsi For percentage above 60, meaning they're on the ice for way more shot attempts for than against. So while Pastrnak's success rate may regress, it won't be due to a lack of opportunities, especially since he's firing more actual shots on goal than ever before in his career, with a per-game average of more than three.
He's on pace for 56 goals, and if he reaches 50, he'll be the first Bruins player to do so since 1990-91. The last Boston player to score 50? Cam Neely, of course.
There's still a lot of hockey to be played, and Pastrnak has already missed time due to injury and suspension. Early on in his career, however, it certainly appears he's got the black-and-gold touch unseen in 25 years.
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