For the second draft of the three that take place in the summer months, we have the NHL Entry Draft starting this Friday, June 20th and concluding on Saturday, June 21st. The first round will be televised on ESPN starting at 7 PM. If you are looking for some player rankings (and why wouldn't you be?), the ISS top 30 is a good place to start, as is the Central Scouting Rankings. As with most draft resources, there is a good amount of differing opinion on certain players, but most are fairly close in both rankings. One thing to keep in mind is that the ISS considers all skaters and the Central Scouting Service breaks down their rankings into North American and European players. This will be Peter Chiarelli's third draft with the Bruins so we should have a good look at what he values in a first round pick. Last year, the Bruins selected Zach Hamill 8th overall, which was a slight stretch because most had him pegged in the 10-15 range. The Bruins love Hamill's offensive potential though, which is on display with him holding about every offensive record you can have for the Everett Silvertips. This year, the Bruins will select 16th overall after a good bounce-back season.

Overall, this draft is loaded with talented defensemen, but the real prize of the draft is Sarnia Sting center Steven Stamkos. Stamkos will be the number one pick and will join the Tampa Bay Lightning to help replace Brad Richards on the second line almost immediately. According to some rankings, there could be as many as 11 defensemen taken in the first 20 picks. At 16 where the B's get their first pick, there is a mix of talented defensemen and forwards, so they should have their choice in players. I would not be surprised if they took another player that they had ranked higher than some other teams again, like they did with Hamill last year. One player who seems to be linked to the Bruins is Michael Del Zotto, a superb puck-moving defenseman who is rumored to have gone four for four in the OHL accuracy contest at the All Star game. Del Zotto would be a good addition to the Bruins defensive core as they really do lack an elite puck moving defenseman and in general, elite defensive talent.

Here is a little mock draft for the first 16 picks:
1. Tampa Bay: Steven Stamkos, C, Sarnia (OHL)
2. Los Angeles: Drew Doughty, D, Guelph (OHL)
3. Atlanta: Zach Bogosian, D, Petorborough (OHL)
4. St. Louis: Luke Schenn, D, Kelowna (WHL)
5. New York Islanders: Nikita Filatov, LW, Moscow CSKA
6. Columbus: Alex Pietrangelo, D, Niagra (OHL)
7. Toronto: Cody Hodgson, C, Brampton (OHL)
8. Phoenix: Tyler Myers, D, Kelowna (WHL)
9. Nashville: Colin Wilson, C, Boston University (Hockey East)
10. Vancouver: Mikkel Boedker, LW, Kitchener (OHL)
11. Chicago: Thomas McCollum, G, Guelph (OHL)
12. Anaheim: Josh Bailey, C, Windsor (OHL)
13. Buffalo: Zach Boychuck, C, Lethbridge (WHL)
14. Carolina: Luca Sbisa, D, Lethbridge (WHL)
15. Nashville: Mattias Tedenby, LW, HV71 (Sweden)
16. Boston: Kyle Beach, C/LW, Everett (WHL)

This board may be a little out of whack but I am banking on the Islanders screwing up (like they usually do) and Toronto passing on non-Canadians Wilson and Myers (because he is too much of a project). Beach to the Bruins may be a pipe dream because he's big, tough and scores at a decent rate, but he does come with questions about his speed, attitude and injuries (two concussions this season). Also, this pick may change if the Bruins learn by the end of the week that they have signed Blake Wheeler  (scroll down the page a bit). If Wheeler signs, this pick could possible be used on more of a skill player or a defenseman. After seeing the Bruins' young talent develop this season, I have enough faith that they will draft a good player this Friday, along with a few more impact guys on Saturday.

You A Bad Mang is a senior writer for Boston Sports Buzz.