The Boston Bruins' fourth-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft sent scouts scrambling to their notebooks to see who they had just picked. Even if Vashek Blanar's name wasn't in there, they might've had it filed under Vashek Richards, as people soon discovered that a recent name change was causing some of the confusion. As far as hockey fans knew before that discovery, Blanar didn't even have an Elite Prospects page. Richards did.
Blanar is still not a well-known commodity, but Bruins fans are starting to learn his name. He has been looking like a steal in the U20 Nationell in Sweden this season, and he has even gotten some time with the pro club in the SHL.