Sports

Malden Catholic's Fitzgerald Drafted by Bruins

Ryan Fitzgerald was selected in the fourth round of the NHL Draft on Sunday night.

This article was written by Matt Schooley: 

It won’t be too difficult for Ryan Fitzgerald to familiarize himself with his new team.

The Malden Catholic graduate and North Reading resident fell slightly further than anticipated during the National Hockey League draft on Sunday night. But it was worth the wait for Fitzgerald, who was selected by the Boston Bruins in the fourth round, the 120th overall pick.

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Fitzgerald’s father, Tom, played for the Bruins late in his career. The Malden Catholic graduate and soon to be Boston College Eagle is also the nephew of Scott Fitzgerald, a Wilmington resident who is the assistant director of amateur scouting for the Bruins. Tom Fitzgerald is currently the Assistant to the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It wasn’t just me, it was all of the scouts who thought he is a very good player,” Scott Fitzgerald told Patch on Sunday night. “They do their due diligence and do a good job of putting the draft list together. Sometimes you need a little luck to let certain guys fall to you.”

Find out what's happening in Maldenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the Boston Bruins official Twitter account, Fitzgerald was already sporting a Bruins jersey at the draft in Newark, N.J. The team tweeted a photo of Fitzgerald signing autographs for young fans and he joked he could “feel the texts coming in.”

Just before 9:30 p.m., Ryan Fitzgerald tweeted “Unbelievable feeling being drafted by the @NHLBruins #DreamComeTrue.”

Ryan Fitzgerald will be in attendance for development camp at Wilmington's Ristuccia Arena when the Bruins hit the ice in July.

“Ryan plays a Bruins style,” said Scott Fitzgerald, who was unable to attend the draft as he continues a lengthy recovery from a serious car accident earlier this year. “He’s super smart, competitive and he has a lot of will. We try for that type of player and he fit the bill. He plays bigger than his size, and he’s the kind of player we are always looking for.”



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