The Boston Bruins have named David Pastrnak as the 28th captain in franchise history. Bruins President Cam Neely stated, “Obviously, a great day yesterday, naming David Pastrnak our 28th captain of the franchise, very exciting for us. Watching David grow over the last number of years, I think it’s a great choice for the franchise.” Pastrnak joins a distinguished group of former Bruins captains, including 16 Hockey Hall of Famers and nine players whose numbers have been retired by the organization. Patrice Bergeron will become the 10th former Bruins captain to receive the honor when his No. 37 is retired before the Colorado Avalanche/Bruins game on December 1. Entering his 13th NHL season, Pastrnak has skated in 833 career games, all with Boston, recording 420 goals and 513 assists for 933 points with a plus-145 rating. He ranks among the top 10 in franchise history in goals (fifth), assists (ninth), points (sixth) and points per game (T-7th, 1.12).
The 30-year-old ranks tied for first in franchise history with eight 30-goal seasons, tied for second with five 40-goal seasons, and is one of just two Bruins to score 60 goals in a season (2022-23). Pastrnak also ranks second in franchise history with 19 hat tricks and ranks among the top five in power-play goals (4th, 132) and multipoint games (4th, 266). He is also one of three skaters in franchise history to record at least four consecutive 100-point seasons. Pastrnak skated in 77 games for Boston during the 2025-26 season, recording 29 goals and a career-high 71 assists for 100 points, marking his fourth consecutive 100-point campaign. He ranked sixth in the NHL in assists and tied for seventh in points, while leading Bruins skaters in assists, points, points per game (1.30), even-strength points (67), power-play points (33) and shots (261). He also led Boston forwards in average time on ice, skating a career-high 20:39 per game.
Pastrnak’s 2025-26 season was highlighted by several career milestones, including his 800th NHL game, 400th NHL goal and 500th NHL assist, as well as a career-high six-point performance on Jan. 10, 2026, which tied a franchise record for most assists in one game. Pasta has appeared in four NHL All-Star Games (2019, 2020, 2023, 2024), receiving All-Star Game MVP honors in 2020. He was awarded the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer during the 2019-20 season following a 48-goal performance in a shortened 70-game season. The forward received NHL First All-Star Team honors in 2020 and 2023, and Second All-Star Team honors in 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Havirov, Czechia native was originally selected by Boston in the first round (25th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
The Bruins are on the road for games three and four, meeting the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, October 2 at 8pm, and the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, October 3 at 8pm. The locals will return to TD Garden ice to open a three game homestand, with the Ottawa Senators providing the opposition on Monday, October 5 at 7:30, the Utah Mammoths will face the Bruins on Thursday, October 8 at 7pm, and the brief homestand will end with a Friday matinee at 1pm, as the Bruins will take on the Philadelphia Flyers.