The Boston Bruins made a significant offensive addition on Friday, acquiring forward JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for their 2026 first-round pick — slotted at No. 23 — and a 2028 first-round selection.
The 2028 pick involved in the deal was originally obtained by Boston when the Bruins sent star forward Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers in 2025. That pick carried top-10 protection.
Peterka, 24, spent just one season with Utah after arriving via a trade from the Buffalo Sabres following the 2024-25 season. To land Peterka, the Mammoth had sent forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring to Buffalo last June, then signed the German winger to a five-year contract worth $38.5 million.
His production dipped during his lone season in Utah, falling from 68 points in 2024-25 to 47 points — including 25 goals and 22 assists — across all 82 games last season. A reduction in ice time, dropping from 18 minutes and 11 seconds per game to 15 minutes and 59 seconds, was cited as a factor in the offensive decline.
Originally selected by Buffalo in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Peterka has accumulated 197 career points — 92 goals and 105 assists — over 320 games split between the Sabres (2021-25) and the Mammoth. He now joins a Bruins team that finished 10th in the league in goals per game at 3.27 during the 2025-26 season, and he will play for head coach Marco Sturm, who holds the distinction of being the only German head coach in the NHL.
