Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli figures he'd like to move up a slot or two in the opening round of the NHL's amateur draft Friday night in Montreal.

The Bruins hold the No. 25 pick in the first round, which begins Friday at 7 p.m., and Chiarelli said the organization has identified a player that might still be available slightly ahead of Boston's current drafting position.

''Our guys have an eye on one player,'' noted Chiarelli, when asked during a media confereence call this afternoon if he would attempt to move up the totem pole. ''I don't know if we'll get him.''

Chris Kreider, the standout winger from Boxford who is slated to enter Boston College this fall, could be the player. Kreider, ranked the 14th best skater in North America by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, likely will be chosen in the thick of the first round, perhaps as high as No. 10, but possibly in the mid- or late-20s.

Kreider, 18, just finished his junior year at Phillips Andover Academy, but will enter BC as a freshman, after officially graduating from Masconomet Regional High School. The speedy left winger attended Masconomet for his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Andover, where he was both a hockey and lacrosse standout.

''I'll be happy any which way,'' said the 6-foot-2 1/2 inch Kreider, a huge Bruins fan. ''It certainly would be special if it's Boston. I'll be ecstatic to be picked in general, but sure, if it's my hometown team, that would be special.''

The Bruins also could have their eye on Zack Kassian, perhaps the toughest customer in the entire draft. The 6-foot-3 Kassian, though, is more likely to be nabbed in the top 12-15 picks. The rockjaw right winger collected 63 points in 61 games this past season with Peterborough (OHL) and he also picked up 136 penalty minutes, a number that compares favorably with the 148 PIMs that Milan Lucic averaged during his two seasons with Vancouver (WHL) prior to cracking the Boston lineup as a 19-year-old.