When Pastrnak walked on stage at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia after being selected by the Boston Bruins with the No. 25 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, he kissed his hand and pointed to the heavens.

The tribute, personal and heartfelt, was for his father, Milan, who was an adviser, cheerleader, inspiration and hockey/life coach who had died of cancer 13 months earlier. Milan Pastrnak had always dreamed of his son playing in the NHL, and now David was putting the famed Bruins jersey over his head.

Entering the draft, NHL Central Scouting had ranked Pastrnak fifth among European skaters. At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, it was felt that in time Pastrnak would fill out and his puck and passing skills would approach NHL levels.

After signing an entry-level contract July 15, 2014, and attending Bruins training camp, the Havirov, Czech Republic, native was assigned to Providence of the American Hockey League.

But he didn't stay long.

He scored 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 25 games before being called up in November.

On Jan. 10, 2015, at Wells Fargo Center, the arena where he was drafted and saluted his late father, Pastrnak scored his first two NHL goals in a 3-1 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.

After finishing the 2014-15 season with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 46 games, expectations were high for Pastrnak, who broke out in 2016-17, finishing second on the Bruins with 70 points (34 goals, 36 assists).

That earned him a six-year, $40 million contract on Sept. 14, 2017, and the following season, he again ranked second on the Bruins with 80 points (35 goals, 45 assists) in 82 games while forming one of the best lines in the League with center Patrice Bergeron and right wing Brad Marchand.

Pastrnak continued to build on his offensive output in 2018-19, getting 81 points (38 goals, 43 assists) in 66 regular-season games. In the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 24 games to help the Bruins advance to the Cup Final, where they lost to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.

In 2019-20, Pastrnak tied for third in the NHL with 95 points and shared the Maurice Richard Trophy with Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals after they tied for the League lead with 48 goals. He was also named captain of the Atlantic Division team for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.

Pastrnak played his 500th NHL game, all for the Bruins, on March 19, 2022. He had seven shots on goal in 15:48 of ice time to help Boston defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 at Canada Life Centre. On March 2, 2023, Pastrnak committed to the Bruins long term when he signed an eight-year, $90 million contract. He had scored at least 40 goals for the third time in the NHL and was among the top 20 in Bruins history in goals, hat tricks, assists and points. Pastrnak's hat trick made him the first Bruins player to score 60 in one season since Phil Esposito had 61 in 1974-75 and helped Boston set a new NHL record of 63 wins when it defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 at Wells Fargo Center on April 9.

Pastrnak finished second in the NHL with 61 goals and tied Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in points (113), making him a first-time finalist for the 2023 Hart Trophy given to the most valuable player in the NHL. He was named to Team Czechia's roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where his five points (two goals, three assists) were second on the team behind Martin Necas' eight for the team lead.

Pastrnak's assist in a 4-2 win at the Detroit Red Wings on March 21, 2026, was his 500th in the NHL in his 820th game that made him the fourth-fastest player in Bruins history to 500 assists, behind Bobby Orr (522 games), Esposito (562) and Ray Bourque (655). He also became the sixth Czechia-born player in NHL history to reach the milestone.