Boston Bruins
James Hagens and Dean Letourneau have mixed to attain 39 objectives to date this season at Boston Faculty.
The Boston Bruins didn’t take to the ice at TD Backyard on Friday night time.
However on Commonwealth Avenue, the subsequent wave of potential Bruins fixtures clashed at Agganis Enviornment.
In complete, seven totally different gamers drafted by the Bruins took half within the 301st assembly between Boston Faculty and Boston College on Friday — with the Terriers defeating the No. 10/11 Eagles, 3-1.
Six of these prospects donned maroon and gold, with Boston’s top-two prospects in James Hagens and Dean Letoureanu each touchdown on the scoresheet.
Letourneau scored BC’s lengthy aim of the night, whereas Hagens jumpstarted the tic-tac-toe passing sequence that ended with Letourneau rifling the puck into twine from the slot.
It’s been par for the course for a duo who’ve spearheaded Boston’s resurgent farm system.
The 2025-26 Bruins are seemingly forward of schedule in the case of the Unique Six franchise’s retool — with what was as soon as considered an arduous, multi-year endeavor now doubtlessly wrapping up after one 12 months of distress.
The Bruins — now 13-2-3 since Dec. 31, 2025 — have already punched above their weight in Marco Sturm’s first 12 months as head coach.
However the Bruins’ optimistic outlook in 2026 and past isn’t simply rooted on this present workforce’s overachieving effort — neither is that sunny forecast only a direct correlation with the emergence of youthful NHL gamers like Fraser Minten, Jonathan Aspirot, and Marat Khusnutdinov.
After years spent hemorrhaging draft capital in hopes of placing win-now rosters excessive, it was all however inevitable that Boston’s prospect pool was set to dry up. That sentiment appears to be altering, simply as Boston appears to be able to reassert itself as a playoff membership.
Boston’s roster teardown final March marked the ultimate nail within the coffin for a Bruins squad that plummeted close to the underside of the Jap Convention standings. Their comfort prize was Hagens, taken seventh total within the 2025 NHL Draft.
As soon as deemed as the highest prospect within the ‘25 draft class who drew comparisons to Team USA Olympic hero Jack Hughes, Hagens noticed his inventory slip as a freshman at BC after nonetheless registering a point-per-game scoring tempo with 37 factors (11 objectives, 26 assists) in 37 video games.
This 12 months, the sophomore ahead has seen his scoring manufacturing take one other step ahead — albeit since getting shifted from middle to wing. Together with his power-play helper on Letoureanu’s tally towards the Terriers, Hagens is now as much as 39 factors in 29 video games (20 objectives, 19 assists) — together with 26 factors in his final 16 matchups.
It shouldn’t essentially come as a lot of a shock that a longtime expertise like Hagens is shifting the sentiment of Boston’s burgeoning pipeline of expertise. Hagens might don a black-and-gold sweater as quickly as subsequent month as soon as BC’s season involves a detailed.
Be it at middle or wing, Hagens’ crisp edge work and playmaking capabilities paint the image of a future top-six fixture with Boston.
However Letourneau’s emergence in his sophomore season has shifted loads of the sentiment about simply how deep Boston’s prospect pool is perhaps.
A primary-round decide by Boston secured within the Linus Ullmark commerce in June 2024, Letourneau was at all times seen as extra of a undertaking — given his 6-foot-7 body, excessive ceiling as an offensive menace, and restricted reps towards elite competitors coming into the 2024 NHL Draft.
These rising pains had been evident throughout his freshman 12 months at BC in 2024-25. Accelerated as much as Hockey East competitors a 12 months forward of schedule, Letourneau labored as a freshman, scoring zero objectives and simply three assists in 36 video games.
This 12 months, he has emerged as one of many high gamers in Hockey East — scoring 19 objectives and 34 factors over 31 video games this season. Past using his bigger body to wreak havoc in Grade-A ice, Letourneau’ willingness to make the most of his sharp wrister an increasing number of has allowed his offensive capabilities to shine with the Eagles.
“He is aware of the place to seek out the tender ice and get himself into free spots to get appears and he has a very good shot,” BC head coach Greg Brown stated of Letourneau. “He’s been capable of capitalize. Loads of the early ones had been suggestions and rebounds nearer to the online, however now he’s form of discovering that area of interest in that bumper function and having the ability to get to spots and [Andre] Gasseau and James have been capable of finding them.”
Even when Letourneau is perhaps one other 12 months away from making the bounce to the professional ranks, a 6-foot-7 ahead with top-six upside may very well be a game-changer as a part of Boston’s subsequent wave of younger expertise.
Eagles captain Andre Gasseau continues to current robust worth as a 2021 seventh-round decide by Boston, with the 6-foot-4 middle now as much as 21 factors in 17 video games this 12 months.
Two-way pivot Will Moore — a 2025 second-round choice — has been regular as a freshman incomes bottom-six reps for the Eagles (10 factors in 28 video games), whereas 2023 seventh-round decide Kristian Kostadinski will seemingly want 4 years at Chestnut Hill to marinate as a big-bodied, bodily defenseman.
BC senior ahead Oskar Jellvik stands as extra of a wild-card. The Swede — taken within the fifth spherical of the 2021 NHL Draft — was as soon as wanting like a steal for Boston after posting 42 factors as a sophomore. However accidents have derailed his profession, with the poised ahead restricted to only 4 video games this season.
The Terriers boast one Bruins prospect in 2024 fifth-round decide Jonathan Morello, who has chipped in with six objectives and 12 factors by 32 video games as a freshman. He almost tallied his seventh aim on Friday towards BC, however it was waved off as a consequence of goaltender interference.
Past the Bruins’ prospect-heavy presence on Commonwealth Ave, Boston has had a number of different collegiate-level property take main steps ahead in the course of the 2025-26 marketing campaign.
Will Zellers — the shot-first winger acquired as a part of the Charlie Coyle commerce with Colorado final March — has tallied 17 objectives and 27 factors as a freshman on the College of North Dakota. Cornell junior Ryan Walsh (2023 sixth-round decide) is as much as 26 factors in 27 video games.
Quinnipiac sophomore ahead Chris Pelosi (2023 third-round decide) is as much as 17 objectives and 32 factors this season with the Bobcats, whereas fellow QU skater Elliott Groenewold tasks to be a gentle, left-shot D on the NHL stage — particularly within the midst of a sophomore 12 months the place he’s logged heavy minutes, added 19 factors from the blue line, and sported a plus-36 charge.
And with Boston in possession of 4 first-round picks within the subsequent two seasons, the Bruins ought to have a number of alternatives that additional bolster their pipeline within the coming years.
It’s a large shift in fortunes for the Bruins, who now have the means to each retain their property and await an inflow of inexpensive, intriguing expertise — or doubtlessly package deal a few of these prospects and picks into confirmed NHL gamers within the coming 12 months
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