2025-26 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Boston Bruins’ Top 10
Welcome back.
It’s time for Daily Faceoff’s third annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more.
The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Players over 23 years old are not included, with goaltenders needing to be 25 or under.
Today, we’re looking at the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins have one of the weaker pipelines in all of hockey – but it’s not all bad news.
With the seventh overall pick in 2025, the Bruins selected Boston College standout James Hagens to give them a legit No. 1 center prospect. Back in March, they acquired Fraser Minten, someone who could excel in a No. 3 role. Those are two key additions in a short span, and for a pipeline that needs all the help they can get, they’ll take it.
Mason Lohrei, Georgii Merkluov and John Farinacci are the three players who graduated out of prospect status last year. For the latter two, it was due to age, with neither having been able to crack the NHL full time. Beyond that, Boston’s pipeline is better now than it was a year ago – but that’s not saying much.
Biggest Strength
Most expected the Bruins to select a center this year, and they did. The Bruins have a ton of depth down the middle, but adding Hagens to the fray makes them even more dynamic. They’ve got a bit of everything, from skill to speed to size. They even have centers who are built for specific roles and others with flexibility to succeed on the wing. At a certain point, though, they’re going to need to start drafting some wingers.
Biggest Weakness
You could go in a few different areas here. The goaltending depth is lacking big time – which might not be a problem if Jeremy Swayman can find his form again. They don’t have a ton of wingers, but there are enough middlemen in the system that you could port a few over. Defensively, though, this team doesn’t have many puck-moving options. Frederic Brunet is a decent defender, but I’m not convinced he’ll be a full-timer. Most of the others blueliners are built around bringing size and physicality – which is fine, but you need someone who can rush the puck, too.
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. James Hagens, C, 18 (Boston College, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted seventh overall, first round in 2025
Hagens was an excellent first-round pick for the Bruins – a team that needed a high-impact center in the system. He has a chance to be a leader at BC this year, perhaps re-uniting with his USNTDP linemate in Nashville Predators prospect Teddy Stiga. Scouts love him for the way he skates and distributes the puck, allowing him to absolutely dominate shifts at points. Hagens has built a reputation for being so deceptive, both with and without the puck, making it difficult for defenders to figure out his next move. He’s always looking up, and his teammates just know to get themselves into a scoring position whenever they can. Hagens has all the makings of a No. 1 center in the next few years.
2. Fraser Minten, C (Boston Bruins)
Acquired: Traded by Toronto Maple Leafs in 2025
After starting the year as one of Toronto’s most promising prospects, Minten was moved to Boston in the deal that sent Brandon Carlo north of the border. The Bruins needed center depth, and Minten – someone with middle-six potential – was a good fit. Compared to Hagens, Minten is focused more on being a smart, two-way center who is exceptionally responsible defensively. He has a great shot, can handle himself physically and has shown some real promise in the pro ranks already. Look for Minten to chase a full-time roster spot this coming season. I think Fabian Lysell has more pure talent and upside than Minten, but I feel much better about Minten becoming an impactful NHLer.
3. Fabian Lysell, RW, 22 (Providence Bruins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 21st overall, first round in 2021
At a certain point, Lysell is going to need to take a real step forward. The 22-year-old winger has been in the system for half a decade now, but we just haven’t seen Lysell develop enough to earn a full-time NHL gig. He finally made his NHL debut last year, scoring a goal and adding two assists for three points in 12 games. His offense dipped significantly in the AHL, but you still could see the raw skill with the puck. He’s a great skater who can beat so many players with 1-on-1 skill. But until he figures out how to be more consistent with and without the disk, he’s going to have a hard time sticking in the NHL.
4. Dans Locmelis, C, 21 (Providence Bruins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 119th overall, fourth round in 2022
Locmelis had quite the glow-up this past year. He had just 14 points as a freshman at UMass two years ago, but he saw that number rise to 33 in a much bigger role this time around. That hot play continued after turning pro, when he finished the AHL season with 12 points in just six games before having the best showing of any Latvian at the World Championship. Locmelis is a hard-working, agile forward who doesn’t lose many individual battles, and the added offense is a nice touch. At first, Locmelis looked like a potential fourth-liner at best. Now, he might have a pathway to even more moving forward. I fully expect him to make his NHL debut at some point this season.
5. Dean Letourneau, C, 19 (Boston College, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 25th overall, first round in 2024
Most scouts thought the jump to Boston College at 18 was too early for a guy coming out of the prep school ranks, and the stats proved that. After scoring 61 goals and 127 points at St. Andrew’s College, Letourneau didn’t find the back of the net once, and had just three assists while mostly playing fourth-line minutes. As a first-rounder, that’s rough – but some context is needed. With Will Smith leaving school early, Letourneau was thrust into the lineup much earlier than expected – and he did so without a true pathway to ice time. That should change this coming season, where the 6-foot-7 power forward will need to work extra hard to prove he was the right choice by Don Sweeney and Co. Stylistically, he’s an overwhelming force who can win just about any battle – but he simply needs ice time at this point.
6. Will Zellers, LW, 19 (University of North Dakota, NCAA)
Acquired: Traded by Colorado Avalanche in 2025
Zellers is coming off a massive rookie season in the USHL, scoring 44 goals and 71 points with Green Bay. Zellers loves to play with speed, beating opponents with quick hands and swift footwork. He’s been one of the best USHLers this year, which is great. Sometimes, it felt like he was too fast for his teammates, with plays dying because he outpaced everyone and painted himself into a corner. Zellers has good hands and the skill to become an NHLer, and I like how he focused on becoming more physically engaged this year.
7. William Moore, C, 18 (Boston College, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 51st overall, second round in 2025
Hm, the Bruins must REALLY love Boston College centers. What a surprise. Moore is set to head to the school this fall, and I’m interested to see if he can take his game up another level. The two-way forward has good size at 6-foot-2, and he’s not afraid to outmuscle players. He doesn’t get too fancy or anything like that with the puck – instead, he spends a lot of time around the net at both ends of the ice. When Moore is really on his game, he can be so effective around the net. I think he’ll top out as a third-line center but he has played with enough skilled forwards throughout his career to suggest he could handle a more difficult workload if needed.
8. Philip Svedebäck, G, 23 (Providence College, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 117th overall, fourth round in 2021
Svedebäck has been a workhorse throughout his college career, playing 95 games over a three-year span. Providence has never been a high-scoring team, so there’s been a lot of onus on the Swedish keeper to stay strong under pressure. Svedebäck has a solid frame at 6-foot-3, he moves quickly and he doesn’t allow too many ugly rebounds. I’m not sure he’ll be able to be a game-stealer at the next level, but with another year of college and maybe a season or two in the AHL, I could see him becoming a potential backup.
9. Frédéric Brunet, LHD, 21 (Providence Bruins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 132nd overall, fifth round in 2022
It was good seeing Brunet take a step up with Providence this year, both in terms of production and ice time. The 6-foot-3 defenseman likes to get involved any way he can, whether it be the way he cuts off defensive plays or how he joins in on the rush. There’s nothing particularly special about Brunet, but he gets the job done. I don’t think he’ll be a point producer if he makes the NHL, but I think he has the hockey sense and the defensive awareness to be a bottom-pairing defender – even if he doesn’t become an everyday threat. Sometimes, you just need someone who can play a steady game on the back end.
10. Chris Pelosi, C, 20 (Quinnipiac University, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 92nd overall, third round in 2023
Pelosi had an excellent showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase last summer and nearly made USA’s main roster. He had a decent year as a rookie with Quinnipiac, but he’s best away from the puck, though. Pelosi battles hard around the net, making it miserable for defenders to clear him from the crease. He also hits hard, has good hands and blocks shots. I think Pelosi will top out as a fourth-liner in the NHL, but there’s no rush for him to turn pro, so there’s plenty of college runway left.
The rest: Brett Harrison, LW (22), Oskar Jellvik, LW (22), Cooper Simpson, RW (18), Cole Chandler, C (18), Kirill Yemelyanov, C (18), Jonathan Morello, LW (18), Beckett Hendrickson, LW (20), Casper Nassen, RW (21), Ryan Walsh, C (21), Cole Spicer, C (21), Andre Gasseau, C (22), Jackson Edward, LHD (21), Loke Johansson, LHD (19), Maximus Wanner, RHD (22), Vashek Richards, LHD (18), Elliott Groenewold, LHD (19), Kristian Kostadinski, LHD (20), Ty Gallagher, RHD (22), Mason Langenbrunner, RHD (22), Šimon Zajíček, G (24), Luke Cavallin, G (24)
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