2026-27 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.
Here are the criteria for being labeled a prospect: 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. Goaltenders are a bit more subjective, but they must be 25 or under, have played fewer than 15 games in the past season, or have not spent significant time in the NHL overall over a three-year period.
Today, we’re breaking down the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins have made five first-round picks over the past 10 years. In that span, two – James Hagens and Dean Letourneau – have developed quite nicely. Fabian Lysell, John Beecher and Urho Vaakanainen have all since left the organization, mostly in depth roles.
So, it’s tough to build a good pipeline that way. Given Boston’s strong stretch of competitiveness over the past decade, it’s understandable that they’ve had to part with draft pick assets along the way.
Fortunately for Boston, a few prospects have stepped up over the past year. Dean Letourneau had an absolutely mega season at Boston College, putting himself back on the map after an ugly freshman campaign. Will Zellers proved that his USHL scoring dominance could translate to the NCAA, and Cooper Simpson is seemingly following in the same development path after obliterating opponents last year.
Not every prospect is going to be a star – you’ve got to find the value from all over the draft. So given the lack of high-end picks the Bruins have had, this isn’t actually a terrible pipeline.
Biggest Strength
It’s hard to get excited about any position here. If anything, the Bruins have a number of players with dual-center/wing experience (Hagens, Letourneau and Will Moore), which offers some extra flexibility. There’s a chance Hagens can become a No. 1 center in the NHL, but many scouts prefer him on the wing, and I’m not sure I disagree. Regardless, I like Hagens and Letourneau and think both can become impact NHLers before too long, with Hagens expected to make the jump to full-time duty in 2026-27.
Biggest Weakness
To build off that – there isn’t a single position with real, tangible depth. I feel confident that Hagens will be a top-six NHLer. I’m a fan of both Letourneau and Zellers, too. I’m probably higher on Dans Ločmelis than others, too. Beyond that, we’re mostly talking about wild cards here. Maybe we’ll see more gems fly up this board over the next year or so (I’m keeping an eye on Vashek Blanár). For now, it’s a lackluster prospect pool.
Fast Facts:
NHL GM: Don Sweeney
Dir. of Amateur Scouting: Ryan Nadeau
Dir. of Player Development: Adam McQuaid
AHL Affiliate: Providence Bruins
ECHL Affiliate: Maine Mariners
Recent Graduates: Fraser Minten, C
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. James Hagens, C/LW, 19 (Boston Bruins)
Acquired: Drafted seventh overall, first round in 2025
The Bruins’ top pick in 2025 had a strong Draft+1 season. He finished with 47 points in 34 games at Boston College and continued with appearances at the World Juniors and World Championship. More importantly, though, we saw him skate in his first pro action between Providence and Boston. Hagens didn’t play much with the big club, but he was quite solid with Providence as he got himself up to speed. Hagens’ true value is in making smart plays, being a good two-way player, outthinking opponents, and that’s something that I think we saw already in the AHL. He does play a lot on the perimeter; I think that is something he’ll need to adjust if he’s going to be successful in the NHL. Hagens will have to figure out how to play with a bit more muscle, too. He has gotten a little stronger the last couple of years, so there is that going for him. If Hagens can figure out how to really exploit the middle of the ice and get the puck where it needs to be, he’ll be in really good shape.
2. Dean Letourneau, C/RW, 20 (Boston College, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 25th overall, first round in 2024
Nobody had – or needed – a better glow-up in Boston’s system this past season. As a freshman, he failed to score and had just three assists. As a sophomore, he exploded for 22 goals and 39 points in 36 games, finishing second on the team in scoring – only behind Hagens. Boston College struggled to generate quality, consistent scoring chances, but Letourneau really helped pick up the slack there. At 6-foot-7 and 229 pounds, Letourneau is an absolute beast, and he’s finally figuring out how to use that frame to his advantage at the next level. I loved his game back at St. Andrew’s, and I’m excited to see how he continues to evolve his two-way power-forward play style.
3. Will Zellers, LW, 20 (University of North Dakota, NCAA)
Acquired: Traded by Colorado Avalanche in 2025
What a year it was for Zellers. He already boosted his stock significantly in 2024-25 after a highly productive campaign with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. Then, he finished at just under a point per game with the University of North Dakota, while also finishing as USA’s top player at the World Juniors (despite starting as the 13th forward). Zellers loves to play with speed, beating opponents with quick hands and swift footwork. He has an excellent shot, and continues to add more speed and accuracy to it over time. Zellers has good hands and the skill to become an NHLer, but he needs to add a bit more muscle. Overall, though, there’s a bright future for the potential middle-six winger.
4. Dans Ločmelis, C, 21 (Providence Bruins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 119th overall, fourth round in 2022
The former UMass standout has come a long way over the past few years, which included an outstanding performance at the World Championship last spring. Many scouts wondered whether Ločmelis’s NCAA numbers would translate to AHL success, and if it weren’t for an injury, a 50-point season wouldn’t have been out of the cards. I know he lacks high-end offensive talent and probably won’t be a playdriver at the next level. There’s a realistic chance he’s just a fourth-line energy guy (who lacks true physicality). But, man, I still enjoy his game and how hard he works at both ends to create chances around the net.
5. Cooper Simpson, LW, 19 (University of North Dakota, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 79th overall, third round in 2025
Simpson was a Minnesota high school standout who really came alive in the second half of the 2024-25 season. He had seven goals in nine games with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, which set him up for a big rookie campaign with Youngstown this past year. It was clear he was one of the most skilled forwards, finishing with 34 goals and 74 points in 61 games. He also improved his physical game and became a bit more refined defensively. Simpson is one of the better snipers in Boston’s system, which is exciting. I could see him pushing himself up the depth chart sooner rather than later if he continues his scoring prowess at UND next year.
6. William Moore, LW/C, 19 (Boston College, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 51st overall, second round in 2025
Once a top-end minor hockey prospect, Moore has established himself as more of a future bottom-six, shutdown forward. He had just 10 points as a freshman at Boston College, but made himself difficult to play against along the boards and around the net. Moore is a strong defensive forward who gives opponents little to work with on the attack. I just wish he’d find another offensive gear to his game to truly make himself a legitimate NHL prospect. For now, he’s still a bit of a long shot, but I like his two-way reliability enough to believe in him.
7. Nils Bartholdsson, RW (Rogle, Sweden U-20)
Acquired: Drafted 88th overall, third round in 2026
Bartholdsson has an excellent shot, and I love how well he skates. That combination allowed him to dominate shifts at the Swedish U-20 level, and he was especially good in open space on the power play. Bartholdsson was more of a secondary scorer at the U-18s, but he was one of the better players in his age group this year. My biggest concern was that it felt like he often struggled with players even two inches taller than him – if he couldn’t beat them with his pure footwork, he couldn’t deal with them physically to make up for it.
8. Frédéric Brunet, LHD, 22 (Providence Bruins, AHL)
Acquired: Drafted 132nd overall, fifth round in 2022
Brunet is a big, 6-foot-3 defender coming off his best pro hockey season to date. He scored 12 goals and 36 points in 65 games with Providence, besting his previous career high of 25. Brunet played more high-impact minutes and consistently broke up plays while getting involved offensively. Brunet has just one NHL game to his credit and wasn’t called up at any point in 2025-26. We’ll see if that persists, but Brunet has shown enough in Providence to suggest he can be a bottom-pair defenseman or at least a No. 7.
9. Chris Pelosi, C, 21 (Quinnipiac University, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 92nd overall, third round in 2023
Pelosi had a productive 18-goal, 34-point sophomore campaign with Quinnipiac and will look to lead the team overall in 2026-27. The smart, two-way center isn’t flashy, but he has a nice release and does a great job of forcing opponents into mistakes on the backcheck. Scouts aren’t convinced he’s anything more than a decent AHLer (which isn’t a crazy expectation out of someone ranked here). He’ll probably need to carve out a niche to crack the Bruins down the line, but he seems to be in the right spot at the right time quite often in college, and that can’t be ignored.
10. Vashek Blanár, LHD, 19 (UMass, NCAA)
Acquired: Drafted 100th overall, fourth round in 2025
I was hoping to see Blanár play for Czechia at the World Juniors, but he ultimately served as an extra. The UMass commit won’t move the needle with the puck, but he’ll make your life miserable if you try and go head-to-head with him. He has excellent hands, enabling him to create high-quality plays you don’t typically see from a 6-foot-5 defenseman. Defensively, Blanár can get a bit flat-footed at times, or simply react a bit too late. But college will provide him a perfect platform to work on his timing and play-reads. I think there’s definitely something here, though – Blanár could end up being a successful bottom-pair project.
Other Prospects: Attilio Biasca, C (23), Cole Chandler, C (19), Kirill Yemelyanov, C (19), Jonathan Morello, C (19), Beckett Hendrickson, C (21), Ryan Walsh, C (22), Cole Spicer, C (22), Kalle Vaisanen, LW (23), Oscar Olsson, LW (18), Oskar Jellvik, LW (23), Alexis Gendron, RW (22), Matvei Kotkov, RW (17), Casper Nassen, RW (22), Loke Johansson, LHD (20), Jacob Vandeven, LHD (18), Elliott Groenewold, LHD (20), Kristian Kostadinski, LHD (21), Maximus Wanner, RHD (23), Cullen McCrate, RHD (19), Liam Pettersson, LHD (19), Yuri Ivanov, G (17), Roberto Henriquez, G (19), Simon Zajicek, G (24), Max Lundgren, G (24)
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