By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter / X @Jainchill_Ryan
When the puck drops on the 2024-25 NCAA season, the Boston Bruins will closely monitor their 13 prospects donning various sweaters across multiple conferences. These prospects in the Bruins system vary from recent first-round selections with high expectations to late-round draft picks trying to make a name for themselves. Let’s look at these 13 players and see what the Bruins scouts will watch for in the upcoming season.
Ty Gallagher – Defenseman, Colorado College, Graduate Student
Gallagher, a 2021 seventh-round selection, started his college hockey career at Boston University before announcing he would transfer to Colorado College for his graduate season.
Gallagher appeared in 113 games for the Terriers, posting eight goals and 34 assists. After a breakout sophomore season that saw the Clarkston, Michigan, native record 21 points in 40 games, Gallagher struggled in his final season on Commonwealth Ave., tallying five points in 37 games.
Does Gallagher show enough this season for the Tigers to earn a contract from the Bruins at year’s end? That’s still to be determined. Gallagher and the Bruins likely hope a change of scenery helps him return to the form he had his first two seasons at BU, which is enough to sign his ELC after the season.
Andre Gasseau – Forward, Boston College, Junior
Gasseau, the Bruins’ 213th overall draft pick from the 2021 Draft, has seen his prospect status rise since he jumped from the USHL to Boston College. He has had two solid seasons at BC, notching 27 points in his freshman season and 29 last season.
Gasseau played alongside many top NHL prospects in his sophomore campaign, including top-ten selections Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Cutter Gauthier. Gasseau was listed on the Eagles’ top line in the National Championship game alongside Gauthier and fellow Bruins prospect Oskar Jellvik.
Gasseau possesses a fantastic shot, as shown by his 22 goals across two seasons. His size and strength allow him to reach the areas where he can utilize that shot. The progress of the Garden Grove, California, native has drawn the eyes of the Bruins front office, with the 21-year-old receiving an invite to Development Camp in July.
With the Eagles seeing Smith and Gauthier sign their ELCs with the Sharks and Ducks, respectively, Gasseau looks to be in for an increased role as a team veteran. With another solid season playing on Chestnut Hill, Gasseau could be in line to sign his ELC with the Bruins at the end of the Eagles season.
Elliott Groenewold – Defenseman, Quinnipiac, Freshman
Groenewold was the Bruins’ second selection in the 2024 NHL Draft after Boston received the 110th pick in a trade with Minnesota that sent Jakub Lauko to the Wild. The Bellows Falls, Vermont native will attend Quinnipiac University in the fall after spending a season playing for Cedar Rapids of the USHL. In 57 games, Groenewold tallied five goals and 11 assists while recording 77 penalty minutes for the RoughRiders.
What caught the eye of Don Sweeney and the Bruins’ front office was Groenewold’s size and defensive abilities. Standing at 6’2” and weighing 201 pounds at 18 years old, Groenewold has the size that could make him a capable defenseman at the next level.
In EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide, Groenewold was described as a high-pace, high-aggression player who excels around his net and neutralizing plays off the rush. Playing for Coach Rand Pecknold at Quinnipiac should allow Groenewold to unlock more of his offensive game, as was evident with former Bobcats Connor Clifton and Devon Toews. With the Bruins’ critical defenders locked up, Groenewold certainly has time to develop his game at the NCAA level and eventually move to the professional level.
Beckett Hendrickson – Forward, Minnesota, Freshman
The Bruins selected the son of 10-year NHL veteran Darby Hendrickson with the 124th pick of the 2023 NHL Draft out of the U.S. Development Program. After spending a season in the USHL playing for Sioux Falls and Dubuque, Hendrickson will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall.
In the USHL, Hendrickson recorded 64 points in 59 regular season games and seven points in 11 playoff games. He joins a talented Minnesota team that features four first-round selections and finished runner-up in their regional after falling to BU 6-3.
Despite being only 19 years old, Hendrickson has fantastic playmaking ability that he will continue to develop as a Golden Gopher. Like the other young Bruins’ NCAA players, Hendrickson has time to hone his craft and develop into a capable player who can transition to the pro level.
Oskar Jellvik – Forward, Boston College, Junior
Like his teammate Gasseau, Jellvik has rocketed up the Bruins’ prospect rankings, finding himself the fifth-ranked prospect in the team’s system, according to Amalie Benjamin.
Jellvik was selected with the 149th pick by Boston in the 2021 entry draft out of Sweden and has spent the last two seasons at BC. Last season for the Eagles, Jellvik was over a point per game, scoring 42 points in 41 games. In particular, his playmaking ability jumped, with 29 of his 42 points being assists, primarily to his linemates Gasseau and Gauthier.
The Täby, Sweden native’s ability to make plays has been in full effect at BC, and another season in the NCAA should develop his game even more. Outside of the prospects already signed to their ELCs, Jellvik is among the Bruins’ highest-upside prospects. When he inevitably signs, he should be able to translate his game to the AHL level and eventually the NHL level.
Mason Langenbrunner – Defenseman, Harvard, Junior
Mason, the son of two-time Stanley Cup champion and current Bruins Assistant General Manager Jamie Langenbrunner, has spent the last two seasons playing at Harvard. The Bruins 151st overall selection in the 2020 draft spent two seasons in the USHL before donning the Crimson sweater.
Despite being drafted with a high offensive upside as a defenseman, Langenbrunner has struggled to translate his offensive game to the NCAA level. He has only recorded six points in 66 games across his two seasons under Harvard Head Coach Ted Donato.
Going into his junior season, Langenbunner hasn’t quite taken the jump the Bruins might have been looking for, at least when it comes to point totals. However, with a few seasons remaining in his college hockey career, it is still possible for the 21-year-old to find his offensive game at the NCAA level and make a push to sign an ELC.
Dean Letourneau – Forward, Boston College, Freshman
Letourneau comes in as the Bruins’ top prospect playing in the NCAA this upcoming season as he suits up for BC. The 6’7” 18-year-old was selected with the 25th pick in June and projects to be a massive center at the next level.
Last season, while playing at St. Andrew’s College in Canada at the U18 AAA level, Letourneau scored 61 goals and 66 assists for 127 points in 56 games. His size advantage at the U18 level was on full display, but his real test will come while playing for BC.
Letourneau possesses the skills that project well at the next level, but experience playing at higher levels is most certainly needed. With him playing at BC, Sweeney will have plenty of opportunities to see Letourneau live and assess his progress. Depending on his time playing for the Eagles and the status of the Bruins, it could be a couple of seasons before we see Letourneau don a black and gold sweater in either Boston or Providence.
Dans Locmelis – Forward, Massachusetts, Sophomore
Locmelis, the 119th selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, played at the University of Massachusetts last season and scored 13 points for the Minutemen.
The Jelgava, Latvia native also represented his home country in the last two U20 IIHF World Junior Championships. In the 2023 games, Locmelis notched three goals in six games, and last year, he had five points in as many games. Locmelis has also contributed to his country earning a spot in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games after Latvia defeated France 5-2 in the qualifiers.
Locmelis has shown scoring ability at the U20 level. Still, with only one season of NCAA experience at 20, it might be a couple of seasons before the Latvian is in a position to sign his ELC. In his second year at UMass, Locmelis should be able to build off a solid freshman campaign playing in one of the top college hockey conferences.
Casper Nässén – Forward, Miami (Ohio), Freshman
Nässén, the Bruins’ seventh-round selection in 2023, will jump to North America to start his collegiate career at Miami (Ohio). While playing for Sweden’s U20 Frölunda HC team last season, Nässén scored 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points in 41 games.
The 6’4” winger has the projectable size that teams desire, but with no experience at the NCAA level thus far, Nässén is likely far away from being ELC-ready. Nässén is a project, and his development under new Redhawks Coach Anthony Noreen remains to be seen. We’ll have to see what year one in Oxford, Ohio, looks like for the Swedish native before making a call on his progress.
Christopher Pelosi – Forward, Quinnipiac, Freshman
Pelosi, the 92nd overall selection in the 2023 draft, was the Bruins’ top pick that year out of the USHL with a commitment to Quinnipiac. Splitting time between the NAHL and the USHL in his draft year, Pelosi spent the entirety of last season with Sioux Falls of the latter league, scoring 55 points in 56 games and two points in three playoff games.
The New Jersey native is fantastic in the offensive zone, using his physicality and shooting ability to give himself and his teammates grade-A opportunities. Pelosi joins fellow prospect Groenewold in Hamden, Connecticut, where the two will look to develop their respective games under Coach Pecknold.
At only 19 years old, Pelosi has time to adjust to the next level and improve his game at Quinnipiac for a Bobcats team that looks to avenge a heart-breaking defeat to BC in the NCAA tournament. Like many other incoming freshmen in the Bruins’ system, time will tell how Pelosi will adapt to the NCAA level and if he can keep building on his strengths.
Jake Schmaltz – Forward, North Dakota, Senior
Schmaltz, the team’s seventh-round selection in the 2019 draft, is the oldest Bruins prospect playing in the NCAA this year. In his three seasons at North Dakota, the younger brother of Utah forward Nick Schmaltz has 47 points in 109 games, 14 of which are goals.
The 23-year-old was named an assistant captain of the Fighting Hawks before last season and was named to the NCHC All-Academic Team for the third straight season. Schmaltz has earned a leadership role for a storied program, but his play likely hasn’t caught the attention of the Bruins. If the Bruins don’t sign Schmaltz after his time at North Dakota ends, he could go down the free agency road and earn a tryout with an AHL or ECHL team.
Philip Svedebäck – Goaltender, Providence, Junior
The lone Bruins goaltending prospect playing in the NCAA, Svedebäck has been Providence College’s starting netminder for the past two seasons. The Växjö, Sweden, native was selected with the 117th overall selection in the 2021 draft out of his home country but spent the 2021-22 season playing in the USHL with Dubuque.
Svedebäck has started 68 of the 69 games he has played for the Friars, posting a career stat line of 32-24-11 with a 2.25 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and five career shutouts. Boston’s ability to scout and develop goaltenders has been stellar recently, and Svedebäck is another notch on the belt.
If and when Jeremy Swayman signs, the Bruins should have their goaltending situated for six-plus years. But it’s imaginable that with two more seasons at Providence developing, Svedebäck could find himself competing with Brandon Bussi for the backup goalie position in a couple of seasons and getting consistent minutes in the AHL.
Ryan Walsh – Forward, Cornell, Sophomore
Walsh, selected 188th overall in the 2023 draft, played his freshman season at Cornell. In 35 games for the Big Red as a 20-year-old, Walsh tallied 22 points, 12 of which were goals. In his draft year, Walsh suited up for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the USHL, potting 30 goals and 49 assists for 79 points in 61 games.
The Rochester, New York native has a high offensive upside and moves the puck well, but with only one season of NCAA hockey under his belt, he is far from ELC-ready. That isn’t to say that we won’t see Walsh wear the spoked-b after his days at Cornell are done. If his talents keep developing, Walsh could be a key contributor for Providence and look to push for an NHL roster spot in camp.
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