By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
Twice a year, on the first two Mondays of February, the TD Garden hosts the only game in town. Rather than being bathed in a sea of Green or Black & Gold, the stands are adorned in various shades of red. Instead of cheering on the home team as one, the fans are divided into four separate crowds, jeering one another. Whether they support Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, or Harvard, they all have a common goal: They want the Beanpot.
The Beanpot, arguably the biggest stage in college hockey short of the NCAA tournament, has long been a proving ground for future NHL stars: Johnny Gaudreau, Chris Kreider, Matt Boldy, Alex Tuch, Cutter Gauthier, Thatcher Demko, Will Smith, Charlie Coyle, Jack Eichel, Charlie McAvoy, Macklin Celebrini, Lane Huston, Jake Oettinger, and Adam Fox are among the exhaustive list of names that have competed in the tournament at least once since 2011. This year’s edition isn’t lacking for star power in its own right:
Top-ranked BC boasts several key players from last year’s National Runner-Up campaign, like Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perrault, Jacob Fowler, and newcomers Teddy Stiga and James Hagens, a potential first-overall pick this coming June. Leonard, who played more of a “Robin” role behind Gauthier and Will Smith last season, has become a Hobey Baker favorite with 22 goals in 24 games, including nine in his past five with a pair of hat tricks.
BU has leaned on Lane Hutson’s two younger brothers, Quinn and Cole, and freshman Cole Eiserman to drive offense in front of a lackluster defense by their standards. Quinn and Eiserman are tied for the team lead in goals with 15, and the trio are among the Terriers’ six 20+ point scorers for the third-ranked scoring offense in the country.
In recent years, Northeastern has garnered a reputation in the Beanpot regardless of how their season has gone to that point. The Huskies have won five of the past six Beanpots, including last season when they entered with a .500 record and toppled BU in overtime. Their offense is driven by the electrifying Jack Williams, who has 19 points in his last 14 games coming into the tournament.
Harvard enters the Beanpot as the presumptive fourth-place team for the second straight year, though they are in a stronger position than last season. After winning just seven games in ‘23-’24, the Crimson matched that total before the end of January. Middle of the pack in both scoring and defense, they’re markedly improved from a team that, despite their struggles, was only an overtime goal away from the final.
For neutral Bruins fans who just want to keep tabs on prospects within the system, there are four names to know this year: Andre Gasseau, Oskar Jellvik, Dean Letourneau, and Mason Langenbrunner.
Gasseau and Jellvik are a package deal. They’ve been paired on the BC second line for most of the season, initially with Teddy Stiga but lately with Ryan Leonard. Both have experienced a drop-off in production compared to last year, which can easily be explained by not having Cutter Gauthier racking up 38 goals on their wing.
Gasseau, a 7th-round pick from 2021, comes into the Beanpot with eight goals and 16 points in 24 games, slightly down from his career-high of 29 points from each of his first two seasons as an Eagle. His 6’4” frame has proven very valuable in front of the net, where he’s created the bulk of his offense. He had a run from November to early December where he scored seven goals in nine games but has not found the back of the net since. Since the start of the second half, Gasseau has picked up the slack by creating chances, with five assists in eight games.
Jellvik, a 5th rounder from 2021, took a bit longer to adjust to life without Gauthier but found his form and has been producing well since mid-November, at one point racking up seven points in nine games. Jellvik and Gasseau have leaned on their existing chemistry to create offense while their other wing was in flux and factored in each other’s goals on five occasions, but they’ve since found stability with Ryan Leonard on the right side. Jellvik uses his speed and vision to create scoring chances and set up teammates off the rush, as evidenced by his 50 career assists in 97 games as an Eagle. His four goals and 12 points align with his freshman year total of 17moreso than his sophomore year total of 42, but he should see an uptick down the stretch with Leonard playing like a man possessed on the opposite wing.
Letourneau, the 25th overall pick from 2024, has turned into a lightning rod amongst some Bruins fans. He was drafted as a long-term development project, and that’s precisely how he is panning out so far. The big 6’7” center has just two points in 23 games for BC and has yet to score a goal. Letourneau has played most of his minutes in the bottom six or as the extra forward while he finds his game at the college level, making a big jump from Canadian private school hockey. It would take time for him to find his game at the NCAA level, and his growth has been visible as of late, coming agonizingly close to finally lighting the lamp more than once in 2025.
Langenbrunner, a 5th-round pick from 2020, is a classic defensive defenseman. He’s responsible in his own end, kills penalties, blocks shots, and isn’t afraid to use his 6’3” frame. Mainly deployed as a third-pairing defenseman or extra skater, he’s seen an uptick in minutes over the past few weeks, skating at least twenty minutes in five of his past seven games after never reaching that amount of ice time beforehand this season. The Crimson are reaping the benefits of his extra deployment, as Langenbrunner has set a new career high in scoring with three goals and six points this season. He only had six points total in his first two years combined.
The Beanpot starts Monday at 5 p.m. from TD Garden on NESN and ESPN+. BC is the heavy favorite to win its first Beanpot since 2016. Langenbrunner and the Crimson will kick things off against BU. The BC trio will face Northeastern at 8 p.m. The winners of the two games will face off the following Monday night at the Garden in the final.
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