By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
It’s safe to say Dean Letourneau didn’t have the most glamorous freshman year at Boston College. After being drafted 24th overall by the Bruins in the 2024 NHL Draft, the 6’7” Center made the jump from Canadian high school hockey directly to Hockey East. The move was ambitious but proved to be premature, as Letourneau recorded just three points in 36 games as an 18-year-old freshman. His performance drew particular ire from the Bruins’ fan base as he finished the season without scoring a single goal.
Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney commented on Letourneau during Development Camp back in June, describing his freshman season as having “significant growing pains” in adjusting to the higher caliber of play. He added that Letourneau would have benefited from a full year in the USHL, as he had only played two games with the Sioux Falls Stampede following his high school season before arriving at Chestnut Hill. Letourneau also disclosed at Development Camp that he had played the first half of the season with a broken hand, which further exacerbated his learning curve.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Letourneau’s freshman year. Eagles Head Coach Greg Brown was very optimistic about his development, adding that taller players tend to mature physically and adjust to the game’s pace more slowly. Brown compared Letourneau to former BC star forwards Brian Boyle and Kevin Hayes, both over 6’4″, saying that height isn’t necessarily an advantage right away, but that he can flourish as he grows into his body.
Letourneau had already started to show signs of his development throughout the season, but just didn’t get the puck luck. As he adjusted to the speed of the college game, his size, reach, and physicality translated well into a forechecking and puck retrieval role within BC’s bottom six, a role he wasn’t accustomed to. In other words, he was doing the dirty work and learning it on the fly, and did it well. His underlying statistics in defense and puck possession reflect a much stronger freshman campaign than his box score numbers would show.
Those new skills became evident at Development Camp, where his performance earned praise from the Bruins’ coaching staff. Adam McQuaid spoke highly of Letourneau, not only for his physical development, but also for his willingness to get to the net and improved processing speed. McQuaid added that Letourneau had stuck around Boston after the spring semester to continue training, and that commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Despite the praise, Letourneau was blunt about his freshman year, saying that his numbers weren’t where he wanted them to be, and he has his sights set on a big step forward next season.
“(I want to be) an offensive leader, be put in a more offensive role, and counted on to help the team win and score some goals. I think I’m going to try to push for that role this year.”
Despite the matriculation of key forwards Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault to the NHL, the Eagles’ depth down the middle remains relatively intact ahead of Letourneau. Fellow Bruins James Hagens, Andre Gasseau, and Oskar Jellvik, as well as Nashville prospect Teddy Stiga, are BC’s top returning forwards and figure to be penciled into the top-six. New arrivals Ryan Conmy and William Moore, another Bruin draft pick, will also be in contention for the offensive roles that Letourneau is seeking. He’ll need to earn every minute of top-six ice time early on to establish himself and become the leader he wants to be, and by all accounts, he’s putting in the work to have a strong year on Chestnut Hill.
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