By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
The tail end of the college hockey season annually brings a wave of players turning pro, whether with the NHL teams that drafted them or in the free-agent market. The Boston Bruins are one of the most active teams in the NHL in terms of the collegiate pipeline, with a league-leading 16 drafted prospects playing in the NCAA this year. Among that crop are four graduating seniors: Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, Mason Langenbrunner, and Philip Svedeback. With their seasons all finished several weeks ago, their futures with the organization are now in question.
Jellvik and Gasseau, both 2021 NHL Draft picks, concluded their four-year careers at Boston College in the Hockey East semifinal following a 4-3 OT loss to UConn. Both had promising starts to their BC tenures, recording 59 and 58 points, respectively, and played key roles in the Eagles’ run to the National Championship Game, but their trajectories diverged significantly afterward. Gasseau recorded a career high of 30 points as a junior and was later named co-captain for his senior season, while Jellvik, who broke out with 42 points as a sophomore, struggled with injuries and played in just 31 games as an upperclassman.
Like Gasseau, Langenbrunner served as a co-captain in his senior season. Drafted in the fifth round in 2020, he’s been a late bloomer at Harvard, and only rose to consistent second-pair minutes in his junior year, where he recorded a career high of 10 points. He matched those numbers as a senior and skated nearly 20 minutes per game. Standing at 6’3”, 195lbs as a right-side defenseman, you’d think Langenbrunner fits well with one of the Bruins’ biggest areas of need.
After Jeremy Swayman, Philip Svedeback is the only other goaltender in the Bruins organization who came through the NHL Draft. The Swede, also drafted in 2021, concluded his career at Providence College as one of the most accomplished goaltenders in Friar history, finishing fourth all-time in both wins (54) and games played (112). He was on track to set a career high in save % as a senior (.918), and was within striking distance of other program goaltending records, but suffered an injury in early January and never reclaimed the starting role from freshman Jack Parsons.
With all four prospects having exhausted their eligibility and due for contracts, the Bruins got to work, but with other players. Rather than sign their own drafted prospects right away, they went outside the organization and signed three NCAA free agents to minor league deals: Max Lundgren, Ryan Tattle, and Will Gilson.
Lundgren had just led Merrimack to a stunning Hockey East Tournament title as one of the hottest goalies in the country. Tattle was the top-line Center on the UConn team that ended Gasseau and Jellvik’s BC careers. Gilson, a Quinnipiac grad transfer from RPI, recorded more points in one season with the Bobcats (28) than Langenbrunner had in his whole career (26).
The Bruins have made their evaluations clear. So what’s next for the graduates? Gasseau is the only one with any indication of his future at this time. Per Mark Divver, there have been rumblings that Gasseau is looking to play NHL games right away, and Elliotte Friedman reported that he could look to free agency once his draft rights expire. Nothing yet has been said about Jellvik, Langenbrunner, or Svedeback. As of now, unless their negotiation rights are traded beforehand, they are still Boston Bruins prospects until their draft rights expire on August 15th, when they’ll be free to determine their own futures.
Leave a Reply