By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
The 2026-27 college hockey season is officially underway. The schedules are set, the prospects have been profiled, and the preseason rankings are in; now I’m calling my shots with one prediction for each of the 13 Boston Bruins prospects suiting up in the NCAA this year. Some are tap-ins, and others I might as well be teeing up from the concourse. Either way, I’m locking them all in.
Dean Letourneau: Hockey East Player of the Year
The sheer amount of talent that left Hockey East after last season should make Letourneau a heavy favorite to take home the award this year. He finished his sophomore season as one of the conference’s most productive forwards, with 22-17-39, second only to James Hagens. With Hagens now in the NHL, the onus is squarely on Dean. Replicating or improving his numbers and carrying the Eagles back to the NCAA Tournament as THE guy should earn him the award.
Will Moore: At least 25 Points as the Eagles’ second-line center
I’ve already written about Moore and his chances of winning the BC second-line center role behind Letourneau, and now I’m adding to it. Five of his ten points as a freshman came in games where he played top-six minutes for the Eagles. With so much forward depth gone from last year’s team, those minutes are his to take. With that, plus more time on the power play, Moore should have no issue more than doubling up his freshman totals.
Kristian Kostadinski: Leads BC in Blocked Shots
According to College Hockey Now’s Advanced Metrics, Kostadinski finished tied for fifth on the Eagles with 27 blocked shots as a freshman. This year, only Luka Radivojevic returns with more (30), and like Moore up front, there are plenty of minutes to go around on the blueline. A step up from his 11:47 of ice time last year should see the hulking 6’6”, 235lb Swede clear the competition with ease as BC’s top sponge.
Leo Henriquez: Win the BC backup job and record a Shutout
Henriquez is entering a crowded goalie room in Chestnut Hill, with three incumbents to compete for ice time. Louka Cloutier is the nailed-on starter, playing in 33 of 36 games for the Eagles last season, while Jan Korec and Alex Musielak are the two main senior backups.
While Musielak has never appeared in a college game, Korec has a handful of wins and shutouts on his resume. Korec has more experience, but he started and lost the net very quickly last season. The door is open for Henriquez to take the backup job and get a few looks behind Cloutier. I’m circling January 9th against Stonehill as a prime opportunity for that shutout.
Chris Pelosi: A 20-20 Season
Pelosi finished his sophomore season with 18-16-34 in 35 games, and was elevated to the number one center role by the end of the year. A full season on the top line with the firepower Quinnipiac has, and the benchmarks are well within reach, especially if the Bobcats make a deep run in March after loading up through the portal.
Elliott Groenewold: Repeats as ECAC Defensive Defenseman of the Year
Groenewold beat out Cornell’s Hoyt Stanley and Dartmouth’s Eric Charpentier for the award last season while being the youngest of the three finalists. Now a year older, with preseason all-conference honors setting the baseline, he’s the best shutdown defenseman in the ECAC until someone proves otherwise.
Will Zellers: Leads North Dakota in Goals and Points en route to the Frozen Four
Zellers finished second in goalscoring (18) and fourth in points (34) as a freshman on a veteran-laden Fighting Hawks team who reached the Frozen Four for the first time in a decade. This year, as their top returning goal scorer and the only holdover from the top line, he’ll be leaned on to drive the offense. With guys like Simpson and Cole Reschny around him, I see Zellers going to another level and getting another shot at winning a national championship.
Cooper Simpson: NCHC Rookie of the Year
Simpson is part of a loaded freshman class joining the NCHC ranks this fall, alongside top NHL draft picks like Carson Carels, Ryan Lin, and Daxon Rudolph. I’m backing Simpson to beat out all the blue-chippers for the award because North Dakota dominates this category. Three of the past four NCHC Rookies of the Year have come from North Dakota, and Simpson is walking into a Fighting Hawks lineup with plenty of room in the top six to build his case, potentially alongside fellow Bruin Will Zellers.
Ryan Walsh: Leads Cornell in Scoring
Walsh led the Big Red in scoring during his sophomore season (17-14-31), then fell one point short of Jonathan Castagna last year despite setting a new career high (10-23-33). With Castagna having signed with the Calgary Flames in the offseason, Walsh reclaims the top spot for Cornell this year.
Jonathan Morello: Over 50% on Faceoffs
It’s hard to gauge Morello’s offensive ceiling with BU’s loaded center depth capping his ice time, so I’m laying up on this one and putting my (figurative) money on him making a jump at the dot. Morello finished his freshman year flirting with the break-even point, finishing 192-194 (49.7%) as the Terriers’ third faceoff man behind Brandon Svoboda and Kamil Bednarik. Both finished their freshman year just under 50% as well, then improved to 52.4% and 54.3% last season, so Morello has precedent for doing the same. Give me the over.
Beckett Hendrickson: At least 10 Goals and 25 Points
Hendrickson has gone from 3-9-12 to 7-13-20 over his two seasons with the Golden Gophers, so the math should be in his favor, but it’s hard to assume that progression will continue under a brand-new coaching staff. With his role on the team up in the air, I’m still backing him to reach those numbers in his junior season.
Cole Spicer: Dresses for 25 Games
Spicer hasn’t played more than 17 college games since his freshman year with Minnesota-Duluth in 2022-23. What makes me optimistic is that he appeared in each of Western Michigan’s final seven games last season. Dressing for 25 games is a low bar to clear, but it’s been a while since he’s stayed healthy enough to do it, and I’m betting he will.
Casper Nassen: At least 10 Goals and 20 Points
Nassen flirted with both benchmarks last season at Miami, finishing his sophomore year with 6-12-18 in 36 games. With the CCHA being a step down in competition from the murderers’ row that is the NCHC, he should clear his previous numbers and set new career highs with the Lakers.
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