By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
Andre Gasseau drew headlines last week when he was announced as a Co-Captain at Boston College for 2025-26, but he wasn’t the first Bruins prospect to be named to their leadership group for the upcoming year. That honor belongs to Mason Langenbrunner, who will be entering his senior season at Harvard as Co-Captain of the Crimson.
Langenbrunner is the son of Bruins Assistant General Manager and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Jamie Langenbrunner. He was named along with fellow senior Joe Miller as the 140th and 141st captains in program history back in April, at their end-of-season banquet. Langenbrunner will head into his senior year as Harvard’s most experienced player, having skated in 99 career games with the Crimson.
Drafted in the fifth round, 151st overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft, Langenbrunner drew immediate comparisons to at-the-time Bruin Brandon Carlo, as a big, mobile defenseman, clocking in at 6’3, 194lb. He made a name for himself in the Minnesota High School hockey circles, racking up 5-26-31 in 24 games for Eden Prairie High School before moving up to the USHL and eventually the NCAA. Despite his offensive talent, the points became much harder to come by during his first two seasons at Harvard, mustering just six points (1-5-6) over his first 66 games.
The 2024-25 season was a massive step forward for Langenbrunner on both sides of the puck. Starting the year bouncing between the third pair and the extra defenseman role, he struggled to see 15 minutes of ice a night. However, by mid-January, he had played his way into more consistent ice time and was entrenched in the second pair, never seeing fewer than 16 minutes for the rest of the season.
The increased ice time led to a career year for Langenbrunner. He shattered his combined scoring total from his freshman and sophomore seasons with 10 (6-4-10) points as a junior. He matched his previous scoring output in goals alone, and his six goals led all Harvard defensemen. Three of his goals came on the power play, including a pair against Northeastern in the Beanpot. His development resulted in being awarded the Donald Angier Hockey Trophy as Harvard’s most improved player of the season.
Langenbrunner is the lone returning right-side defenseman from last season, when Harvard came within a goal of upsetting 2nd-seed Clarkson in the ECAC Tournament quarterfinals. The departures of Ian Moore, Jack Bar, and Kyle Aucoin, along with four incoming freshmen on the blueline, will place an even greater responsibility on Langenbrunner to anchor the back end.
The left side of the Harvard defense remains intact, and the question remains of who Langenbrunner will be partnered with and on which pairing. The Crimson got the best out of him once he was partnered with Lucas St. Louis on the second defensive pair after the new year, and maintaining continuity to start the season would certainly make sense for an underclassmen-heavy blueline. However, there is also an opening on the top pair with Matthew Morden, whose stay-at-home defense could enable Langenbrunner to lead the Harvard defense in goalscoring for the second consecutive year.
With his NCAA eligibility expiring after this season, don’t be surprised if Langenbrunner finds his way into the Providence Bruins lineup come April.
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