By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
It’s well documented that Boston College will head into the 2025-26 NCAA Hockey season boasting six Boston Bruins draft picks in their lineup, but the spotlight hasn’t been distributed evenly. James Hagens (rightfully) gets top billing as the top draft pick from this past June. Will Moore is another exciting prospect who was projected as a first-round pick and fell to the Bruins in the second round. Dean Letourneau is the first-rounder from 2024 who has been a subject of spirited debate amongst the fanbase ever since he stepped onto the ice in Conte Forum. Kristian Kostadinski is a long-term project but has the benefit of being a seventh-round pick to develop at a more methodical pace.
Andre Gasseau just grabbed some headlines of his own by being appointed co-Captain, but he’s not the only fourth-year forward that the Bruins will have on this BC roster. Oskar Jellvik appears to be slipping through the cracks and being overlooked as “that other Bruins forward” at BC. Jellvik, like Gasseau, is a rising senior and key cog in the Eagles’ lineup. The former 2021 5th-round pick possesses exceptional vision and passing ability to create scoring opportunities for others, and hounds opponents on the forecheck.
When his team captures the puck, he is able to find free space to receive it, and he often beats his man in one-on-one situations. He finds his way through traffic both with and without the puck. He sets up hard and accurate diagonal passes to open up the defense when he enters the zone. He makes quick, short, direct passes, and he is usually aware of where his teammates are on the ice and what is going to happen next in the play. – FCHockey
Jellvik made a name for himself in his sophomore year at Chestnut Hill. Jellvik formed a lethal partnership with Gasseau and Hobey Baker finalist Cutter Gauthier, racking up 13-29-42 in 41 games. Jellvik’s playmaking ability proved to be critical for the Eagles in the postseason, as he recorded eight points en route to a Hockey East Tournament title and BC’s first National Championship game appearance since 2012.
Jellvik started his junior year on the Eagles’ top line, centering Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard, but struggled to build chemistry with the star duo and slid back down the lineup. He settled into the second line wing, tapping into familiar chemistry with Gasseau and freshman Teddy Stiga. Despite the re-found connection, Jellvik’s stats showed a sharp decline from his sophomore campaign, sitting at 4-9-13 after the first round of The Beanpot, which he left midway through due to a shoulder injury that would eventually rule him out for the rest of the season.
Although Jellvik himself wasn’t lighting up the scoresheet like he had the year before, his absence was felt throughout the BC lineup. Before his injury, the Eagles were held to two goals or fewer in just five of their first 25 games of the season. Without Jellvik in the lineup, they matched that number in their last 12 games. Gasseau, Leonard, and Perrault were the only forwards to score five or more goals down the stretch, with the bulk of Gasseau’s output coming while centering the latter two. Teddy Stiga logged just seven of his 30 points after Jellvik’s injury, and Will Vote recorded 1-4-5 in 11 games as his substitute on the second line.
Their lack of scoring depth was on full display in the postseason. BC was stunned by ninth-seeded Northeastern at home in the Hockey East Tournament, mustering up a single goal on 31 shots. In the NCAA Tournament, it took nearly 59 minutes for the Eagles to get a second goal past Bentley, the lowest-ranked team in the field. In the Regional Final, they were suffocated by Denver for the second year in a row.
Jellvik is entering his senior season at BC as the second most experienced and second highest scoring forward on the roster. His 98 games played and 21-51-72 are second only to Gasseau, with whom he’s shared a line for the bulk of their shared tenure. Following the departures of Leonard and Perreault, Jellvik will be a leading candidate to return to the top line. With his and Gasseau’s positional versatility to play both center and on the wing, there’s a very real chance the Eagles go into 2025-26 with an all-Bruins first line, with James Hagens centering the inseparable veteran duo.
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