Boston Bruins
“I’m kind of following in his footsteps.”
Cooper Simpson is coming off a strong season in the USHL. John Tlumacki/Boston Globe
July 2, 2026 | 12:44 PM
3 minutes to read
It should come as little surprise that both Cooper Simpson and Will Zellers’ stalls are next to one another in the Bruins’ dressing room during development camp.
Both Bruins prospects hail from Minnesota. They’ll both make the trek to North Dakota later this month as they prepare for their first season as teammates for the Fighting Hawks.
And in due time, both skilled, shot-ready wingers could anchor Boston’s middle-six corps — giving the Bruins a much-needed influx of high-end, young talent as they hope to turn this retooling club into a legitimate contender once again.
“Coop doesn’t live too far away from me back home, either, so it’s nice being stallmates with him,” Zellers said Tuesday at Warrior Ice Arena. “Came here on the plane together and have been training for the past [few] months together in Minnesota. So it’s been nothing but the best with him.”
Boston’s prospect pipeline is headlined by a pair of talented pivots in James Hagens and Dean Letourneau. But both Zellers and Simpson have seen their stock soar — especially after both forwards joined Boston’s organization in 2025.
Zellers — acquired by the Bruins as part of the Charlie Coyle trade with Colorado in March 2025 — has gone from intriguing prospect to potent sniper with every stop he’s made in his young hockey career.
The 6-foot forward took home USHL Player of the Year honors in 2024-25 with the Green Bay Gamblers — leading the league in goals (44) while posting 71 total points in 52 games. Zellers’ heavy wrist shot translated to elevated competition in the NCHC, with the freshman tallying 18 goals and 34 points over 38 games.
“He certainly has the ability to be as high as a top-six scoring winger that you can use in different situations,” Bruins director of player development Adam McQuaid said of Zellers. “He’s a fantastic kid, a great teammate. He’s a student of the game. …. He knows the right times to try and create.
“He’s a gamer. Really bought into more of a 200-foot game this year. Those are the things that you’re looking for in players, and it’s happened pretty quickly for him.”
In some respects, an ascending prospect like Zellers has paved the ideal pathway for Simpson.
“I’m kind of following in his footsteps,” Simpson said of Zellers. “He’s a year older than me, and he’s done the [same] stuff in front of me, so I kind of just talked to him a lot about what to do, and obviously school with him … it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Much like Zellers, Simpson put himself on the map by routinely shredding opposing defenses in the USHL.
A third-round pick by Boston (No. 79 overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft, Simpson represented a worthwhile investment by the Bruins — fresh off the wiry winger scoring 49 goals and 83 points across just 31 games with Shakopee High School (Minn.) in 2024-25.
That lofty stat line didn’t take a hit after Simpson made the jump to the USHL. In 61 games with the Youngstown Phantoms in 2025-26, Simpson ranked second in the league with 34 goals and 74 total points in just 60 games.
Simpson’s blistering shot was put on display during last year’s Development Camp, but his offensive creativity and hands make him a talent with 25-goal upside in the pros.
“I think a lot of my little habits got a lot better,” Simpson said of his play last season with Youngstown. “I think a lot of the defensive side, like stick positioning and all that stuff. I also think like a mental side of it, always just figuring out what to do and staying strong.”
Simpson should be another strong pickup for what should be a loaded North Dakota squad in 2026-27. Fresh off of a Frozen Four appearance, the Fighting Hawks are bringing in a strong freshman class that includes Simpson and 2026 sixth-overall pick Carson Carels.
“At North Dakota, the only goal is to hang one of those national championship banners,” Zellers said. “To get so close and lose like that, it’s pretty tough. But it’s going to motivate us for next year. We’ve got a lot of young guys coming back who have been through that process. It hurt pretty bad, but it also is going to help us in the long run.”
The duo of Zellers and Simpson should dole out plenty of damage in Grand Forks this summer.
It may not be very long until they’re peppering netminders on Causeway Street as well.
“It’s so hard to play against grown men,” Zellers said of competition in the NCHC. “So I’m kind of proving to myself — not to everyone, but also to myself, that I can play in college and still score goals. [It] helped my confidence, made me kind of realize the NHL isn’t too far of a reach away.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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