Boston Bruins
James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, and Will Zellers are leading the way in Boston’s prospect pool.
James Hagens, one of the top Bruins prospects, is due for a greater role with Boston in 2026-27. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
July 13, 2026 | 7:24 AM
8 minutes to read
The Bruins’ once-barren prospect pool is getting deeper and deeper.
As the Bruins continue to retool their roster, Boston has started to reap the rewards of both a March 2025 roster teardown, and a restocked cupboard of draft capital.
If the Bruins plan to take another step forward with this current core of David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman in place, odds are that Boston’s roster will need to be supplemented by an influx of intriguing young talent — many of whom could start carving out key roles in the NHL ranks as soon as next season.
As such; here’s a look at the top 10 prospects currently in Boston’s system.
(To narrow down on some of the candidates in this ranking, we’re excluding prospects who have already logged at least 15 games with the Bruins).
10. Nils Bartholdsson, F
The Bruins will need to wait a few years for their top 2026 draft pick — 17-year-old netminder Yuri Ivanov — to marinate before seeing if he has the makings of a legitimate NHL talent.
That timeline may not be quite as long for Nils Bartholdsson — who could have gone a lot earlier than the third round (No. 88 overall) of the 2026 NHL Draft had he been just a few inches taller (5-foot-10).
Despite his smaller stature, Bartholdsson was a menace in Sweden’s U-20 league with Rogle BK last year — tallying 23 goals and 19 assists in 32 regular-season games.
Only 2026 first-round pick Alexander Command (No. 12 overall) generated more points than Bartholdsson as an under-18 skater in the J20 Nationell (44 points in 30 games).
There will be some concerns about how he can handle physicality at higher levels of competition, but Bartholdsson boasts a lethal shot and a williness to drive into Grade-A ice — with the young Swede modeling his game after undersized scoring winger Viktor Arvidsson.
9. Chris Pelosi, F
For all the talk of the Bruins cornering the market on Boston College players and overall Hockey East talent, the collegiate club Bruins fans might want to keep tabs on next year is a stacked Quinnipiac squad.
Leading the charge for the 2026-27 Bobcats is a pair of Bruins prospects, including a productive, two-way forward in Chris Pelosi.
Drafted in the third round (No. 92 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Pelosi followed up a strong end to his freshman campaign (19 points in final 23 games) with an 18-goal, 34-point performance with Quinnipiac in 2025-26.
Pelosi generates chances by hounding pucks, forcing turnovers, and cashing in on miscues, while he’s also developed into a reliable special-teams option for Bobcats coach Rand Pecknold.
If he continues to generate offense in the collegiate ranks, Pelosi projects to be a dependable bottom-six forward in the pro game.
8. Elliott Groenewold, D
Much like his Bobcats teammate in Chris Pelosi, Elliott Groenewold is a no-frills prospect who boasts a pretty high floor thanks to his profile as a hard-nosed defender.
The Vermont native took another major step forward as a sophomore last season, with the 2024 fourth-round draft pick (No. 110 overall) earning ECAC Best Defensive Defenseman and All-Conference First Team honors.
The 20-year-old defenseman led all of college hockey with a plus-39 rating, while also chipping in with seven goals and 20 points in 40 games.
He’s not expected to be an offensive conduit at the next level, but Groenewold could make a push for pro reps in short order as a dependable, left-shot option on the blue line.
7. Frederic Brunet, D
The Bruins’ prospect pipeline isn’t exactly stacked with high-impact blue liners, but a mobile D-man like Frederic Brunet could be ready to make a push for the NHL later on this fall.
“I think he’s put himself on our radar now to really push for an NHL opportunity,” Don Sweeney said of Brunet in June. “He’s had the one game, but you see his game continue to grow. He’s rounded out defensively. He values that part of the game, whereas before him when we first got him, it was go, go, go. I’m a transporter. But now we like the aggressiveness of the offensive blue line.”
Two-way shift from Frederic Brunet, No. 42 in white, begins with his gap control and ends with a net-front goal in the last minute of the first period. Seventh goal of the season for Brunet as he continues to impress. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/VvyYFNZZw3
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork) January 18, 2026
Brunet — a 2022 fifth-round pick (No. 132 overall) has been knocking on the door for a while in Providence, scoring 17 goals and 61 points over the last two seasons (134 games).
A playmaking defenseman with good size at 6-foot-3, Brunet may not necessarily project to be a power-play QB in the NHL. But if he hits his ceiling, the Quebec native could routinely chip in with 25-30 points and be a strong transition player who moves pucks out of danger with crisp first passes.
If he has a strong training camp and preseason, Brunet could be an appealing candidate to pair with Charlie McAvoy. Similar to Matt Grzelcyk, Brunet could make life easier for his defensive partner by retrieving pucks and doing some of the taxing work in the D-zone.
6. Dans Locmelis, F
Another Swiss Army Knife who has been productive at just about every stop of his young career, Dan Locmelis could be in line for some NHL reps at some point in 2026-27.
Be it at UMass (33 points in 40 games in 2024-25), on the international stage while representing Latvia (two goals in four Olympic games), or now with the P-Bruins, Locmelis has drawn plenty of high marks for his refined, 200-foot profile and ability to chip in on the scoresheet.
Had it not been for a season-ending injury suffered this winter, Locmelis would have been one of the top scorers in Providence (28 points in 43 games). He might be more of a “master of none” in that his speed, size, and shot aren’t exactly elite — but he finds a way to impact most of his shifts with a cerebral skillset.
Like Pelosi, he could develop into a trusty third-line forward if he continues to marinate and build his game moving forward.
5. Cooper Simpson, F
Don’t be surprised to see Cooper Simpson much higher on this ranking next year, given the 2025 third-round pick’s established track record of shredding opposing defenses.
Despite dominating at Shakopee High School in Minnesota (49 goals, 83 points in 31 games), there is always some level of concern about whether or not that production can carry over to elevated levels of competition.
So far, so good from the 19-year-old forward — who ranked second in the USHL with 34 goals and posted 74 total points over 60 games with Youngstown in 2025-26.
With a hat trick last night, Cooper Simpson is the second player in the USHL to post a 70-point season this year with 33G-37A-70PTS in 58GP. Simpson, No. 21 in purple, flashes some high-end skill in transition before scoring his second of the night. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/8fuqql8P9g
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork) March 21, 2026
Armed with a blistering shot, Simpson can score from just about anywhere in the offensive zone, and also has the hands and anticipation to both capitalize on rush chances and find soft spots in coverage to pepper the net.
If Simpson — who will join fellow Bruins prospect Will Zellers on a stacked University of North Dakota squad in 2026-27 — continues to produce as a freshman in the NCHC, look out.
4. Michael DiPietro, G
Don Sweeney didn’t mince words earlier this month when asked about the reasoning behind trading veteran netminder Joonas Korpisalo.
“We just feel that Michael has earned this opportunity, and he comes in, not that Michael is ever going to worry about looking over his shoulder to say the truth, it’s just a real good opportunity for him now to come in and take the last two years in particular and apply it to the National Hockey League, you’re never going to know unless you get that opportunity, and at some point in time, the team has to provide it,” Sweeney said earlier this month of Bruins prospect Michael DiPietro.
While he’s only made four appearances in the NHL, the 27-year-old netminder has little left to prove in the American Hockey League.
DiPeitro — originally acquired from the Canucks as part of an October 2022 trade involving Jack Studnicka — was named the AHL’s top goalie in each of his past two seasons with Providence.
Beyond that accolade, DiPietro was named AHL MVP for the 2025-26 campaign, leading the league in wins (30), GAA (1.90), and save percentage (.930).
He’s a bit of a late bloomer, but it’s hard to argue against the results that DiPietro has put forth over the last few seasons.
3. Will Zellers, F
Similar to Cooper Simpson, Will Zellers is a shot-first, scoring winger who has legitimate 25-goal upside as an NHLer.
One of the top prizes plucked up by the Bruins as part of their extensive roster fire sale in 2025, the 2024 third-round pick (originally by Colorado) has seen his stock soar since arriving in Boston.
The Minnesota native earned USHL Player of the Year honors after scoring 44 goals and 71 points across 52 games with the Green Bay Gamblers.
He didn’t slow down after making the jump to North Dakota in 2025-26 — tallying 18 goals and 34 points over 38 games as a freshman.
He also saw his stock soar at World Juniors this past winter — going from the spare forward on Team USA into arguably their most impactful forward with five goals and eight points over five games.
He’s not the most imposing figure at 5-foot-10, but Zellers blends his heavy shot with a high motor and a creative approach in the offensive zone.
The Minnesota native — who said he models his game after a fellow undersized scoring winger in Jake Guentzel — could carve out a regular role in Boston’s middle-six in the next few years.
2. Dean Letourneau, C
What a difference a year makes for Dean Letourneau.
Letourneau was always going to be a long-term investment when Boston selected him in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft — with the 6-foot-7 forward coming off a dominant year at the prep level (127 points in 56 games at St. Andrew’s College).
But his upward trajectory took a major hit after he accelerated a year ahead and arrived at Boston College in 2024-25 — scoring zero goals and three assists over 36 games as a freshman.
But for all the fears over Letourneau being a complete whiff, the 20-year-old center rebounded in a major way as a sophomore at Chesnut Hill — scoring 22 goals and 39 total points in 36 games.
Letourneau’s silky mitts and sharp wrist shot might have helped him stuff the stat sheet at the prep level, but the BC product’s willingness to use his imposing frame and reach to win puck battles, wreak havoc, and truck his way into Grade-A ice has made him a matchup nightmare in Hockey East.
Another former BC forward might pace Boston’s prospect pipeline, but there’s a valid case to be made that Letourneau — if he reaches his ceiling — has the highest upside among Bruins prospects.
There are a lot of skilled forwards in the collegiate ranks. Not a lot of them are also 6-foot-7 and weigh in at 235 pounds.
1. James Hagens, F
No surprise here.
If the Bruins do take another step forward in 2026-27, a potential top-six fixture in James Hagens carving out a regular role should factor into those good fortunes.
The seventh overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Hagens earned a cup of coffee with the Bruins at the end of the 2025-26 season after another strong season at Boston College (23 goals, 47 points in 34 games as a sophomore).
Even if Hagens didn’t necessarily pop over his very limited reps with Boston (one assist in five games, including three playoff appearances), the skill and upside are evident with the playmaking forward.
While he might start out on the wing with Boston, Hagens is at his best at center — with his elite edge work and pass-first approach making him the type of player who will consistently generate chances with the puck on his stick.
Even with some expected growing pains as a rookie in 2026-27, Hagens is a tantalizing talent who will play a key role moving forward in Boston’s reworked forward corps.
Honorable Mentions: F Will Moore, D Vashek Blanar, F Matvei Kotkov, G Max Lundgren, D Liam Pettersson, G Yuri Ivanov, F Ryan Walsh
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
