The Boston Bruins' rebuild is looking like it's in fine shape with the emergence of some top prospects this season. While the 2024-25 season offered a bleak outlook on the future of the team, the acquisitons they made at last year's trade deadline improved the prospect pool, and some of the players who were already in the pool have been looking very good to start this season.
Whether it's drafted Bruins Dean Letourneau, Christopher Pelosi, and James Hagens, or the acquired prospects in Fraser Minten and Will Zellers, the future is finally looking a bit brighter with the Bruins' longtime core finally turning over. You can add another name to that list, as Beckett Hendrickson has been a force at the University of Minnesota this season.
Another underrated Bruins prospect having a breakout season in the NCAA
Hendrickson was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He is a pass-first skilled forward that followed his draft year with an average third season in the USHL. The expectation was that Hendrickson would breakout after leaving the NTDP and joining the Sioux Falls Stampede, but he eventually moved to the Dubuque Fighting Saints for the remainder of the season seeking a fresh start.
The struggles to get his game back continued in his first NCAA season, as he had just 12 points in 39 games. It wasn't the worst-case scenario in terms of output, but for an offensively dynamic player, there were higher expectations.
Beckett Hendrickson my goodness what a beauty #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/b2r1pCFkbx
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) November 16, 2025
It looks like those expectations are finally coming to fruition, as Hendrickson has been catching stride with the Golden Gophers. He now has nine points in 15 games, which includes four points in his last five. The snake-bitten forward has been producing changes at a high-rate, and it seems like the dam is finally starting to break.
No one is expecting Hendrickson to be one of the players who eventually comes to save the Bruins. However, it's good to see some of the prospects taking a step forward when the organization is staring at a rebuild. The speed at which the prospects begin to develop will directly correlate to how quickly the team can come out of the rebuild that no Bruins fan wants to sit through. If this season is any indication, the rebuild might not be too long at all.