Bruins prospects fall short at Spengler Cup with US College Selects

The US College Selects were thought to be a throwaway team at the 2025 Spengler Cup. It had been decades since the USA sent a college-based team to the tournament, and most believed that a bunch of college kids playing against professional hockey players could be a bit of a mismatch. However, the Selects team, including Boston Bruins prospects Christopher Pelosi and Ryan Walsh, nearly went to Switzerland and won the whole thing.

Walsh and Pelosi didn't play a massive role in the outcome of the tournament. In fact, it seemed like the coaching staff believed they were interchangeable, as they alternated games where one played on the fourth-line left wing and the other sat in the press box. At the end of the tournament, Walsh was the player chosen to play in the championship game, and scored a crucial goal for his first of the tournament.

However, the Americans were unable to keep that momentum going against the host team. Both squads traded goals through the first two periods and entered the final frame with a 3-3 tie, but after a back-and-forth period where both teams nearly took the lead, HC Davos ran away with the 6-3 victory with three goals in the final 10 minutes.

Bruins prospects fall short at Spengler Cup with US College Selects

It doesn't take away from what the US College Selects were able to achieve in the tournament. Most expected them to bow out after the round robin, but after a loss to Canada in the opening game, they defeated Davos to take first place in the group.

HC Sparta Praha made quick work of Canada in the quarter-final game, and it looked like the USA would be in tough against the Czechia-based team in the semi-finals, but they upset the professional team to set up one more game against Davos.

It might not have been the outcome they were looking for, but the US College Selects having so much success against professionals likely sets them up to keep returning to the tournament and also shows the growing skill level in the NCAA. The team didn't even have all the best players in the nation, but they were still on par with some of Europe's top pro teams.

Pelosi ended his tournament with no points in two games, while Walsh had his lone point on the goal in his third and final game. It was't the greatest showing for the Bruins prospects, but the experience of playing in such a prestigious tournament could be invaluable.