The Boston Bruins contingent on the Boston College Eagles have been having a great season, despite not getting the results they might've liked. James Hagens and Dean Letourneau have been leading the team, represented by their Hobey Baker Award nominations. Still, Oliver Moore has also been having a solid freshman season, while Andre Gasseau is now healthy and averaging a point per game.
Friday night's win over the University of New Hampshire was the Bruins prospects' show. Letourneau led the group with two goals and an assist, while Hagens added a goal and a helper (on Letourneau's goal), and Gasseau also chipped in one.
The Bruins "gamble" on Dean Letourneau was a good one. He looks like an NHL player. 6'7", getting stronger, smooth skater, powerful hands, good release. 12 goals in 21 games this year. Hagens to Letourneau. B's last 2 #1 picks here. https://t.co/UtckFDPgwH
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) January 24, 2026
The Letourneau pick felt like a risk when the Bruins made it in the first round of the 2024 draft. There were concerns that an oversized kid playing prep school hockey in Canada might've been cherry-picking stats with his physical dominance and might be in for a rude awakening at the next level. The 2024-25 season proved to those people that they may be right, but he has quickly silenced those haters this season.
One of the people who wanted to dunk on those haters the most is Eagles' head coach Greg Brown, who had some pointed comments to reporters after Friday night's win, according to Eagles' reporter Anthony Smith, via a post on X.
""We tried to tell everyone last year that it's coming. Nobody believed us.""Greg Brown
The Bruins can only hope that the Hagens-to-Letourneau connection they saw on Friday night will be coming to TD Garden soon. In reality, the connection will be at TD Garden on February 2 and 9 for the Beanpot, which could present some subtle foreshadowing for at least one of those players.
Hagens seems like a lock to sign his entry-level deal when the Eagles' season ends. He could get into some games for Boston at the end of the year, and maybe even stay with them for the playoff run if they manage to make it.
That seems less unlikely for Letourneau, who could return to Boston College for one more season to anchor the first line with Hagens gone and try to dominate college hockey for one more year. Nevertheless, within the next two seasons, the center-ice position looks bright for the Bruins.