All the talk surrounding the Boston Bruins' prospect pool is whether Dean Letourneau will join the team when his season ends at Boston College, but that might not be the only player who is going to generate some noise in the NCAA. Letourneau is a Hobey Baker candidate, but Will Zellers proved that his name deserves to be in the conversation as well with his opening weekend performance.
The University of North Dakota had a home-and-home series with Bemidji State this past weekend, winning both games by scores of 3-2 and 4-3. It wouldn't have happened without Zellers, who had points on six of the seven Fighting Hawks' goals. Zellers followed up a three-assist performance in the first game with the opening two goals on Saturday evening and another assist later in the game.
Will Zellers is on about massive tear. Three assists last night and he’s already on hat trick watch here in the first period for North Dakota. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/savc6m5Oo2
— Robert Chalmers (@robbatwo) October 10, 2026
North Dakota projects as one of the top teams in the nation after advancing to the Frozen Four last season. Zellers has been on a steady upward trajectory ever since Boston acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline, in a deal that is proving to be one of Don Sweeney's best moves of the past few seasons.
It's unlikely we will see Zellers in the NHL this season, unlike Letourneau, as he is a good candidate to join the Providence Bruins after North Dakota's season ends and then make a bid for Boston's roster next season. Next year's training camp could be one of the most intriguing in years, with prospects like Letourneau and Zellers joining other rising young stars like Fraser Minten, James Hagens, and Frederic Brunet.
Dean Letourneau's start to the season
Boston College had just one regular season game on their opening weekend, with Alaska visiting Chestnut Hill on Friday night. It was a disappointing start, as they dropped the game 3-2, but Letourneau did have one of the team's two goals.
Letourneau did dominate the game, firing seven shots on net and winning 11 of 17 faceoffs. He also played 22 minutes, four more than the next closest forward, which shows just how much usage the power forward is going to get this season in order to further his development.
While it's uncertain how well the Eagles will perform this season in a bit of an in-between year, it could be good news for Bruins fans as it means that Letourneau's college season will end sooner and he'll have more time to play games in Boston.
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