Boston Bruins
Dean Letourneau and Cooper Simpson are among the headliners at Boston’s upcoming development camp.
Dean Letourneau is coming off a busy year with the Eagles. Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe
After making seven selections during the 2026 NHL Draft, the Bruins will gather some of their top prospects for the club’s annual development camp, which will be held from Monday, June 29, to Thursday, July 2 at Warrior Ice Arena.
Nearly 30 players will participate in the camp, with Don Sweeney noting Saturday that a “vast majority” of Boston’s 2026 draft picks will be in attendance at the four-day showcase.
Even with a few noteworthy absences, including prospect James Huggins, there are still several interesting players worth keeping an eye on during the four-day camp in Brighton.
Dean Letourneau, C
Hagens could top Boston’s prospect pool as a potential top-six talent whose skating and playmaking prowess would be welcome on the Bruins’ retooling roster.
But there’s an argument to be made that a 6-foot-7 pivot like Dean Letourneau has the highest ceiling in Boston’s system — especially after making a big leap forward as a sophomore at Boston College.
Boston took a risk by selecting Letourneau in the first round of the 2024 draft, validating some concerns about his ability to take advantage of heightened competition after a tough first year with the Eagles.
After dominating at the prep level (127 points in 56 games at St. Andrew’s College), Letourneau had zero goals and just three assists in 36 games as a freshman. Those growing pains gave way to a dominant freshman campaign in Chestnut Hill, where the 20-year-old scored 22 goals and 39 total points in 36 games.
If Letourneau takes another step forward as BC’s top offensive threat in 2026-27, he could punch his ticket to the pro ranks next spring — and establish himself as one of the league’s most coveted prospects, given his combination of size and scoring touch.
“A lot of people said Dean didn’t deserve all the swings,” Don Sweeney said of Letourneau last May. “He’s put in all the work, put himself in a situation, and hopefully he’ll continue to go out there and take advantage of it.”
Cooper Simpson, F
Boston’s burgeoning prospect pipeline over the past year was headlined by skilled forwards like Hagens, Letourneau and Will Zellers (18 goals, 34 points as a freshman at North Dakota).
Expect Cooper Simpson to also enter that conversation, as the 2025 third-round pick spent much of last year tearing apart opposing defenses in the USHL. After a standout 2024-25 campaign with Shakopee High School in Minnesota (49 goals, 83 points in 31 games), Simpson didn’t miss a step with the Youngstown Phantoms the following year.
The 19-year-old forward made an immediate impact, finishing second in the USHL with 34 goals and 74 total points over 60 games. Simpson’s powerful shot was on display during last year’s development camp, but his offensive creativity and hands make him a 25-goal talent in the professional ranks.
Expect more offensive zone highlights from Simpson next July, before the skilled winger joins Zellers on a loaded University of North Dakota roster this fall.
Max Lundgren, c
With AHL Player of the Year Michael DiPietro due for either a promotion in Boston or a fresh start elsewhere via the waiver wire this fall, Boston needs to shake up its goaltending staff in Providence.
Simon Zajecek – who just signed a one-year extension with Boston – is expected to have a bigger role in Providence, but the talented goaltender in Max Lundgren is also a name to watch in the coming years.
Boston signed Lundgren to a one-year entry-level deal in March after he posted a dominant season with Merrimack in 2025-26.
The native of Angelholm, Sweden, led the eighth-seeded Warriors to their first Hockey East title in program history this spring — earning tournament MVP honors after being shut out in the semifinals against UMass before turning away 49 shots against UConn in the championship game at TD Garden.
Over the entire season, the 24-year-old Lundgren posted a 21-16-2 record with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage with the Warriors.
Given Boston’s track record of developing netminders under the tutelage of Bob Essensa and Mike Dunham, Lundgren is a prospect whose stock could rise in the future.
A lot of eyes will be on the players between the pipes during development camp, especially with Boston also selecting two goaltenders in the 2026 NHL Draft in Yuri Ivanov (2nd round, No. 56 overall) and Roberto Henriquez (6th round, No. 170 overall).
Niels Bartholdson, RW
Nils Bartholdsson may hold the highest upside among skaters in Boston’s 2026 NHL Draft class.
Bartholdsson – who was taken in the third round of Saturday’s draft (No. 88 overall) – impressed in the Swedish Under-20 league with Rögel BK, where he scored 23 goals and 19 assists in 32 regular season games last year. He continued his strong play during the postseason with nine goals and 17 points in nine games.
Only 2026 first-round pick Alexander Komand (No. 12 overall) surpassed Bartholdsson as the U18 skater in the Swedish U20 league last season.
He’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-10, but Bartoldsson’s shot and nose for the net have Sweeney drawing comparisons between him and Viktor Arvidsson — a fellow Swede who has scored 219 goals in the NHL despite his smaller stature.
“Really competitive kid, plays kind of gritty game,” Ryan Nadeau, Bruins director of amateur scouting, said of Bartholdson. “Good at carrying pucks across the neutral zone, loves shooting pucks on net. Not shy about shooting, not shy about competing for pucks. He’s just the type of player we admire. We’re glad we were able to make that choice where we did.”
Eliot Grunwald, D
The Quinnipiac Bobcats will be a team to keep an eye on for Bruins fans this winter, especially with Rand Pecknold anchored by a pair of intriguing Boston prospects in defenseman Elliott Groenewold and forward Chris Pelosi.
There’s a lot to like about Groenewold’s floor in the pro ranks as a blueliner who doesn’t eat up minutes and can push for regular reps in the pro game over the next year. The Vermont native was named ECAC Defenseman of the Year and First Team All-Conference in 2025-26 – leading all college hockey teams with a plus-39 rating.
He’s not flashy, but Groenewold should have a long pro career as a consistent D-man who can move the puck cleanly and thwart scoring chances with a few heavy checks and an active stick.
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