The Bruins’ development camp wrapped up Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena with a little bit of everything: a 3-on-3 tournament, a scrimmage and a shootout. Over four days, 31 prospects and invitees cycled through the building, with the first two days split by position before the full group sessions kicked in.
By the end of the week, Adam McQuaid said he was “really happy” with how camp went. That included all seven Bruins picks from the 2026 NHL Draft, along with prospects from the 2025, 2024 and 2023 classes, plus one from 2022. The club also brought in seven invitees, ranging from 18-year-old USHL defensemen to a 24-year-old who is set to become the emergency backup goalie next season.
Here are the biggest things that stood out from the week.
The 2026 draft class did not look like a group just arriving for the first time. McQuaid said after camp that “the gap seems to be closing between the first-year guys. Usually, first-year guys come in, and it’s really noticeable who they are.”
Fourth-round pick Matvei Kotkov was one of the names that popped right away. Fresh off winning the Kharlamov Cup MVP in Russia-MHL, he got to Boston a month later and showed plenty of skill in scrimmages and shooting drills. McQuaid called him a Day 1 standout and pointed to his “sturdy” 6-foot frame.
Two Swedish prospects also made early noise. Nils Bartholdsson and Oscar Olsson both stood out, with Olsson’s 6-foot-4 build and touch drawing attention from player development coordinator Parker Mackay, who described his play as “smooth.”
Bartholdsson, meanwhile, said he is an “offensive forward who plays with a high intensity, skates much, and likes to shoot and take the puck to the net.” He said he models his game after the recently departed Bruin Viktor Arvidsson.
In goal, the Bruins may have added real promise, even if the timeline is still long. Second-round pick Yuri Ivanov and sixth-round pick Roberto Henriquez were both among the seven selections last Saturday, and with Max Lundgren already in the system, the pipeline looks deeper. Don Sweeney said before camp that Ivanov will keep playing in Russia for the next two years, adding that “sometimes it takes a little time for them to jump to the next level.”
Ivanov still made his presence felt throughout camp. He was quick, athletic and seemed to read the play well in front of him.
Henriquez, who is headed to BC in the fall, had a strong week too. He showed the same athletic traits and competitive edge.
McQuaid was impressed by both, even if he admitted he is not a goalie guy. Mike Dunham and Bob Essensa handled the goaltending work, and Parker Mackay said after the second day that Dunham enjoyed what he had seen.
Dean Letourneau was the one player everyone was going to notice. As the only first-round pick in camp, the spotlight was already on him, and the 6-foot-7 forward handled it well.
He scored from all over the ice and showed off hands that don’t usually come with that kind of frame. McQuaid said his progress after camp was “probably to no one’s surprise.”
There was also a possible connection building between North Dakota products in the system. Will Zellers, who made his mark at the World Juniors and in college this season, carried that form into camp.
His shot was already known - he finished second on North Dakota with 18 goals - but his playmaking also showed up. Cooper Simpson, who finished second in the USHL with 74 points, displayed the shot that stood out at last year’s camp while also talking about improvements in his habits, including stick positioning.
The two have been training together in Minnesota and are both on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks’ roster next season.
“I honestly feel like I’m kind of following in his footsteps,” Simpson said about Zellers. “He’s a year older than me, and he’s done the stuff in front of me, so I kind of just talked to him a lot about what to do.
Obviously, school will be a lot with him to bond with him. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Among the other names worth noting, Vashek Blanar continued to trend in the right direction after a strong season in Sweden. The 6-foot-5 defenseman brought an offensive mindset, but his defensive game has improved too, and that showed in game settings. He grew an inch and added seven pounds since last summer’s camp, and while he is still a few years from turning pro, he is committed to UMass for 2027-28.
Liam Pettersson also looked more comfortable than he did a year ago. The Bruins’ 2025 second-round pick was limited to 19 games this season because of an injury, but he still stood out to McQuaid after the first session.
A few others made their case too. Quinnipiac teammates Elliott Groenewold and Chris Pelosi both had strong weeks and will head back to Connecticut to train this summer.
Cole Spicer returned and quietly put together a solid camp. David Deputy, a Miami (OH) forward, gave the Bruins exactly what they wanted from a camp invite and opened the scoring in Thursday’s scrimmage.
Cole Chandler, who is headed to the Cape Breton Eagles this season and is committed to Northeastern for 2027-28, had a quieter week, but McQuaid said that “when he’s on, he’s really hard to handle.”
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