The Bruins have spent the last few years doing the hard part: building a prospect group with real NHL upside. And at the top of that pool, the names are starting to look like players who can matter in Boston sooner rather than later.
This list is built on two things - NHL-readiness and NHL ceiling - and it only includes prospects under 23 who have not played a full NHL season. With that in mind, the top five is headlined by a first-rounder who already looks like the best bet to become a real piece for the Bruins, followed by a pair of North Dakota forwards, a big Boston College center, and a young forward who already has NHL games on his résumé.
At No. 5 is Matt Poitras, the most experienced NHL player in the group with 69 games under his belt. Even so, he still hasn’t locked down a full-time role three years after turning pro.
Last season, he spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in Providence and finished with 44 points (13-31-44) in 69 games. He also scored at the Stadium Series in Tampa, one of his seven career NHL goals.
Poitras has long been known for his playmaking, but the concerns have centered on his physical game and his work away from the puck. Those areas have improved during his time in Providence, and he has added more size since making his Bruins debut in 2023-24.
He looks ready for another NHL look, but the path is crowded. Boston’s center depth is stacked ahead of him, and his clearest opening this season may be the 4C role.
The Bruins also still need to sign him, though they retain his rights as a restricted free agent.
No. 4 is Cooper Simpson, a name worth filing away. Boston’s third-round pick in the 2025 draft is headed to North Dakota this fall, where he’ll join Will Zellers.
Simpson is coming off a huge USHL season with the Youngstown Phantoms, posting 74 points (34-40-74) and finishing second in the league in scoring. Before that, he spent time with the Tri-City Storm and piled up 239 points (139-100-239) in 108 games at Shakopee High.
The 19-year-old winger is a pure scorer with a heavy shot, and he showed that off at his first two Bruins development camps. He’s also talked about improving defensively, and playing on a strong North Dakota team should help round out his game.
He’s still a few years away from the NHL, and Boston controls his rights until June 1, 2029, or August 15, 2030 if he remains in school. Simpson was also invited to the 2026 Team USA World Junior Summer Showcase, which runs July 26-August 1 in Ontario.
Will Zellers comes in at No. 3 after a breakout year of his own. Boston got him in the Charlie Coyle trade, and the now-20-year-old made a real leap as a freshman at North Dakota.
He scored 18 goals, which was second on the team, and finished with 34 points, fourth-best on the roster. He also joined Team USA late for the World Juniors and led the team with eight points (5-3-8).
Zellers has the kind of ceiling that gets attention. He can score, but he also pushes play with speed and quick hands.
He’s stood out at Bruins development camp the last two summers, and he’s quickly becoming one of the more intriguing names in the system. He’s staying at North Dakota, where he said the goal is to be hanging banners in Grand Forks.
He also said the NHL feels closer, though he knows he’s still facing top-level competition in the NCHC. If he keeps producing, he could be ready to turn pro either before, during, or right after the 2027-28 season.
Dean Letourneau lands at No. 2, and Boston’s first-round gamble is starting to pay off. The Bruins took the long view with him in the 2024 draft, and after a rough freshman year, the 6-foot-7 center looked like a different player as a sophomore. He finished with 39 points (22-17-39), trailing only James Hagens for the BC and Hockey East scoring lead.
Letourneau is using his size the right way now. He gets to the front of the net, creates dangerous chances, and uses his frame to win pucks along the boards.
He was also a major special teams piece, leading BC with six power play goals while contributing on the penalty kill. After handling adversity as a freshman, he carried that confidence into year two and now looks like one of the key players for BC.
It shouldn’t be long before he’s wearing black and gold in Boston.
And at No. 1, unsurprisingly, is James Hagens. The seventh-overall pick led Hockey East with 47 points (23-24-47), signed an ATO with Providence, then joined Boston on April 8.
He played two regular-season games and three playoff games, but after Marco Sturm shuffled the lineup, Hagens ended up in the press box. His season wasn’t done, though - he later played for Team USA at the World Championships in May.
Hagens was drafted as a center, and Don Sweeney has said as much, but the Bruins clearly like his ability to play wing too. He spent plenty of time there at BC and lined up on the left side of the kids’ line once he got to Boston. He’ll get a chance down the middle eventually, but maybe not right away.
Still, if Boston gives him a real runway, it’s tough to see the impact being anything but immediate. Marco Sturm likes working with younger players, and Hagens’ ceiling is higher than the players he’ll be battling for ice time.
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