Bruins Development Camp: Five prospects to watch

Bruins Development – The Boston Bruins begin Development Camp Monday, June 29 through Thursday, July 2 at Warrior Ice Arena with nearly 30 prospects expected to attend. With James Hagens among the notable absences, attention turns to Dean Letourneau, Cooper Simpson, Max Lundgren,

For the Boston Bruins, Development Camp is where the future gets loud—pads on, skates sharpened, coaches watching the small details that don’t show up on highlight reels.

This year’s camp runs Monday, June 29 through Thursday, July 2 at Warrior Ice Arena, with nearly 30 players set to take part. Bruins president of hockey operations Don Sweeney said on Saturday that a “vast majority” of Boston’s 2026 draft picks will be there.

There are a few notable gaps, though. Top prospect James Hagens is among the absences. Even so, the list of players worth tracking over the four days is stacked, from a high-ceiling center to a goaltender competing for the next opportunity.

Dean Letourneau is coming off a breakout season with Boston College, and his path has been anything but smooth. The Bruins selected the 6-foot-7 pivot in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, a pick that carried risks about whether he could capitalize against higher-end competition.

Letourneau’s rookie year with the Eagles reflected those concerns. He tallied zero goals and just three assists over 36 games as a freshman. Then, as the level caught up to the player, everything changed. In his sophomore campaign. the 20-year-old center scored 22 goals and 39 total points in 36 games. moving into the kind of role—Boston’s top offensive threat—that could bring another step in 2026-27.

If he becomes a true offensive centerpiece again, the Bruins believe he could be ready for the pro ranks next spring and, with his blend of size and scoring touch, emerge as one of the more coveted prospects in the league.

Sweeney, speaking in May, said a lot of people doubted the swing. “A lot of people said that Dean wasn’t worth that swing,” he said. “And he did all the work, he put himself in a situation, and hopefully he’s just going to continue to go there and take advantage of it.”

Cooper Simpson is the name Bruins development scouts will be watching closely for a different reason: momentum. While Boston’s prospect pipeline has been headlined over the past year by skilled forwards like Hagens. Letourneau. and Will Zellers—Zellers posted 18 goals and 34 points as a freshman at North Dakota—Simpson is expected to push into that same conversation.

The Bruins’ 2025 third-round pick spent most of the last year with the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL, after a standout 2024-25 run at Shakopee High School in Minnesota. At Shakopee, he scored 49 goals and 83 points in 31 games.

The following year, he didn’t lose a step. Simpson ranked second in the USHL with 34 goals and 74 total points over 60 games. The sharpness of his shot was on display during last year’s Development Camp. but it’s his offensive creativity and hands that make his upside feel bigger than his numbers alone.

Boston expects offensive-zone highlights this July, especially with Simpson joining Zellers this fall at the University of North Dakota.

Between the pipes, Max Lundgren is a name worth circling—one the Bruins believe could rise quickly if the organization is forced to reshuffle its goalie depth.

With reigning AHL MVP Michael DiPietro potentially due for a promotion in Boston or a fresh start elsewhere via the waiver wire this fall. Boston’s goalie corps in Providence will need attention. Šimon Zajíček—who signed a one-year extension with Boston—is expected to take on a greater role in Providence. but Lundgren brings real competition.

Boston signed Lundgren to a one-year, entry-level deal in March after a dominant season with Merrimack in 2025-26. The 24-year-old. a native of Angelholm. Sweden. led the eighth-seeded Warriors to their first Hockey East title in program history this spring. He earned tournament MVP honors after posting a shutout in the semifinal round against UMass and then stopping 49 shots against UConn in the championship game at TD Garden.

Over the full season, Lundgren finished with a 21-16-2 record, a 2.55 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage with the Warriors.

The Bruins also have a history of developing netminders under Bob Essensa and Mike Dunham, and Lundgren’s profile fits the mold of a prospect whose stock can move fast once given consistent looks.

The camp’s goalie spotlight won’t be limited to Lundgren. Boston also selected two netminders in the 2026 NHL Draft: Yuri Ivanov in Round 2 with the No. 56 overall pick, and Roberto Henriquez in Round 6 with the No. 170 overall.

On skates, Nils Bartholdsson could be the player with the highest upside among the skaters in Boston’s 2026 NHL Draft class. The Bruins selected him in the third round on Saturday with the No. 88 overall pick, and his production in Sweden has drawn strong attention.

Bartholdsson impressed in Sweden’s under-20 league with Rogle BK, scoring 23 goals and 19 assists in 32 regular-season games this past year. He carried that form into the postseason, adding nine goals and 17 points in nine games.

Only 2026 first-round pick Alexander Command, No. 12 overall, outproduced Bartholdsson as an under-18 skater in Sweden’s under-20 league this past season.

At 5-foot-10, he’s undersized, but Boston views his skill set as a compensating factor—his shot and his nose for the net. Sweeney drew comparisons between Bartholdsson and Viktor Arvidsson, a fellow Swede who has tallied 219 career goals in the NHL despite his smaller stature.

Ryan Nadeau. Bruins director of amateur scouting. said Bartholdsson is a “really competitive kid” who plays a “gritty type of game.” Nadeau added that he’s “good at carrying pucks through the neutral zone. ” likes “to get pucks on net. ” and is “not shy about shooting” and “not shy about competing on pucks.”.

Elliott Groenewold rounds out the group of names Bruins fans should keep an eye on. especially if you’ve been paying attention to Quinnipiac’s run this past season. The Quinnipiac Bobcats figure to matter this winter. anchored by a pair of intriguing Boston prospects: defenseman Elliott Groenewold and forward Chris Pelosi. with Rand Pecknold’s squad leading the way.

Groenewold’s appeal is built on floor as much as ceiling. Boston describes his floor as that of a minutes-eating, no-frills blueliner who could push for regular reps at the pro level within the next year.

In 2025-26. the Vermont native earned ECAC Best Defensive Defenseman and All-Conference First Team honors. and he led all college hockey with a plus-39 rating. He’s not flashy. the Bruins say. but he projects as a long-pro career type: a steady defenseman who moves the puck cleanly. and who can shut down scoring chances with heavy checks and an active stick.

All told, the Bruins’ Development Camp gives these prospects a stage to prove what their résumés already suggest: Boston’s next wave is being shaped in real time, one practice at Warrior Ice Arena at a time, with the 2026 NHL Draft class and the path to Boston’s future on full display.

Boston Bruins Development Camp Warrior Ice Arena Dean Letourneau Cooper Simpson Max Lundgren Nils Bartholdsson Elliott Groenewold James Hagens