3 Nashville Predators prospects playing for United States at World Junior Summer Showcase
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Boston Globe
5 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Ranking the Bruins' top 10 prospects: James Hagens headlines deeper pool of talent
Now that Development Camp has wrapped, here's our annual ranking of the top 20 prospects in the Bruins' system. To narrow down this list, we're excluding prospects who already have played at least 15 games with the Bruins, such as Matt Poitras and Michael Callahan. We're also excluding free agent signings this offseason who could be poised for greater roles in 2025-26, such as AHL standouts Matej Blumel and Alex Steeves. Advertisement 10. Chris Pelosi, F One of the more unheralded prospects in the system, Pelosi was arguably one of the top underclassmen in college hockey down the stretch in 2024-25. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up After a slow start with Quinnipiac, Pelosi had 11 goals and eight assists over his final 23 games. If he can prove that his second-half surge was no fluke, Pelosi could project in a middle-six role. 'He put on a solid 10 pounds last year,' Bruins scout Parker MacKay said. 'He's taking pucks to hard areas, and he also values his defending, and that's certainly the pieces of his game that we value.' 9. Frederic Brunet, D With the Bruins placing a premium on centers and skilled forwards in the last few drafts, it should come as little surprise that their crop of defensemen has been whittled a bit. Advertisement But an offensive-minded defenseman such as Brunet is worth monitoring. Brunet has size at 6 feet 3 inches, but his calling card is playmaking. The 21-year-old put it all together last season with Providence, playing heavy minutes while adding five goals and 20 assists over 69 games. Brunet needs more seasoning in the AHL, but the Quebec product is likely going to be the first blue-liner called up when the injury bug inevitably hits. 8. Georgii Merkulov, F This feels like make-or-break time for the 24-year-old Merkulov. Signed as a college free agent in April 2022 after just one season at Ohio State, Merkulov has long been productive in the AHL. In 201 career games with Providence, Merkulov has 70 goals and 109 assists, serving as one of coach Ryan Mougenel's most effective top-six talents. Even though the Russian isn't the most imposing figure at 5-11 and 183 pounds, he has regularly shredded AHL defenses with a sharp one-timer and soft hands. Despite talent with the puck on his stick, Merkulov's speed and processing ability have often been behind NHL pace, leading to quality looks but few results. Merkulov re-upped on a one-year contract this offseason, but if he doesn't make the team out of camp, he'll have to clear waivers to be sent back to Providence. 7. Dean Letourneau, F On paper, Letourneau checks all of the boxes of the type of talent the Bruins should covet. A center? Check. A 6-7 frame? Check. Add in the video-game-like stats against prep competition at St. Andrew's College in 2023-24 (127 points across 56 games), and it should come as little surprise that the Bruins selected Letourneau with 25th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Advertisement After drawing comparisons to Tage Thompson, Letourneau validated his standing as a 'project' by struggling in his first season at Boston College. In hindsight, the decision to accelerate Letourneau from the prep level to Hockey East in one season was a misstep, as he could have benefited from a year in the USHL. But despite his lackluster production, Letourneau 'He honestly handled it really well,' Bruins player development coordinator Adam McQuaid said. 'There were days of disappointment where he felt like he could and wanted to impact more. 'At the end of the year, he was like, 'I'm going back to BC. I'm going to compete for a spot.' Nothing's going to be given to you. He knows that, and it says a lot about him.' This season will be critical if Letourneau wants to reassert himself as a top prospect. He has strong puck skills for a player his size, but he needs to utilize that frame more. BOSTON ,MA - JULY 1 Dean Letourneau, in action at the second day of Boston Bruins Development Camp at Warrior Arena in Boston ,MA on Tuesday , July 1 2025. (Jonathan Wiggs Globe /Staff ) Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff 6. William Moore, C Another BC forward, Moore stands as a potential middle-six regular if his steady two-way game continues to mature. The No. 51 pick in the 2025 draft, Moore ranked second on the US National Team Development Program U-18 team with 59 points (27 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games last season. The primary question for Moore is whether his offensive talents can continue to evolve as he braces for tougher competition in the years ahead. Advertisement If Moore's scoring capacities plateau, he could project as a third-liner. If he can stuff the stat sheet at Chestnut Hill and become a 50-point NHLer, he has the makings of a very useful second-line center. 5. Will Zellers, F One of the top prizes secured at the trade deadline in March, Zellers is a potential middle-six scoring winger. The 2024 third-round pick (by the Avalanche) had a standout season in the USHL, earning Player of the Year honors after scoring 44 goals and 27 assists across 52 games with Green Bay. Zellers is not imposing at 5-10, 175 pounds, but he is a smart winger who generates scoring chances by operating in high-danger ice and finding soft areas. The Minnesota native — who said he models his game after Jake Guentzel — is set to play at the University of North Dakota in 2025-26. 'Just on the ice — his natural instinct for scoring? He doesn't need many opportunities, and he capitalizes on them,' said McQuaid. 'I think he's driven that way.' 4. Dans Locmelis, C No Bruins prospect has seen his stock rise over the last few months as much as Locmelis. A 2022 fourth-round pick, Locmelis initially projected as a two-way, fourth-line player. But after registering 14 points over 30 games as a freshman at UMass in 2023-24, the Latvian-born forward broke through with eight goals and 25 assists with the Minutemen last season. He then joined the Providence Bruins in the spring and recorded three goals and nine assists over just six games. Locmelis closed out his busy year by representing Latvia at the World Championship, where he had four goals and two assists over over seven games. Advertisement Locmelis's play against NHLers at Worlds caught the eye of Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby, 3. Fabian Lysell, RW When Lysell is on his game, it's easy to see why the Bruins selected him 21st overall in 2021, and why the Swede is still routinely mentioned as a potential contributor for Boston. Lysell's skating is elite, with the winger at his best when he's driving to the net. He still has plenty of work to do defensively, but when Lysell is assertive and operating with confidence, things happen offensively. Lysell had some encouraging spurts over 12 games with the Bruins last season but went through some extended lulls, with one goal and two assists over that stretch. On a team lacking high-end talent, Lysell should have every opportunity to win a middle-six spot out of camp. A case can be made that the Bruins haven't given Lysell an extended run over the last few seasons, but the onus also falls on Lysell to prove his AHL days are over. 2. Fraser Minten, C Minten doesn't have the offensive upside of Poitras, or Lysell's high-end skill, but he has all the makings of a long-term fixture in Boston. A former second-round pick of the Maple Leafs acquired in the Brandon Carlo trade, Minten is a jack-of-all trades who has drawn high marks for his defensive acumen, hockey smarts, faceoff work, and off-ice intangibles. In some respects, Minten mimics Charlie Coyle, whose realistic offensive output usually hovered around 40 points. But if kept in place as a third-line center, Minten could offer a lot of value by playing heavy minutes in all situations. Advertisement If this season ends up being a bridge year for the Bruins, one silver lining would be if Minten can leapfrog other players and solidify his spot for the future. Fraser Minten shoots and scores past New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes. Adam Hunger/Associated Press 1. James Hagens, C Hagens represents what the Bruins have been searching for over the past decade: a potential top-line center. Long regarded as the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 NHL Draft, Hagens dropped to No. 7 on draft night because of concerns over his size (5-11, 190 pounds) and what was considered an underwhelming freshman season at BC. He might have some growing pains when it comes to fighting for inside ice in the pros, but Hagens's elite puck skills make him the type of player who will consistently generate chances. 'He's been that way his whole life — in terms of what he's done,' general manager Don Sweeney said of Hagens's reputation as an impact player. 'So we just hope the natural progression is you'll be able to do at the NHL level.' Our full rankings: 1. James Hagens, C 2. Fraser Minten, C 3. Fabian Lysell, RW 4. Dans Locmelis, C 5. Will Zellers, F 6. William Moore, C 7. Dean Letourneau, C 8. Georgii Merkulov, F 9. Frederic Brunet, D 10. Chris Pelosi, F 11. Michael DiPietro, G 12. Oskar Jellvik, F 13. Elliott Groenewold, D 14. Cooper Simpson, F 15. Loke Johansson, D 16. Andre Gasseau, F 17. Vashek Blanar, D 18. Ryan Walsh, F 19. Dalton Bancroft, F 20. Riley Duran, F Honorable mention: G Philip Svedeback, F John Farinacci, D Liam Pettersson, F Cole Chandler, F Beckett Hendrickson, D Jackson Edward, D Ty Gallagher. Conor Ryan can be reached at
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sean Payton: Dre Greenlaw plays like Mike Tyson
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw made the most of the first day in pads at Broncos training camp. Greenlaw filled gaps and delivered hits throughout team drills in Denver and head coach Sean Payton said you didn't even have to be watching to know that Greenlaw was the one landing blows. Payton said "you can hear it" when Greenlaw makes a hit and then went on to compare his style to another knockout artist from a different sport. "He plays like Mike Tyson," Payton said, via the team's website. "He's tough, he's physical. He's built that way. There's not a lot of leaky yardage. Some guys [allow that]. He's a knock-back tackler. They stop where he hits them. There's an intensity to how he plays. He's one of those players that if you put the film on and didn't say anything, at some point early, you'd ask, 'Who is this guy?'" Greenlaw was limited to two games for the 49ers last year because of injuries and a quad injury interrupted his first offseason in Denver, so one key for the Broncos will be making sure Greenlaw's healthy enough to deploy that physicality on a regular basis. If he is, facing an already tough Broncos defense will be even less enjoyable for opposing offenses in 2025.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Commanders put OL Nate Herbig on reserve/retired list
Veteran offensive lineman Nate Herbig is walking away from football. Herbig signed with the Commanders this offseason, but the team announced on Tuesday morning that he has been placed on the team's reserve/retired list. He will no longer count against the team's 90-man roster limit. Herbig spent the last two seasons with the Steelers, but did not play at all in 2024 after a rotator cuff injury. Herbig appeared in 17 games for the Steelers in 2023 and he started 11 games at guard for the Jets in 2022. The Eagles signed Herbig as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and he started 17 of the 33 games he played while with Philadelphia. Nick Allegretti and Chris Paul remain on hand as depth options at guard in Washington.
