Dean Letourneau, the Bruins' top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, works toward big-time bounce-back season for BC

Boston Globe

02-07-2025

But with the intriguing pivot making the sizable jump from the prep level to the gauntlet of Hockey East last season at Boston College, the Bruins expected Letourneau to have a few missteps as a freshman.
Advertisement
It ended up being far more than just a couple of simple stumbles for the 18-year-old forward.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
'Significant growing pains,' Don Sweeney said of Letourneau's first season with BC. 'Making a very big jump from the level of hockey he was the year before, to the demands of college.'
Related
:
Initially, Letourneau was expected to take a smaller step by playing the USHL for a season before matriculating to college. But after Eagles star Will Smith left school to join the Sharks later in the summer, Letourneau opted to accelerate his timeline.
It led to plenty of frustration for several parties this past winter.
'I think we all would have agreed that maybe a full year of the USHL would have been the best path,' Sweeney said. 'Physically, he was able to play at the college level, and again, that opportunity presented a bit of a unique fashion.
Advertisement
'I think everybody was sort of with the understanding that, hey, physically, he was ready to do it. Now, whether or not you can carry that over in the highest level, because that's what the expectations at BC are, and be successful from a production standpoint, you know, that's a leap.'
Related
:
Despite playing in 36 games with the Eagles in a bottom-six role, Letourneau failed to score a single goal — finishing with just three assists.
Boston was expecting a long-term project in Letourneau, but the frustration was evident for all involved — namely the player whose track record of stuffing the stat sheet came to an abrupt halt in the collegiate ranks.
'I mean, obviously the numbers weren't where I wanted them to be,' Letourneau said at Boston's Development Camp. 'It definitely weighed on me a little bit that the chances weren't going in. I had a couple of chances in the Beanpot … hit a couple crossbars, a couple posts. So usually when those don't go [in], you get a little frustrated.'
Letourneau added that he was hindered by a broken hand for the first half of the season. He went under the knife around the holidays.
Even if his health improved down the stretch, it still didn't lead to any tangible results on the scoresheet.
But as the dissatisfaction continued to build, fellow
Advertisement
'He just kept his head down and worked hard,' Gasseau, a 2021 seventh-round selection, said of Letourneau. 'He's someone who is willing to go on the ice. And when there's free ice, when the gym's open, we go on the ice a lot during free ice, if we have time before practice.
'I know he spent a couple weeks here before coming to this camp. So he's really committed. And like
Seemingly bent on working on his shot, Dean Letourneau let one fly at Warrior Arena.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
Bruins player development coordinator Adam McQuaid echoed the message about how Letourneau navigated a season where the positives were few and far between.
'He honestly handled it really well,' McQuaid said. 'Like 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. So [I] learned a lot about his character. Adversity at a young age — a lot of these guys haven't seen it. So for him to go through it now, there's always going to be critics and adversity faced. And for him, being here in Boston probably magnifies it a little bit. He's handled it really well.'
Related
:
Letourneau will likely be placed in the same bottom-six role with the Eagles in 2025-26, especially with Hagens and fellow
Advertisement
After learning to play more of a hard-nosed, checking role this past year, Letourneau wants to return to his strengths as an offensive playmaker — rather than try to augment his skillset based on where
Letourneau might need plenty of seasoning in the collegiate ranks before setting his sights on the pro game. But he believes he has the means to put last season in the rearview mirror.
'I just took some time off. Kind of reflected on the season. … Trying to be more focused on my skill, trying to get my confidence back,' Letourneau said. 'And I feel I kind of have as the summer has [gone] on.'
Conor Ryan can be reached at