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Ranking Bruins prospects 20-11: Plenty of bruisers in the system
The Bruins' prospect pool has become deeper over the last few seasons.
The Boston Bruins’ once-dormant prospect pipeline is starting to show signs of life.
With Boston selling off several NHL assets at the trade deadline in March for future returns — coupled with a promising draft haul in 2025 — the Bruins’ pool of young talent is the deepest it’s been in quite some time.
Now that 2025 Development Camp has wrapped, here’s our annual ranking of the top 20 prospects in the Bruins’ system.
To narrow down on some of the candidates in this ranking, we’re excluding prospects who have already logged at least 15 games with the Bruins — like Matthew Poitras and Michael Callahan.
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We’re also excluding free-agent signings this offseason who could be poised for a greater role in 2025-26, like AHL standouts Matej Blumel and Alex Steeves.
Here’s our look at prospects 20-11, with the top 10 players set to be unveiled on Thursday:
20. Riley Duran, F
The Woburn native plays a smart, physical game that could put him in the mix for an NHL role as a hard-nosed fourth liner.
After a productive career at Providence College under the tutelage of Nate Leaman, Duran made the jump to the pro game in 2024.
It didn’t take long for Duran to find his role as a straight-line skater who can do damage on the forecheck, while the expected regression in his offensive production (20 points in 71 AHL games) wasn’t much of a surprise.
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Duran may not be a 15-20-goal scorer in the pros, but there’s no knocking his work ethic, high motor, and his willingness to skate into high-danger ice.
If Boston’s bottom-six grouping wasn’t already so crowded, he could be a dark horse to make a push for a roster spot out of camp.
19. Dalton Bancroft, F
The Bruins outbid several teams for the chance to sign an undrafted college free agent in Bancroft in April.
Given how much Boston puts an emphasis on snarl, it should come as little surprise that they coveted a player like Bancroft.
The 24-year-old already elevated his stock over three seasons at Cornell, scoring 36 goals and 79 points in his collegiate career.
But, Bancroft’s value in the NHL ranks lies in his pugnacious approach and willingness to dole out punishment via a hard check or right hook.
Speaking after Development Camp, the 6-foot-3 Bancroft said that he’s going to work with former scrapper Aaron Downey this summer to pick up some fighting tips.
Expect to see plenty of highlights this season of Bancroft throwing haymakers down in Providence as the pesky winger tries to find his identity in the pro ranks.
18. Ryan Walsh, F
Walsh has provided strong value for Boston since the Bruins selected the forward in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft.
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The 6-foot-1 forward has been an effective top-six forward in the ECAC since joining Cornell in 2023, scoring 29 goals and 53 points over his first two seasons with the Big Red.
Walsh was held off the ice during 2025 Development Camp while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but the New York native has all the makings of a smart and steady forward who could bolster either Boston or Providence’s depth chart in the coming years.
17. Vashek Blanar, D
Blanar has the chance to either be a top-10 prospect in this ranking next year … or drop into more of the “honorable mention” category.
The 2025 fourth-round pick puzzled Bruins fans (and frankly, a lot of media members) when Boston selected him, given that he wasn’t initially listed on Elite Prospects under his current name, nor was he ranked in a lot of scouting lists going into the draft.
But, after watching him at Development Camp, it’s easy to see why a Bruins team short on skill would be enamored with a prospect like Blanar.
Already a big body at 6-foot-4, Blanar is an offensive dynamo with the puck on his stick, routinely activating off the blue line and peppering the net.
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It’s an exciting brand of hockey, but one that invites plenty of risks — and growing pains for a very raw prospect.
Patience will need to be prescribed with a player like Blanar, who will play another season in the Swedish junior league before deciding his next step.
But, he is the type of boom-or-bust prospect that a team in need of game-breakers like Boston needs to take a swing on.
16. Andre Gasseau, F
A 2021 seventh-round pick, Gasseau was targeted by the Bruins due to his intriguing size (6-foot-4, 218 pounds) and slick hands.
But, the California native has exceeded expectations since arriving at Boston College, scoring 37 goals and 88 points over three years at Chestnut Hill.
He will need to improve his skating to stick at the next level, but Gasseau has the size to be a solid bottom-six player if some of that scoring touch carries over to the pro game.
15. Loke Johansson, D
Johansson is already looking like a nice find in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 6-foot-3 defenseman has accelerated his timeline to the pro ranks, signing an entry-level deal with the Bruins just a few months after getting drafted.
Since then, Johansson has only continued to impress, serving as a key cog on a Moncton Wildcats team that won the QMJHL Championship this season.
Beyond logging heavy minutes on Moncton’s blue line, Johansson scored four goals and 22 points over 62 games in the Q.
Bruins player development coordinator Adam McQuaid noted at Development Camp that Johansson is likely ready for the AHL in 2025-26.
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He’s not flashy, but Johansson blends his pro-ready frame with a simple blend of hockey that leads to clean breakouts and little risk in the offensive zone.
There’s value in the pros for a player with that low-maintenance profile.
14. Cooper Simpson, F
Another high-skilled prospect that Boston plucked out of this 2025 draft class, Simpson has some work to do when it comes to rounding out his overall game.
But, the 18-year-old winger knows how to put the puck in the back of the net.
And given that Boston’s most pressing need is to add scoring punch to their lineup, there’s a lot to like about what a player like Simpson can offer in due time.
The 2025 third-round pick was a menace this past season at Shakopee High School, leading all Minnesota high schoolers with 49 goals in just 31 games, while also adding 34 assists.
Of course, it’s a stretch to assume that lofty high-school stats will coincide with elite production at higher levels of hockey.
But, Simpson also impressed in nine games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL this past season, scoring seven goals and eight total points over nine games.
If Simpson can continue this level of goal-scoring output next year at Tri-City (before joining the University of North Dakota in 2026-27), he could quickly establish himself as a top-10 prospect in this system.
13. Elliott Groenewold, D
Groenewold may not have the same offensive flair to his game as Blanar.
But, the Vermont native and 2024 fourth-round pick also has a much higher floor as a steady blueliner who can both transport the puck and separate opposing players from the biscuit.
The left-shot D also has a strong frame at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds. But, he was far from a stay-at-home blueliner as a freshman at Quinnipiac, scoring four goals and 12 points over 38 games while recording heavy minutes.
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He won’t be an offensive dynamo at the next level, but Groenewold could develop into a solid second or third-pairing regular who can throw his weight around and transport the puck without limitations.
12. Oskar Jellvik, F
The 2025-26 season is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Jellvik when it comes to charting out his pro ceiling.
A fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Jellvik has been a key cog on some strong Boston College teams under Greg Brown, headlined by a sophomore campaign where he scored 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists) in 41 games.
Granted, Jellvik also skated in one of the strongest top-six units in recent collegiate history with the 2023-24 Eagles, usually playing on a line with Cutter Gauthier.
The 2024-25 campaign was more of a struggle for Jellvik, who scored 13 points (four goals, nine assists) over 23 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in February.
Jellvik wasn’t a play driver this past season with the Eagles, but BC’s offense also dried up after he went down, scoring under three goals in five of their final 12 games.
A shifty, cerebral player who puts himself in spots to generate Grade-A chances, Jellvik could be poised for a bounce-back season or a reloaded BC squad.
11. Michael DiPietro, G
At 26 years old, a player like DiPietro might be stretching the label of “prospect.”
But, given Boston’s need to identity another goalie in their system — coupled with DiPietro’s own stellar play in 2024-25 — the netminder deserves a spot here.
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Acquired from Boston in a deal with Vancouver that involved Jack Studnicka in October 2022, DiPietro has bounced across all three levels of pro hockey over the last few seasons with the Bruins and Canucks.
After serving in more of a backup role to Brandon Bussi in 2023-24, DiPeitro dominated as Providence’s top option between the pipes in 2024-25.
The former 2017 third-round pick took home the Baz Bastien Award as the AHL’s Goaltender of the Year after posting a 26-8-7 record to go along with a .927 save percentage and four shutouts.
“You’re always rooting for a guy like Michael,” Providence Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel said in May. “He’s a fantastic kid and pro. And then his ability, he just got more of an opportunity to show it here and we’re really proud of his growth and how far he’s come and all the accolades that come with it. But for me, I’m not surprised by it.”
The Bruins backup goaltender role is currently accounted for — courtesy of Joonas Korpisalo.
But if Boston was able to find a suitor for Korpisalo via trade (clearing cap space as a result) rolling with a younger (and cheaper) backup in DiPietro could be an appealing option for Boston.
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