Bruins Draft 6’7″ Center Bound For BC With Pick 25 In NHL Draft

LAS VEGAS–The Boston Bruins traveled nearly three thousand miles only to stay local during the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday night, as they selected Boston College-bound center Dean Letourneau with the 25th overall pick.

Letourneau had a sense that Boston would be the ones to call his name after he met with the Bruins at the NHL Scouting Combine. Now that he’s officially a Bruin, the Braeside, Ontario native is excited to call Boston his new home.

“It was just an honor to hear my name called,” said Letourneau. “I got lucky to be in a great spot in Boston.”

The newest member of the Bruins organization pic.twitter.com/OsrVA1ShMl

— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) June 29, 2024

The 23rd-ranked North American skater in this year’s class by NHL Central Scouting, Letourneau appeared in 56 games for St. Andrew’s College of the U-18 AAA Prep League in 2023-24, recording 61 goals and 66 assists.

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Still only 18 years old, Letourneau has a ways to go in terms of his development. One thing for sure about him, though, is that he’s eager to make the Bruins roster as soon as possible. Standing at a staggering six-foot-seven, 214 pounds, he has a clear vantage point of how to do so.

“I want to play a bigger boys’ game where I’m using my size more,” said Letourneau. “I’m still learning how to do that, and that’s something I’m trying to work on this offseason.”

It wasn’t until earlier this week the Bruins even had a first-round pick after they acquired the 25th pick in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for Linus Ullmark. With options to trade down in the draft, the Bruins were undecided about what they were going to do with the selection heading into the first round. As the draft unfolded, they determined they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to select Letourneau.

“What stood out is obviously his frame and his skill set,” said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. “Not so much just the positional side of things, but he moves really well. He has very good hands and a very deep shot.”

The Bruins will be able to keep a close eye on their latest draft pick while he attends Boston College beginning this fall. However, how Letourneau adjusts to the intensity of the competition as he jumps to the NCAA level will be a major factor in how the Bruins proceed with him as wages a path toward the NHL.

“The pace is obviously going to be challenging,” Sweeney said. “He played a couple of games out in USHL. That would have been the path that he originally would have chosen, but the opportunity to go into BC with a nice plan in front of him in terms of what that opportunity is going to be with reps was really important. They’ve knocked that out, and we’ll be excited to see him developing right in our backyard.”

Playing in Boston was long a part of the plan for Letourneau, but not at originally BC. He first committed to Northeastern University but changed his decision this past fall.

The Bruins have three picks remaining in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, with selections at 122nd, 154th, and 186th overall. The 2024 NHL Draft will continue with rounds two through seven on Saturday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST.

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