With the 25th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Boston Bruins have selected Dean Letourneau from St. Andrew’s College (ON)
About Dean Letourneau
Sometimes when you’re evaluating a top pick at the NHL Draft, you can’t overthink the simple things. When you have a chance to draft a big, strong skating forward, you take it. For the 2024 NHL Draft class, it doesn’t get much bigger than Dean Letourneau.
The 6-foot-7 centerman completely tore apart his opposition while playing for St. Andrews College in 2023-24, posting 61 goals and 127 points in 56 games played. Now, this wasn’t against the best competition in the world, but you can’t ignore scoring potential like that.
Related: 2024 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
For any team that drafts Letourneau, the sky is truly the limit. If he can stay healthy, develop his toolkit, and learn to utilize his frame to his advantage, he might become the most dominant player in this class. So, while his selection may be a risk, it’s a risk worth taking.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
There is quite a bit of disagreement when it comes to Dean Letourneau’s position in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Much of this has to do with the fact that the 6-foot-6 centerman does not play in one of the largest circuits in importance, such as the Canadian Hockey League junior circuit or the United States Hockey League (USHL), which is one factor that makes an evaluation complicated. Dominating at St. Andrew’s College — a prep school in Ontario — has gotten him noticed by scouts, with some feeling he may go late in the first round while others see him being selected as late as the late third round.
Letourneau, who served as an alternate captain this season, won the J.P. McClocklin Trophy as the most valuable player of the MacPherson Tournament in February after leading St. Andrew’s to the championship with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in five games. He finished his superb season with 127 points in 56 games, and while he was slated to play some more games with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, but an upper-body injury prevented that from happening.
Continue Reading the Full player profile here.
How This Affects the Bruins’ Plans
With the Bruins needing to start the long process of rebuilding their center depth, adding a player with Letourneau’s potential to their prospect pool feels like the perfect move. He’s big, skilled, and has the potential to terrorize the league for years should he put it all together.
If somehow Boston hits on this pick, the rest of the NHL is going to be shaking their heads and wondering how they selected such a high-potential player this late in the first round. It seems obvious to take a chance on the 6-foot-7 Letourneau, even if he’s likely to be a bit of a project over the next four to five years while recovering from injury. For now, they have to be patient and make sure they get this development right.