Bruins draft Dean Letourneau with No. 25 overall pick in 2024 NHL Draft

Making first pick in the first round in three years, the Bruins did not opt to play it safe, and instead went with the boom-or-bust talent, with center Dean Letourneau drafted with the No. 25 overall pick.

Standing at a mammoth 6-foot-7, Letourneau is coming to the B's organization after a 2023-24 season that featured 61 goals and 127 points in 56 games for St. Andrew's College (Canadian prep). But with that competition being considered a step below some of the other leagues available to kids his age (it's considered a weaker league than the CHL and even the USHL game), the questions as to whether or not Letourneau can get it done at the top levels for his age group are there.

"He's a great athlete for his, with legitimate natural athleticism," The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote in a 2024 NHL Draft rankings earlier this month. "When he finishes his checks (which he needs to do more of), he can overpower opposing players at the boards or muscle through in control. Off the cycle, players at the prep level don't engage with him, which allows him to take pucks off the wall and make plays with his good sense on the puck."

"Letourneau is a good skater who can use his frame to his advantage," Sportsnet's Jason Bukala, who projects Letourneau as a middle-six forward in the NHL, wrote ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft. "He leans shooter more than distributor overall. There’s a ton of potential upside in his game, but the level he played this past season is well below some of his counterparts on this list."

Despite his boom-or-bust vibes, with Tage Thompson considered the ceiling as far as comps made for Letourneau, this isn't exactly considered a massive reach in this draft, with most pre-draft rankings and mock drafts projecting Letourneau to be a late first-round pick.

It is worth noting, however, if the Utah Hockey Club spoiled the Bruins' plans, as the club pulled off a last-second deal to jump in front of the Bruins and draft OHL center Cole Beaudoin.

Letourneau was originally slated to play his 2024-25 season with USHL Sioux Falls, but will instead play college hockey in Boston's backyard this season as a member of the Boston College Eagles.

Barring a trade, the Bruins will find themselves back on the clock with the No. 122 overall pick Saturday.

Don Sweeney and the Bruins entered the week set to simply watch the first three rounds of this weekend's 2024 NHL Draft at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

But following Monday night's deal that sent Linus Ullmark to the Senators, the Bruins will (as of right now) find themselves making a first-round selection for the first time since 2021. (That pick, which saw the Bruins take Fabian Lysell with the No. 21 overall pick, was far from your 'normal' draft, too, in the sense that it was still during COVID protocols in place, and was made remotely from the B's war room.)

The pick was a definite boost to the Bruins, too, as it will give the club four picks in this year's draft.

Had they failed to pick up an additional pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the three-pick class would've been Boston's smallest draft class since the team made three selections in the 1968 NHL Draft. That was back when the draft only lasted — yup, you guessed it — three rounds. Instead, the Bruins (again, as of right now), will make four picks in this year's festivities in Vegas, making it the smallest draft class since 2020's four-pick class.

And the Bruins now have numbers for all their picks, as confirmed by the NHL on Wednesday.

One pick that was no mystery prior to today's announcement was Boston's first-round pick, which will check in at No. 25 overall. This pick was originally traded to Detroit in the 2023 deadline deal for Tyler Bertuzzi, was later moved from Detroit to Ottawa in last year's Alex DeBrincat, and landed back in Boston's possession by way of the aforementioned Ullmark-to-Ottawa trade. That's a whole lotta miles just to land back in The Hub.

As for what the Bruins will target with this pick, it seems like center is the most likely bet. The Bruins have a dire need for a talent infusion down the middle, and the draft is typically the best way to address that when you look at things from a 'big picture' standpoint. (Trades and free agency will only get you so far, and with shorter windows, typically.) The Bruins should have a solid number of options when it comes to that pick, too.

The most notable No. 25 overall pick in recent history is obviously the Bruins' David Pastrnak, who fell down the board and to the Bruins at that spot in 2014 due to concussion worries.

Other notable players taken with the 25th overall pick: Andrew Cogliano (2005), Cam Ward (2002), Brendan Morrow (1997), as well as Mark Howe (1974), Dave Semenko (1977), and Todd Gill (1984).

The Bruins will sit out both the second round (because of the 2022 trade for Hampus Lindholm) and third round (because of the 2023 trade for Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway) before being put back on the clock in the fourth round with the No. 122 overall pick.

Keeping it to recent history, Sweeney's biggest home run with a fourth-round selection undoubtedly came back in 2017 when the B's selected Jeremy Swayman with the No. 111 overall pick. Danton Heinen (No. 116 overall in 2014) was also a fourth-round selection of the club, while Joe Juneau (No. 81 overall in 1988) is probably the best fourth-round pick in the Black and Gold's 100-year history.

Notable NHL players taken with the No. 122 overall pick: Massachusetts natives and former Bruins players Chris Wagner (2010) and Tim Sweeney (1985), former Canadiens center Charles Hudon (2012), as well as goalies Chris Mason (1995) and Dustin Tokarski (2008). Dmitri Yushkevich (1991) is the most accomplished player taken at this pick, with 786 total games of NHL experience in his career. Overall, this draft slot has produced 15 players who have appeared in at least one NHL game, including Les Kuntar, the father of Bruins prospect Trevor Kuntar.

In round five, the Bruins will get back to work with the No. 154 overall pick. Now, dating back to the 2010 NHL Draft, the Bruins have actually had five different players they've drafted with a fifth-round pick appear in at least one NHL game for their club. That group includes forward Justin Florek (2010), defenseman Rob O’Gara (2011), winger Seth Griffith (2012), winger Anders Bjork (2014), and forward Jonna Koppanen (2016). But while the B's have had NHL cameos pop out of this group, the slot is a rare one for full-timers. Overall, just nine players drafted with the No. 154 overall pick have appeared in an at least one game. Of that group, New Jersey defenseman John Marino (2015) is the only current NHLer, while Brett Clark (1996) is the most accomplished, with 689 NHL games from 1997 through 2013.

The fourth and final pick of the 2024 NHL Draft for the Bruins will come with the No. 186 overall pick.

And similar to their fifth-round picks, the sixth round has actually brought about some part-time NHLers to the picture for the Bruins. Since 2009, that group includes Tyler Randell (2009), Zane McIntyre (2010), Matt Benning (2012), Anton Blidh (2013), Cameron Hughes (2015), and Oskar Steen (2016).

When it comes to the No. 186 overall pick, the only active NHLer to be selected with that pick is the Panthers' Steve Lorentz. Overall, 15 players selected at No. 186 overall have made at least one NHL appearance, and three have made at least 500 NHL appearances, including Drew Miller (2003), Jason Demers (2008), and Stephane Yelle (1992).