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.
Every draft pick the Bruins will have in the 2024 NHL Draft
Round 1: No. 25 overall
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JUNE 29: Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins attends the 2023 NHL Draft at the Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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).
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JULY 08: The Boston Bruins draft table during Round Six of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Round 5: No. 154 overall
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.
