8 Boston College players to watch in the 2025 Beanpot
The first and second Mondays of February bring the attention of Boston to the world of college hockey; as four NCAA Division I schools from Chestnut Hill, Cambridge, Roxbury, and Allston send their teams to TD Garden to compete in a historic tournament of local bragging rights, a true ‘Battle of Boston’ – the annual Beanpot tournament.
Across the board, the Beanpot always lends to some of the most exciting games and storylines in college hockey, and 2025 will be no different. From top-ranked teams to future NHL stars, the 2025 Beanpot will once again be a spectacle.
Throughout the whole tournament, one can find highly touted top-tier NHL prospects competing for their chance to hoist the hallowed pot. Let me inform you on Boston College’s NHL prospects, you should certainly go to see stand out at the college level before heading off to the pros:
Note: All records and statistics are updated as of Jan. 27.
Team Preview: Boston College (18-4-1)
Once again, the 2025 Beanpot will be the Boston College Eagles’ tournament to lose. The Eagles will enter the tournament as one of the best teams in college hockey, they are currently the NCAA’s No. 1 ranked team in the country, according to the Pairwise Comparison Rating System and USCHO.com’s Men’s DI Top-20 Ranking Poll.
Head Coach Greg Brown has, once again, assembled a roster with the most top-tier NHL prospects in college hockey. The Eagles currently have three first round draft picks and one to be a first round pick in James Hagens, who is assumed to be a top-four pick, if not first overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft. They also sent six players to the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Juniors Championship, all of which played for Team USA, the team that won gold in the tournament.
The Eagles are guided by the top line in the NCAA of Hagens, Leonard, and Perrault, who have taken the college hockey world by storm in the 2025 season. They also have one of the most highly regarded goaltenders in the nation in Jacob Fowler, who has been one of the NCAA’s best goalies over his two seasons in college.
The Eagles possess the second most Beanpot victories (20), but it has been nearly a decade since they last won the tournament, in 2016. That being said, this year BC brings one of the most electric rosters in the nation to the table, and, on paper, should be poised to bring the trophy back to Chestnut Hill.
F James Hagens
Hagens, an 18-year-old Hauppauge, N.Y., native will be one of the top picks in the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft. Hagens has quickly become one of the top players in the NCAA.
He’s not necessarily known for his elite collegiate-level goal scoring – only six goals on the year – but his skating and puck movement is arguably the best in the country (Hagens is tied for 10th nationally with 19 assists). He was also a massive boost to team USA in the World Juniors in January, where he put up five goals and four assists for nine points (No. 8 ranked player in the tournament, tied for third in goals) in the seven game tournament.
There is no doubt that Hagens will be a noticeable contributor for the Eagles in the 2025 Beanpot.
F Ryan Leonard
Leonard, a 20-year-old from Amherst, Mass. and the eighth overall pick in the 2023 draft, is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in college hockey and one of the best NHL prospects. Leonard has 27 points so far his sophomore season, and his 19 goals are tied for the second-most in the NCAA.
Leonard is once again a standout in 2024-25 – in 2023-24 he was among the top of all scorers in Division I hockey with 60 points (tied for fourth in the NCAA behind only Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, and Macklin Celebrini, all having strong rookie seasons in NHL). His electric speed and playmaking have made him one of the top ranked players in college hockey – currently ranked seventh, according to CollegeHockeyNews.com’s CHIP statistic that predicts a player’s chances to win the Hobey Baker award (awarded to the best player in college hockey).
Leonard is one of three BC players nominated for the award. In the World Juniors, he registered 10 points in seven games and was ranked the third-best player in the tournament. After losing 2024’s tournament in the semifinals to BU, one can assume that Leonard will be ready to put his skill on display and bring the Beanpot back to Chestnut Hill.
F Gabe Perreault
Not to be outdone by his linemates, Hagens and Leonard, Perreault – a Sherbrooke, Quebec and Hinsdale, Ill. native – is the third, and most productive member (31 points) of BC’s dominant first line. He is tied for eighth in points in college hockey, and is ranked eighth in CHIP static for the Hobey Baker award.
Perreault is one of three BC players nominated for the award. Having also competed for Team USA in the World Juniors, Perrault was the fifth ranked player in the tournament and had the third most assists. Also, as a sophomore, Perreault will be eager to get retribution for 2024’s Beanpot. His skill and scoring ability will make him amazing to watch. Arguably the best player in the tournament, one can be sure that Gabe Perreault will make an impact on the TD Garden ice in the 2025 Beanpot.
F Dean Letourneau
The fans in Boston will be interested to see the Bruins’ 2024 first-round pick, Dean Letourneau. Letourneau, the 25th overall pick in the 2024 draft, stands as the Bruins’ only first-round selection since they drafted Fabian Lysell in 2021.
Letourneau’s freshman year at the college level should raise some concerns for Bruins fans. The good thing is that his physical stature (6-foot-7) gives him the potential to be a unique as a center. He is also only 18 years old, so he has time to develop. However, at this point in his career, the combination of his size with his young age could be more of a hindrance in his game.
BC Head Coach Greg Brown has said in the past, when referring to Letourneau, that he believes it often takes more time for players at that size to grow into their body and game. However, that contradicts Dean’s development path. Instead of getting necessary development time from the USHL, Letourneau played only two games there before going straight to BC out of St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario.
The reason for his rushed development process was due to Will Smith making the unexpected jump to the NHL after just one year in college. So, how far behind is Letourneau? Currently, he has two collegiate points and no goals through 22 games played. In general, he has been a bottom-six forward as a freshman. He gets some minutes on the BC second power-play unit, where he is parked in front of the net – makes sense, considering his size. But, he has looked very raw to begin his college career, and further development is definitely needed.
The aspects of his game I feel need to improve are his speed, his coordination with and without the puck — he needs to work harder to find open space when playing off the puck and tends to meander from time to time – and his physicality, which is lacking when you consider his size.
Still, Bostonians should go see Letourneau play in the 2025 tournament and make their own impressions of the Bruins prospect. At his height, he’s impossible to miss on the ice.
F Teddy Stiga
Stiga, an 18-year-old Sudbury, Mass. native, is a second-round pick of the Nashville Predators in the 2024 draft. Stiga has had a decent season so far. He’s not as highly regarded as a prospect when compared to Hagens, Leonard, or Perrault – who is, honestly – but has performed very well in his first year in college hockey.
The freshman has 20 points in 23 games and has been a nice depth piece on the Eagles roster – he has certainly outperformed expectations according to his second round status. The knock on Stiga is he’s on the smaller side at 5-foot-10, but he has performed well on the collegiate and international levels of hockey.
Stiga played six games for Team USA in the World Juniors, registering three points, his one goal being the so-called ‘Golden Goal’ that won the tournament for the Americans when he scored in overtime of the championship game. Although not the best player in the tournament – or on BC for that matter – Stiga could still make an impact for the Eagles, especially when you consider he performs under pressure and in big moments.
G Jacob Fowler
Fowler plays with an edge. Context: watch this video of Fowler throwing a punch from earlier this season. For two seasons now, Fowler has been one of the top goalies in college hockey – currently fifth and once again a candidate for the Mike Richter Award (top goalie in the NCAA). He is also one of three BC players nominated for the Hobey Baker award.
Fowler was the sixth goalie selected in his draft class, and has shown that he will have a strong chance at making a lasting impact between the pipes for Montreal when he eventually leaves college for the pros. His goals against average of 1.63 and save percentage of .938 makes him the best goaltender in the tournament and the cornerstone of a star-studded BC roster.
However, 2024’s tournament performance – losing 4-3 to BU stopping on 26-of-30 shots – led some to question the Florida native’s ability to show up in the biggest moments. He also let up two goals on 24 shots in the NCAA final game versus Denver, so it will be interesting to see how he stands up under the bright TD Garden lights come February.
F Oskar Jellvik
Another Bruins draft pick (fifth round, 2021), Jellvik is in his third year with the Eagles. Over his career, Jellvik has outplayed his fifth round draft position. In 2024 he stood out with 42 points.
Going into the 2025 Beanpot, the 21-year-old has 11 points, often playing on the second line, and could be an effective scorer in the tournament. He is not going to be the reason the Eagles win the Beanpot, but over his career he has filled in well as an effective support piece.
Keep your eye open for Jellvik. It’s hard to say whether a fifth round pick will get much time in the NHL, but Jellvik has earned a chance to, where with some development in the ECHL and/or AHL he could be a player seen in Boston down the line.
F Andre Gasseau
Another late-round Bruins draft pick (seventh round, 2021) who has looked pretty good during his time in college. Gasseau, essentially, fills the same role as Jellvik, except from the center position. Another second-liner for BC and through his three years with the program he has performed well for a seventh round pick – 29 points in his first two seasons, and now 15 points in 23 games as a junior.
So, like Jellvik, watch Gasseau. again he’s a seventh round pick, so I am not saying he is the next Bruins Hall of Famer, but he has also, probably, played well enough to earn himself a chance to compete in the Bruins’ system. Also, do not be surprised if you see Gasseau in the box score during the tournament – it may be a penalty, he has 20 penalty minutes in the 2025 season – but he can be a threat to score from time to time.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
