During his first year of collegiate competition, Dean Letourneau was by no means the only Boston Bruins prospect who appeared to be stuck in neutral.
Chris Pelosi had many challenges in the autumn as he transitioned from USHL competition to the demands of the collegiate game at Quinnipiac.
Only five points, including two goals, were scored by the two-way center in his first 15 games as a rookie with the Bobcats.
One of the main reasons Boston selected the New Jersey native with the 92nd choice in the 2023 NHL Draft was his readiness to play down low.
In the collegiate ranks, however, those efforts were far more difficult against athletes three to five years older than him.
“My biggest thing was physicality,” Pelosi stated during the Bruins Development Camp on Wednesday. I was always the child with the thinner body.
Pelosi, who is six feet two, gained muscle by spending days at Quinnipiac’s gym.
However, an invitation to USA Hockey’s camp ahead of the 2025 World Juniors gave Pelosi the boost he needed to finish the year strong.
Pelosi missed the opportunity to assist Team USA in winning consecutive gold medals since she was one of the last players to be cut from training. However, Pelosi was greatly impacted by spending camp with other blue-chip prospects like Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson, and James Hagens, another Bruins prospect.
Because of his adaptable, vivacious, and tough style, Chris Pelosi, ranked No. 28 in yellow, was one of the last selections for Team USA in the WJC. Pelosi is one of those guys that always seems to find his way around the puck, both in the dirty areas and in the skirmishes along the boards.PBOO5tcQgc #NHLBruinspic.twitter.com
When I received an invitation to World Junior camp in December, I believe my confidence immediately took off. You can gain a lot of knowledge from playing with all those guys, first-rounders, and excellent players.
You can learn from other sources besides coaches. Everyone else is around you. Additionally, I believe that the atmosphere there greatly aided me. I also got over that hump with the support of all the older guys at Quinnipiac.
The outcomes were self-evident.
Pelosi scored 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) in Quinnipiac’s final 23 games of the season and was a vital component up front for head coach Rand Pecknold’s team.
The two most promising prospects in Boston’s pipeline may be Hagens and Will Zellers.
However, Pelosi is beginning to establish himself as a muscular, two-way forward who might play in the middle six in the years to come.
Parker MacKay, a Bruins amateur and college scout, remarked of Pelosi, “He put on a solid 10 pounds last year.” Last year, Quinnipiac performed admirably. You can tell that he respects both ends of the ice, in my opinion. He loves his defense and takes pucks to difficult spots, and those are undoubtedly the aspects of his game that we appreciate.
Given his ability to fly, Chris Pelosi must consume Red Bull.WGELsq4VnM #NHLBruinspic.twitter.com
Pelosi believed that under Pecknold’s guidance, his defensive game strengthened itself in addition to the output he produced in the closing minutes.
Although it’s unclear if Pelosi’s offensive prowess will translate to the professional ranks, his physicality and 200-foot range make him a player whose profile might make him a desirable asset when his college career ends.
“I was having trouble in the D zone the first half of the season, staying with my guy, and my stick wasn’t the best,” Pelosi said. These are the minor points that Rand and the Quinnipiac coaches emphasize. You will spend the remainder of the game in the O-zone if you play well and fulfill your duties in the D zone.
BC-to-Bruins pipeline remains strong
Bruins supporters who eagerly watched the 2025 NHL Draft’s first round unfold may identify with Andre Gasseau.
After all, this past winter, the Boston College forward and Bruins 2021 seventh-round pick saw personally what a guy like Hagens can accomplish on the ice.
The Bruins were selecting Hagens [at No. 7], so I knew they were when I watched Philly select [Porter] Martone [at No. 6 overall]. According to Gasseau, it was thrilling. In the second round, they then defeated [Will] Moore.
Being selected by this team and playing for the Boston Bruins is amazing. It is my hope that we all go forward and join the Bruins.
In 2025–2026, Don Sweeney, Adam McQuaid, and the rest of Boston’s front office and development team won’t have to travel far to evaluate a sizable chunk of their prospect pool.
Hagens, Moore, Gasseau, Letourneau, Oskar Jellvik, and big-bodied defenseman Kristian Kostadinski are the six Bruins draft selections that the BC Eagles are anticipated to use on their squad this coming season, barring any changes in commitments.
When discussing Boston’s pipeline of potential at Chestnut Hill, McQuaid said, “I wouldn’t say it’s design.” It’s just the way things have turned out. However, their program there is excellent. The coaching staff is excellent, and they have done a wonderful job of preparing the guys for the NHL.
Therefore, having boys around and within easy sight isn’t necessarily necessary, but it doesn’t hurt to have them in our backyard. reduces travel to some extent.
Gasseau has shown a lot of potential for a seventh-round pick, even if the Eagles’ season will primarily be focused on their first and second-round picks, Hagens, Moore, and Letourneau.
With 88 points in his first three seasons with the Eagles (112 games), Gasseau, a 6-foot-4 power forward with good skating ability, is anticipated to be one of the leaders of an Eagles team that will be improved by a driven sophomore in Hagens.
It will be fantastic. Regarding the 2025–26 Eagles, Gasseau stated that everyone would be pulling the rope.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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